Supersize cities: where in the US has the biggest homes?

Study also reveals where homebuyers can get more bang for their buck

Supersize cities: where in the US has the biggest homes?

Homebuyers who want the most living space should head to Houston while those looking for the lowest median cost per square foot will find it in Memphis.

A new study from LendingTree ranks the 45 largest cities in the US by the size of the median home; and shows the median cost of one square foot of living space.

In Houston, the median home comes in at 1,952 square feet while the smallest is in Detroit at 1,333 sq. ft. But in real estate bigger doesn’t mean more bucks of course - the cost per square foot is $100 in Houston and $108 in Detroit.

The South dominates for big homes with Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, and Orlando among the top 10.

The highest median price per square foot is in San Jose with an eyewatering $693 compared with the lowest, $76 in Memphis.

Tendayi Kapfidze, Chief Economist at LendingTree explains that the average home size is not determined by current trends which shows that new homes in Q2 2018 had a median size of 2,412 sq. ft. according to the Census Bureau.

"Home sizes have leveled off the past few years from a peak of 2,488 square feet in the third quarter of 2015, though homes sizes are generally larger today than they were for previous generations,” says Kapfidze. “Because only a small proportion of the housing stock is new each year, the median size of all homes is lower given a median house age of 37 years."

45 Largest Cities Ranked by Median House Size

Rank

Metro

Median Size

(Sq.ft)

Median Estimated

Price

Median Price

(per sq.ft)

1

Houston

1,952

$196,000

$100

2

Atlanta

1,914

$196,000

$102

3

Washington

1,908

$446,000

$234

4

Dallas

1,862

$217,000

$117

5

Austin, Texas

1,861

$283,000

$152

6

Las Vegas

1,835

$262,000

$143

7

Phoenix

1,832

$255,000

$139

8

Raleigh, N.C.

1,795

$215,000

$120

9

Boston

1,767

$457,000

$259

10

Orlando, Fla.

1,758

$228,000

$130

11

San Diego

1,744

$602,000

$345

12

Nashville, Tenn.

1,731

$236,000

$136

13

Philadelphia

1,728

$244,000

$141

14

Charlotte, N.C.

1,722

$188,000

$109

15

Richmond, Va.

1,716

$224,000

$131

16

Miami

1,711

$326,000

$191

17

San Jose, Calif.

1,711

$1,185,000

$693

18

Virginia Beach, Va.

1,708

$227,000

$133

19

New York

1,704

$427,000

$251

20

San Antonio

1,694

$189,000

$112

21

Riverside, Calif.

1,683

$338,000

$201

22

Denver

1,675

$411,000

$245

23

Indianapolis

1,674

$132,000

$79

24

Memphis, Tenn.

1,673

$127,000

$76

25

Jacksonville, Fla.

1,670

$183,000

$110

26

Sacramento, Calif.

1,661

$393,000

$237

27

San Francisco

1,650

$923,000

$559

28

Seattle

1,650

$477,000

$289

29

Los Angeles

1,618

$647,000

$400

30

Portland, Ore.

1,617

$386,000

$239

31

Cincinnati

1,606

$166,000

$103

32

Oklahoma City

1,576

$141,000

$89

33

Columbus, Ohio

1,572

$183,000

$116

34

Tampa, Fla.

1,545

$202,000

$131

35

Chicago

1,517

$232,000

$153

36

Cleveland

1,513

$138,000

$91

37

Baltimore

1,504

$300,000

$199

38

Louisville, Ky.

1,482

$157,000

$106

39

Providence, R.I.

1,456

$283,000

$194

40

Pittsburgh

1,452

$147,000

$101

41

Kansas City, Mo.

1,428

$171,000

$120

42

St. Louis

1,404

$165,000

$118

43

Milwaukee

1,388

$175,000

$126

44

Minneapolis

1,360

$273,000

$201

45

Detroit

1,333

$140,000

$105