This is just not realistic.

Using the median home price is severely underestimating the cost of a decent home in an okay neighborhood.

With these salaries, you can afford a house that needs severe repairs or in either an unsafe or really inconvenient area.

I bought a house in one of these cities in 2017 with slightly more than what they say is the required salary. It was 195k with 4.5%. The school district reassessed the house from the sale, my taxes skyrocketed, and my mortgage increased $600 a month. I ended up selling the house after 3 years to move in my parents with 25k in credit card debt.

Today, that house would cost at least 300k and interest rates are around 8%. I’ve almost tripled my salary since then and my budget is probably max 330k.