It's amazing to find that you can purchase a home, in a decent area, for the same price, and depending on that area, the size of that home and property can vary greatly.

For example, $500k in Claremont CA will get you a 2 bed 1,000 sq ft apartment. But in several other states, you get more than double the sq footage, PLUS a yard and space.

For most of these major metro cities, I had to zoom out to about a 30 minute commute to find areas with relatively better crime scores.

Here's what I'm aiming to find:

• recently sold listing
• within reasonable commute to the city
• safe (from what I can tell from a computer chair)

I might not get all 3 for each city.

I’ll also include a guide to the state’s local down payment assistance programs if it’s of any use to you.

Here we go:

Birmingham AL

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4228-Cahaba-Bnd-Trussville-AL-35173/125825305_zpid

4 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2,540 sq ft house and 3,920 sq ft lot

Trussville was the closest with a decent crime grade.

$220k is about the median in this area.

Here's a guide to AL's local down payment assistance programs (reddit post)

Anchorage AK

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2641-W-27th-Ave-Anchorage-AK-99517/2414_zpid

3 bed 2 bath 1,868 sq ft an a 8,276 sq ft lot

Turnagain AK.

Alaska doesn't disclose sales prices, but Zillow's estimate (I know it could be off) has it close to $500k

Anchorage has a $446k median price.

Down payment assistance guide here. (reddit post)

Phoenix AZ

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/17857-W-Getty-Dr-Goodyear-AZ-85338/352025298_zpid

4 Bed 4 bath 2,873 sq ft and 5,750 lot

Goodyear AZ

AZ's down payment assistance guide here (reddit post)

This is pretty close to the median for phoenix.

Little Rock AR

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4-Fir-Cv-Maumelle-AR-72113/99444762_zpid

4 bed 3 bath 2,557 sq ft and .33 acre lot

Maumelle AR

Took a while to find something close to $500k ($450k) and had to go back 6 months

Median home price in AR is around $245k

Here's AR's DPA guide (reddit post)

Los Angeles CA

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/613-S-Indian-Hill-Blvd-APT-D-Claremont-CA-91711/21503407_zpid

This is 2 bed 2 bath and 1,088 sq ft

In Claremont

I was afraid I wouldn't find anything in any semi-safe areas

If this is your budget, and you're okay with an apt/condo, don't forget to include about $495 for a monthly HOA fee and a higher property tax bill.

Compare this to the median home price of around $1.05m

Here's CA's down payment assistance guide. (reddit post)

Denver CO

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/68-N-Quicksilver-Ave-Castle-Rock-CO-80104/13494204_zpid

3 bed 2 bath 1,341 sq ft and 4,138 sq ft lot

This is farther out, but has good marks for safety, and you can get something other than a townhome.

Castle Rock, CO

Median is around $600k in Denver

Here's CO's down payment assistance programs (reddit post)

New Haven CT

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15-Park-Ln-Woodbridge-CT-06525/58041414_zpid

3 bed 2 bath 1,380 sq ft and 1.49 acre lot

I probably should’ve selected Hartford, but New Haven came to my mind first.

This one is in Woodbridge

Median in New haven is about $355k

Property taxes are pretty high in CT

For CT’s down payment assistance guide, go here (reddit post)

Wilmington DE

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/16-Eynon-Ct-Hockessin-DE-19707/73032974_zpid

2 bed 2 bath 1,975 sq ft and 8,276 sq ft lot

Median is about $290k 

This listing is in Hockessin. Some safer options seemed to be in NJ rather than DE, but I wanted to keep it in the state.

DE’s property taxes are pretty good compared to the rest of the nation.

Here are local programs for down payment assistance in DE (reddit post)

Miami FL

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7909-SW-105th-Ave-Miami-FL-33173/44218437_zpid

3 bed 3 bath 1,680 sq ft townhome $235 HOA in Kendall

I thought about Orlando, because I thought there would be more homes to select from in the price range, but I’ll admit Miami was the first city that came to my mind.

Median is about $605k around Miami

Florida is about average when it comes to property tax rates, but homeowners insurance is the highest in the nation.

Here are the local down payment assistance programs in FL (reddit post)

Atlanta GA

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4300-Pinewalk-Dr-Alpharetta-GA-30022/14651734_zpid

3 bed 2 bath 1,604 sq ft and 9,000 sq ft lot in Alpharetta GA

It’s farther out, but had decent crime scores.

Median is about $390k 

Property taxes are a little higher than average

Average on homeowners insurance.

Here is GA’s down payment assistance guide. (reddit post)

Honolulu HI

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1617-Keeaumoku-St-APT-1803-Honolulu-HI-96822/82428128_zpid

2 bed 2 bath 773 sq ft condo in Makiki with a $930 HOA monthly fee

Hawaii has really low property taxes 

In this price range, you’re really only getting a condo.

Here are Hawaii’s down payment assistance programs. (reddit post)

Boise ID

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/920-N-Clover-Dr-Boise-ID-83703/79603521_zpid

4 Bed 2 bath 2,408 sq ft and a 7,400 sq ft lot

I’m surprised at how close you can get to downtown while still having decent property sizes and good crime marks

The median is Boise is about $490k

Idaho has one of the lower property tax rates in the nation and it’s average HOI is really low too.

Here’s Idaho’s down payment assistance guide. (reddit post)

Chicago IL

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/0S414-S-Cadwell-Ave-Elmhurst-IL-60126/455590533_zpid

3 Bed 3 Bath 2,225 sq ft and .36 acre lot in Elmhurst 

Median home price around Chicago: $374k

Property taxes are the highest in the nation and homeowners insurance is above average.

Here’s a down payment assistance guide for Illinois. (reddit post)

Indianapolis IN

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13214-Dunwoody-Ln-Carmel-IN-46033/73230549_zpid

4 bed 3 bath 3,544 sq ft and .26 acre lot in Carmel

You could find a lot of nice places near the city, I just settled on this one.

Median home price is around $247k

Property taxes are pretty average compared to the national average.

HOI is cheaper than the average.

Here’s Indiana’s down payment assistance guide. (reddit post)

Des Moines IA

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5739-NW-92nd-St-Johnston-IA-50131/839995_zpid

4 bed 3 bath 2,328 sq ft and a 10,000 sq ft lot in Johnston

Median price is around $215k

Property taxes are on the higher end in Iowa

Homeowners insurance is pretty low comparatively

Here’s Iowa’s down payment assistance guide. (reddit post)

Wichita KS

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5114-S-247th-St-W-Goddard-KS-67052/77400249_zpid

5.9 acres! 3 bed 4 bath and 3,535 sq ft in Goddard

It was surprisingly difficult to find anything in this price range I set up. Maybe most of the houses are much cheaper than this. I had to go back 6 months to find anything.

Median home price in Wichita is around 235k

Property taxes are higher than most.

Homeowners insurance is also high compared to the national average

Here’s the down payment assistance guide for local programs. (reddit post)

Louisville KY

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4003-W-Highway-22-Crestwood-KY-40014/105922243_zpid

4 bed 3 bath 2,862 sq ft and 1.57 acre lot in Crestwood KY

$260k is the median

Property taxes are average and homeowners insurance is higher on the average than most states.

Here’s Kentucky’s down payment assistance guide.(reddit post)

New Orleans LA

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/180-E-Greenbrier-Dr-New-Orleans-LA-70128/114010037_zpid

4 bed 5 bath 3,419 sq ft and 10,000 sq ft lot in Read Blvd East

304k median home price

Low property taxes compared to other states

One of the most expensive for homeowners insurance

Here’s Louisiana’s down payment assistance guide. (reddit post)

Portland ME

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/28-Beech-Rd-Standish-ME-04084/91838532_zpid

3 bed 2 bath 2,223 sq ft and 3,484 sq ft lot in Standish 20-30 min commute to portland

$665k median home price

Property taxes are about average and homeowners insurance rates are cheaper than most states

Here’s the down payment assistance guide for this area. (reddit post)

Baltimore MD

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1303-Erica-Ct-Fallston-MD-21047/36955166_zpid

5 bed 3 bath 1,750 sq ft and 1.13 acre lot in Fallston

Yeah, I had to go clear out to Fallston to find something with good crime grades that would meet the price. This is about 35 minutes out (with no traffic) so it’s a commute. You can get closer to the city within $500k, but I’m less sure about the safety in some areas (looking at it from a computer chair)

Median is about $245k

Property taxes are average

Average HOI

Here’s Maryland’s down payment assistance guide. (reddit post)

Part 2 is continued here!