Surf's Up! Realtor.com® Announces the Most Affordable Beach Towns in America

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May 21, 2024, 06:00 ET

With Median List Prices Under $450,000 these Beach-side Spots May Offer an Affordable Opportunity to Get Year-Round Vitamin Sea

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixty-nine percent of Americans say they dream of owning a vacation home one day. While typical waterfront home prices may make this aspiration seem out of reach, Realtor.com^® just released its Most Affordable Beach Towns in America list where home buyers can buy into a beach-side lifestyle without breaking the bank.

In rank order, the Most Affordable Beach Towns in America include:

Pascagoula, Miss. - Median List Price*: $164,900
Atlantic City, N.J. - Median List Price*: $239,000
Deerfield Beach, Fla. - Median List Price*: $239,950
Dennis Port, Mass. - Median List Price*: $277,500
Myrtle Beach, S.C. - Median List Price*: $299,500
Corpus Christi, Texas - Median List Price*: $315,000
Sunset Beach, N.C. - Median List Price*: $340,000
Grand Isle, La. - Median List Price*: $375,000
Newport, Ore. - Median List Price*: $399,950
Ocean Shores, Wash. - Median List Price*: $425,000

* Based on data as of March 2024

"Water lovers on a budget may want to check out No. 1 ranked Pascagoula, Miss. It's located off of two major waterways: the Gulf of Mexico and the Pascagoula River and offers a lot of fun outdoor activities from fishing off the pier, to kayaking in its unimpeded river system, to an annual summer music festival," said Keith Griffith, Journalist, Realtor.com^®. "Pascagoula is also home to Chevron's largest refinery and Ingalls Shipbuilding, which is Mississippi's largest manufacturing employer, indicating the great mix between work and play that makes the beach town an attractive place to live."

Over 80% of Americans have been on a vacation within the past 5 years, and more than one third enjoy looking at real estate listings while on vacation. Though not all vacations end up beach-side, for fifty-six percent of Americans, their ideal vacation home is by one, and this year's list of affordable beach towns offers them a combination of coastal living with access to a sandy public ocean beach, adequate inventory and affordable median home listing prices.

The Price is Right
The towns represented in this year's list of Most Affordable Beach Towns all have median home listing prices under $450,000, with options scattered across the country including spots in the northeast like Dennis Port, Mass. and Atlantic City, N.J., as well as the Carolinas, like the popular summer destination of Myrtle Beach, S.C. and the picturesque-named Sunset Beach, N.C.

A Sea of Options and Locations
The beach towns that made the ranking this year offer prospective buyers a number of options including plenty of condos, which are typically priced lower than single-family homes and contributed to the lower median list prices. While the list includes some usual suspects on the Gulf Shores like Pascagoula, Miss. and Grand Isle, La., for the first time the West coast made an appearance with not one, but two showings; Newport, Ore. and Ocean Shores, Wash., which took the #9 and #10 spots respectively. Cape-Cod enthusiasts may even find some luck in the village of Dennis Port, Mass., where small beach bungalows abound.

To read more on the Most Affordable Beach Towns visit Realtor.com^® News & Insights section to read all about it.

Methodology
Starting with a federal database of beaches and their locations, we created a list of coastal cities and towns. Then, we ranked them by median listing prices in March for single-family homes, including condominiums but excluding mobile homes. Only cities with at least 25 active listings for the month were included, to ensure adequate inventory. To make the final list, these beach towns had to include a sandy, public access ocean beach within the city limits. Cities on the coast of estuaries, such as inland bays and sounds, were excluded from this year's rankings.

Finally, to ensure geographic diversity, we have only included the single most affordable beach town per state in the top 10 ranking.

About Realtor.com^®Realtor.com^® is an open real estate marketplace built for everyone. Realtor.com^® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago. Today, through its website and mobile apps, Realtor.com^® is a trusted guide for consumers, empowering more people to find their way home by breaking down barriers, helping them make the right connections, and creating confidence through expert insights and guidance. For professionals, Realtor.com^® is a trusted partner for business growth, offering consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com^®.

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SOURCE Realtor.com