America’s Most Affordable College Towns Revealed

As Labor Day recedes in the rearview mirror and the fall semester gets underway, now is a good time to examine the nation's most budget-friendly college towns offering recent graduates and young professionals a realistic path to homeownership in a vibrant market without breaking the bank.Realtor.com® economists analyzed 2025 median listing prices for residential properties in towns anchored by a Division I university. While 365 institutions make up the NCAA's elite athletic division, markets with fewer than 15 listings were excluded from the list to ensure a reliable estimate. The remaining 231 markets were then ranked from lowest to highest median asking price, showing where house hunters can still find reasonably priced real estate in vibrant communities that offer economic stability, cultural diversity, and strong local amenities. Unsurprisingly, the affordable South dominates the list, accounting for roughly 38% of all ranked markets, followed by the Midwest at approximately 30%. The West and Northeast, which are typically higher-priced housing regions, account for 20% and 12% of the rankings, respectively. The 5 affordability bastionsTopping the Realtor.com list of America's m...