It’s time to start daydreaming about a coastal lifestyle, because Realtor.com just released a list of the most affordable beach towns of 2023. Beach homes are often associated with wealth and luxury—and understandably so, as beach towns and cities account for some of the most expensive real estate in the country. However, there are some beach towns where the cost to buy a home is on par or even lower than the national average. For reference, as of 2022, the average home price in the U.S. was $348,079 (which is up 29 percent since 2020)—and the median home price for the majority of the towns on Realtor.com’s list are lower than that.
In order to compile the list, the data team at Realtor.com, including data journalist Evan Wyloge, started with a federal listing of beaches and their locations. The team then aggregated Realtor.com listing data for every home put on the market in the past year located within a 1-mile radius of each beach and selected the most affordable beach towns by price per square foot. (The most affordable on the list comes in at $144 per square foot.) To account for potential fluke instances, the roundup only includes locations with at least 50 property listings within a mile of the water in the past year.
Below, find the most affordable beach towns in America—from the coast of Mississippi to the northern tip of California.
6 U.S. Islands Where You Can Buy a Home for Under $150k
Top 10 Most Affordable Beach Towns
1. Gulfport, Miss.
- Median list price: $224,900
- Median price per square foot: $144
2. Newport News, Va.
- Median list price: $200,000
- Median price per square foot: $150
3. New London, Ct.
- Median list price: $257,000
- Median price per square foot: $175
4. Grand Isle, La.
- Median list price: $309,500
- Median price per square foot: $190
5. Corpus Christi, Tx.
- Median list price: $289,948
- Median price per square foot: $206
6. Atlantic City, N.J.
- Median list price: $185,000
- Median price per square foot: $213
7. Navarre, Fla.
- Median list price: $442,500
- Median price per square foot: $240
8. North Beach, Md.
- Median list price: $384,495
- Median price per square foot: $245
9. Crescent City, Calif.
- Median list price: $329,000
- Median price per square foot: $248
10. Shirley, N.Y.
- Median list price: $414,990
- Median price per square foot: $256
