Homebuyers

These Are the Best Cities for First-Time Homebuyers in 2025

If you’re hoping to purchase your first home, you may want to consider looking in Florida.

Six of the top 10 best cities for first-time buyers were in the Sunshine State, according to a recent report from personal finance site WalletHub.

Palm Bay, Fla., about 75 miles southeast of Orlando on the Atlantic Ocean, topped the list. The median home list price in the city was nearly $343,000, considerably less than the national median of $440,950, according to Realtor.com data.

The city experienced strong home price appreciation, had plenty of homes on the market to choose from, and scored highly for its quality of life.

In addition, the city had a high millennial homeownership rate.

Palm Bay was followed by Boise, Idaho, at No. 2, with a median home list price of $615,000, and Tampa, Fla., at No. 3, with a median home list price of $476,500. (Prices are from Realtor.com.)

“Buying a home for the first time is a very stressful and difficult process,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in a statement. “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.”

The local real estate market should be an important consideration when choosing a place to live, said Duong Katie Pham. She is a finance professor at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

“First-time home buyers should consider choosing a neighborhood with stable or rising home value appreciation,” she said in a statement. “Factors that are often associated with rising home values are: school ratings, neighborhood safety, neighborhood amenities, and access to services such as highways, hospitals, and public parks.”

To come up with its rankings, WalletHub looked at affordability, the real estate market, and quality of life in 300 U.S. cities. Suburbs and surrounding towns were not included in the analysis.

So, where are the best cities for first-time homebuyers?

The top 10 cities for first-time homebuyers in 2025:

1. Palm Bay, Fla.
2. Boise, Idaho
3. Tampa, Fla.
4. Surprise, Ariz.
5. Huntsville, Ala.
6. Gilbert, Ariz.
7. Cape Coral, Fla.
8. Orlando, Fla.
9. Lakeland, Fla.
10. Sunrise, Fla.