Housing is the largest expenditure for most households and since the beginning of the pandemic the cost of homes in the U.S. has risen more than 40%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Wages, meanwhile, continue to struggle to keep pace, just as they have for at least two decades. While median household income in the U.S. rose by more than 77% between 2000 and 2022, the median cost of a home rose by a whopping 170% from $123,086 to $332,826.

Adjusted for inflation, household incomes rose by 4.5%, while the median home price rose by 59.1%.

Any way you look at it, the cost of buying a home has continued to grow more difficult for many Americans since the start of this century.

With that in mind, Construction Coverage — a resource guide for construction professionals — examined cities across the U.S. based on their median home price-to-median income ratio and found that two Alabama cities were among the best for finding housing which fits into the average family budget.

Among midsize cities, Montgomery ranked second only to Toledo, Ohio, with a 2.5 ratio — derived by taking Montgomery’s median home price of $139,969 and dividing it by the median household income of $56,707.

Toledo edged out Montgomery with a 2.3 ratio ($105,239 median home price/$45,405 median income).

Birmingham came in eighth among midsize cities with a 3.1 ratio, based on its $131,290 median home price and $42,464 median household income.

Among small cities, neighboring Jackson, Miss., had the lowest price-to-income ratio at 1.4, with a median home price of $61,474 and a median household income of $42,193.