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HousingWire reports renters would need 56.5% of income to buy the median resale home, with Los Angeles reaching 100%.
Homeownership affordability tightened again for renters, according to HousingWire, which reported on September 1, 2026, that renters would spend 56.5% of income to buy the median resale home. The same report said Los Angeles reached 100%, meaning the all-in ownership cost equaled renter income in that market based on the latest index cited by HousingWire.
For mortgage professionals, this is the kind of affordability math showing up in pre-approval calls every day: borrowers may still want to buy, but the payment gap between renting and owning can be too wide without more income, more cash, a lower price point, or a different market. The source material does not confirm the index’s full methodology, so the numbers should be used as a market signal, not as a borrower-level underwriting measure.