Texas Cities Rank High for First-Time Home Buyers in 2024

For many American adults, buying a home for the first time is a key financial achievement, as well as a symbol of independence. However, the ability to achieve this milestone has changed over recent decades.

In 2024, only 24% of home purchases were made by first-time buyers, compared to 32% in 2023. This represented a historic low, as the average buyer age hit a record high.

Home buyers in general have many things to consider, but those going through the process for the first time are also forced to reevaluate their idea of a dream home. Instead, they must review market prices, interest rates and their eligibility to get a mortgage.

"Buying a home for the first time is a very stressful and difficult process, especially when housing prices are through the roof and interest rates have risen sharply in the past few years," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "The best cities for first-time home buyers not only are affordable both in terms of buying a house and living there afterward, but they also have a lot of housing choices as well as low crime rates and good schools."

In a recent analysis, WalletHub compared 300 U.S. cities of varying sizes to determine which offer the best options for first-time home buyers. A total of 22 key measures were used, including cost of living, real-estate taxes and property-crime rate, within three categories: market attractiveness, affordability and quality of life.

Texas cities rank high in real estate, cost of living

Two Texas cities stood out in WalletHub's categorical rankings. Austin claimed the No. 10 spot for its real-estate market, between Lakeland, Florida (No. 9) and Peoria, Arizona (No. 11). Amarillo had the third-lowest cost of living, only outranked by Flint, Michigan (No. 1) and Oklahoma City (No. 2).

Overall rank	City	Total score	Affordability rank	Real-estate market rank	Quality of life rank
73	McKinney	55.29	247	19	47
98	Frisco	54.07	245	26	66
105	Austin	53.72	257	10	120
118	Grand Prairie	53.19	238	71	40
125	Denton	52.9	237	37	93
130	Allen	52.47	253	59	44
132	Plano	52.32	250	87	49
143	Fort Worth	51.87	228	28	164
156	Amarillo	50.96	189	98	116
159	Carrollton	50.47	230	81	80
162	El Paso	50.07	232	122	78
172	Richardson	49.61	235	92	95
176	Garland	49.35	234	101	122
185	Corpus Christi	48.16	212	78	202
186	Arlington	48.11	221	111	155
188	San Antonio	48	218	61	216
190	Laredo	47.92	215	121	145
201	Irving	47.27	233	105	172
214	Mesquite	46.47	223	132	160
237	Dallas	44.22	249	84	253
256	Houston	42.36	210	91	276

Data by WalletHub

WalletHub also created separate lists based on city size. Here's where Texas cities measured up:

Large cities

• No. 19: Austin
• No. 27: Fort Worth
• No. 31: El Paso
• No. 37: Corpus Christi
• No. 38: Arlington
• No. 39: San Antonio
• No. 51: Dallas
• No. 56: Houston

Midsize cities

• No. 27: McKinney
• No. 37: Frisco
• No. 43: Grand Prairie
• No. 47: Plano
• No. 61: Amarillo
• No. 68: Garland
• No. 73: Laredo
• No. 77: Irving

Small Cities

• No. 57: Denton
• No. 59: Allen
• No. 68: Carrollton
• No. 74: Richardson
• No. 86: Mesquite

LIST: Top 10 US cities for first-time home buyers

Claiming six of the cities, Florida dominated the top 10 list for first-time home buyers. While the cities rank significantly lower in affordability compared to other high-ranking cities, their real estate market and quality of life rankings tipped the scales in their favor.

Overall rank	City, state	Total score	Affordability rank	Real-estate market rank	Quality of life rank
1	Palm Bay, Florida	67.24	118	2	3
2	Boise, Idaho	64.73	61	8	27
3	Tampa, Florida	64.41	170	5	6
4	Surprise, Arizona	64.32	21	1	207
5	Huntsville, Alabama	63.79	36	35	43
6	Gilbert, Arizona	63.5	34	17	85
7	Cape Coral, Florida	63.43	145	4	20
8	Orlando, Florida	63.01	159	7	17
9	Lakeland, Florida	62.85	139	9	15
10	Sunrise, Florida	61.82	153	22	13

Data by WalletHub