Salary Needed To Afford a Mansion in the 50 Largest Cities
If you think you need to earn six figures to afford a mansion, you'd mostly be right. A six-figure salary, particularly in high-cost-of-living states like California, is necessary to comfortably afford a mansion in the majority of America's largest metros. However, new findings from an in-house MoneyLion study show there are 14 U.S. cities where residents earning less than $96,000 annually can comfortably afford buying a mansion (a home with at least five bedrooms).
For this study, we sourced each city's population data and analyzed Zillow's 5+ bedroom January 2026 housing data to isolate housing costs. The monthly and annual mortgage payments were determined by assuming a 20% down payment, 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 5.98% and no PMI, insurance, property taxes or HOA inclusion. From there, we calculated the salary to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage by assuming no more than 28% of pre-tax income should go towards a mortgage.
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Out of the 14 cities where salaries under $100,000 are enough money to afford a mansion, half are based in the Midwest. The most surprising salary findings came from Milwaukee and Detroit. Residents can earn less than $50,000 annually and afford a mansion in both locales.
Here's how much you need to earn to afford a mansion in America's 50 largest cities, ranked from highest to lowest annual salary.
50. San Francisco
2024 population: 830,235
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $2,344,873
20% down payment: $468,975
Monthly mortgage: $11,223
Annual mortgage: $134,674
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $480,979
49. San Jose, California
2024 population: 990,138
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $2,104,886
20% down payment: $420,977
Monthly mortgage: $10,074
Annual mortgage: $120,891
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $431,753
48. Los Angeles
2024 population: 3,857,263
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,968,736
20% down payment: $393,747
Monthly mortgage: $9,423
Annual mortgage: $113,071
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $403,826
47. San Diego
2024 population: 1,389,526
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,902,980
20% down payment: $380,596
Monthly mortgage: $9,108
Annual mortgage: $109,295
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $390,338
46. Washington, D.C.
2024 population: 681,294
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,660,431
20% down payment: $332,086
Monthly mortgage: $7,947
Annual mortgage: $95,364
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $340,587
45. New York
2024 population: 8,483,844
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,370,061
20% down payment: $274,012
Monthly mortgage: $6,557
Annual mortgage: $78,687
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $281,026
44. Seattle
2024 population: 754,195
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,359,503
20% down payment: $271,901
Monthly mortgage: $6,507
Annual mortgage: $78,081
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $278,861
43. Long Beach, California
2024 population: 455,548
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,335,492
20% down payment: $267,098
Monthly mortgage: $6,392
Annual mortgage: $76,702
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $273,936
42. Dallas
2024 population: 1,307,930
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,327,735
20% down payment: $265,547
Monthly mortgage: $6,355
Annual mortgage: $76,256
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $272,344
41. Oakland, California
2024 population: 439,418
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,325,961
20% down payment: $265,192
Monthly mortgage: $6,346
Annual mortgage: $76,155
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $271,981
40. Miami
2024 population: 459,745
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,190,644
20% down payment: $238,129
Monthly mortgage: $5,699
Annual mortgage: $68,383
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $244,224
39. Nashville, Tennessee
2024 population: 690,130
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,100,778
20% down payment: $220,156
Monthly mortgage: $5,268
Annual mortgage: $63,222
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $225,791
38. Boston
2024 population: 666,442
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,088,864
20% down payment: $217,773
Monthly mortgage: $5,211
Annual mortgage: $62,537
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $223,347
37. Atlanta
2024 population: 505,268
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,055,441
20% down payment: $211,088
Monthly mortgage: $5,051
Annual mortgage: $60,618
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $216,492
36. Austin, Texas
2024 population: 979,539
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $1,005,421
20% down payment: $201,084
Monthly mortgage: $4,812
Annual mortgage: $57,745
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $206,231
35. Denver
2024 population: 718,877
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $987,365
20% down payment: $197,473
Monthly mortgage: $4,726
Annual mortgage: $56,708
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $202,528
34. Tampa, Florida
2024 population: 401,618
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $927,960
20% down payment: $185,592
Monthly mortgage: $4,441
Annual mortgage: $53,296
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $190,343
33. Raleigh, North Carolina
2024 population: 481,031
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $891,456
20% down payment: $178,291
Monthly mortgage: $4,267
Annual mortgage: $51,199
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $182,855
32. Portland, Oregon
2024 population: 641,165
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $836,457
20% down payment: $167,291
Monthly mortgage: $4,003
Annual mortgage: $48,041
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $171,574
31. Charlotte, North Carolina
2024 population: 903,844
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $810,194
20% down payment: $162,039
Monthly mortgage: $3,878
Annual mortgage: $46,532
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $166,187
30. Virginia Beach, Virginia
2024 population: 456,349
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $797,986
20% down payment: $159,597
Monthly mortgage: $3,819
Annual mortgage: $45,831
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $163,682
29. Phoenix
2024 population: 1,642,323
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $724,139
20% down payment: $144,828
Monthly mortgage: $3,466
Annual mortgage: $41,590
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $148,535
28. Mesa, Arizona
2024 population: 511,764
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $715,433
20% down payment: $143,087
Monthly mortgage: $3,424
Annual mortgage: $41,090
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $146,749
27. Sacramento, California
2024 population: 528,706
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $686,897
20% down payment: $137,379
Monthly mortgage: $3,288
Annual mortgage: $39,451
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $140,896
26. Las Vegas
2024 population: 660,400
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $666,255
20% down payment: $133,251
Monthly mortgage: $3,189
Annual mortgage: $38,265
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $136,662
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25. Colorado Springs, Colorado
2024 population: 487,887
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $624,125
20% down payment: $124,825
Monthly mortgage: $2,987
Annual mortgage: $35,846
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $128,020
24. Fresno, California
2024 population: 545,970
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $580,167
20% down payment: $116,033
Monthly mortgage: $2,777
Annual mortgage: $33,321
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $119,004
23. Tucson, Arizona
2024 population: 547,073
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $566,807
20% down payment: $113,361
Monthly mortgage: $2,713
Annual mortgage: $32,554
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $116,263
22. Tulsa, Oklahoma
2024 population: 413,794
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $551,827
20% down payment: $110,365
Monthly mortgage: $2,641
Annual mortgage: $31,693
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $113,191
21. Albuquerque, New Mexico
2024 population: 562,218
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $551,710
20% down payment: $110,342
Monthly mortgage: $2,641
Annual mortgage: $31,687
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $113,166
20. Louisville, Kentucky
2024 population: 631,818
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $551,126
20% down payment: $110,225
Monthly mortgage: $2,638
Annual mortgage: $31,653
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $113,047
19. Houston
2024 population: 2,328,253
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $548,819
20% down payment: $109,764
Monthly mortgage: $2,627
Annual mortgage: $31,521
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $112,574
18. Omaha, Nebraska
2024 population: 488,837
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $539,984
20% down payment: $107,997
Monthly mortgage: $2,584
Annual mortgage: $31,013
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $110,761
17. Jacksonville, Florida
2024 population: 977,670
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $539,001
20% down payment: $107,800
Monthly mortgage: $2,580
Annual mortgage: $30,957
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $110,560
16. Bakersfield, California
2024 population: 411,986
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $536,744
20% down payment: $107,349
Monthly mortgage: $2,569
Annual mortgage: $30,827
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $110,097
15. Minneapolis
2024 population: 427,246
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $502,969
20% down payment: $100,594
Monthly mortgage: $2,407
Annual mortgage: $28,887
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $103,169
14. Kansas City, Missouri
2024 population: 510,612
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $465,584
20% down payment: $93,117
Monthly mortgage: $2,228
Annual mortgage: $26,740
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $95,500
13. Oklahoma City
2024 population: 697,125
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $463,976
20% down payment: $92,795
Monthly mortgage: $2,221
Annual mortgage: $26,648
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $95,171
12. Chicago
2024 population: 2,711,226
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $450,352
20% down payment: $90,070
Monthly mortgage: $2,155
Annual mortgage: $25,865
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $92,376
11. Fort Worth, Texas
2024 population: 963,194
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $446,186
20% down payment: $89,237
Monthly mortgage: $2,136
Annual mortgage: $25,626
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $91,522
10. San Antonio
2024 population: 1,479,835
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $439,436
20% down payment: $87,887
Monthly mortgage: $2,103
Annual mortgage: $25,238
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $90,137
9. Indianapolis
2024 population: 885,860
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $428,608
20% down payment: $85,722
Monthly mortgage: $2,051
Annual mortgage: $24,616
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $87,916
8. Philadelphia
2024 population: 1,579,706
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $422,048
20% down payment: $84,410
Monthly mortgage: $2,020
Annual mortgage: $24,240
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $86,570
7. El Paso, Texas
2024 population: 680,130
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $410,382
20% down payment: $82,076
Monthly mortgage: $1,964
Annual mortgage: $23,570
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $84,177
6. Wichita, Kansas
2024 population: 397,945
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $392,275
20% down payment: $78,455
Monthly mortgage: $1,877
Annual mortgage: $22,530
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $80,463
5. Columbus, Ohio
2024 population: 914,802
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $390,312
20% down payment: $78,062
Monthly mortgage: $1,868
Annual mortgage: $22,417
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $80,061
4. Memphis, Tennessee
2024 population: 618,980
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $376,125
20% down payment: $75,225
Monthly mortgage: $1,800
Annual mortgage: $21,602
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $77,151
3. Baltimore
2024 population: 573,243
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $373,085
20% down payment: $74,617
Monthly mortgage: $1,786
Annual mortgage: $21,428
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $76,527
2. Milwaukee
2024 population: 566,973
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $233,353
20% down payment: $46,671
Monthly mortgage: $1,117
Annual mortgage: $13,402
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $47,865
1. Detroit
2024 population: 638,530
Average home value of 5+ bedroom homes: $157,905
20% down payment: $31,581
Monthly mortgage: $756
Annual mortgage: $9,069
Salary needed to comfortably afford a mansion's mortgage: $32,389
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Methodology: For this piece, MoneyLion used Zillow's 5+-bedroom January 2026 housing data to determine the cost of a mansion in America's 50 biggest cities. With the housing cost isolated, MoneyLion was able to calculate monthly and annual mortgage payments, assuming a 20% down payment with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 5.98% as sourced from Freddie Mac. No PMI, insurance, property taxes or HOA were included in final mortgage costs. With mortgage costs found, MoneyLion was then able to find the salary needed to comfortably afford a mortgage for a mansion by assuming no more than 28% of pre-tax income should go towards a mortgage. Population data was sourced from the 2024 American Community Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau. All data is up to date as of Feb. 26, 2026.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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