12 Cities You Won't Be Able to Afford in 5 Years

Homes are becoming increasingly expensive to purchase and own, driven by rising home values and interest rates that are consistently over 6%. According to the Department of the Treasury, home prices have risen by 65% since 2000 (adjusted for inflation).

If you're thinking about retiring in a few years and you don't want help paying for your mortgage in retirement, you may want to reconsider buying a home in these areas.

According to Redfin housing trend data, the cost of buying a home in the following cities is likely to continue increasing significantly over the next five years.

In November 2025, the median price for a home in Bakersfield was $415,000. That's up about 1.2% from last year, making the market overall competitive.

Homes often sell within 35 days, and only 237 homes were sold in the city in November.

Wisconsin may not be the first place you think of when it comes to high home values, but home prices are rising. 

The median sale price of a home in this city is $445,000 and the median sale price per square foot has down 0.61%, at $242.

With home prices down about 4.4% in November 2025, the Providence real estate market is still quite competitive.

Homes spend about 38 days on the market. With a median sale price of $492,500 and a price per square foot of $239, this is an area that's unlikely to see affordable housing anytime soon.

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The housing market in Roswell is highly competitive, even though it tends to feel like a small city.

With home prices up 1.6% in November of 2025 over the previous year, still, it's hard not to see this area becoming highly expensive within a few years. The median sale price of a home here is $630,000, already one of the most expensive in the U.S.

A Midwest town with lots to offer, Columbus is another hidden city with fast-growing home prices.

In fact, most homes in Columbus received an average of two offers and had a median sale price of $288,750 in November 2025. Over 706 homes were sold in November, down by about 3.4% last year.

In November 2025, the median price for a home in Charlotte was $424,200. That month, more than 748 homes were sold in the area, a decrease of about 16.5% from a year ago.

The Charlotte housing market is very competitive, given that it is a desirable area. 

Orlando is known for everything from theme parks to hot summers, but it's also seeing strong demand in the real estate market. The median sale price of a home in November of 2025 was $400,000.

The price per square foot, $246, is down 1.2% from a year ago. And, the 282 homes sold in November show an 8% increase from last year.

Folsom, a community part of the Sacramento Metro area, is also a highly competitive place to live, with the median sale price of homes reaching $765,000. Home prices are up 1.4% compared to the same time last year. 

Over 53 homes were sold in this small community in the month of November alone.

The median sale price of a home in November 2025 in Philadelphia was $275,000. With 1,012 homes selling in November (a decrease of 8.9% from the previous year), the home prices here are growing quickly, up 5.8% from 2024.

The median selling price of a home here was $210,000 in November 2025, up 5.0% from last year.

The price per square foot in Buffalo is $135, up 17.4% since last year. 

The median sale price for a home in Las Vegas was $443,500 in November of 2025. That's down by 0.57% from the previous year.

The market saw only 619 homes sold in November, indicating the very high demand.

Another competitive market is Knoxville, where home prices decreased by about 4.5% from November 2024 to 2025. Approximately 174 homes were sold in November this year, representing a nearly 17% decrease from the same month last year. 

The median sale price in this area is $301,000, which is lower than in many other places and may seem like a way to eliminate some money stress, but the area is increasing in demand. 

If you're hoping to keep costs as low as possible, you may want to rent to avoid costly home repairs and increasing interest rates.

Yet, with a few smart homeowner moves, you can still find competitively priced real estate markets throughout the U.S., especially if you're willing to look beyond the large and in-demand city.