According to a new Redfin analysis, a household would need to earn about $330,000 a year to comfortably afford the typical home in the Anaheim metro, which includes most of Orange County.
That’s above the area’s estimated median household income of $126,178. The typical household would need to spend 78% of its income on housing to afford the median-priced home, considerably above the commonly recommended 30% guideline.
The picture isn’t much different in Los Angeles. There the typical buyer would need to earn $248,586 a year, with the median-priced home requiring 76% of the area’s median household income.
For comparison, the typical American household would need to earn about $110,000 a year and spend 38% of its income to afford the median-priced home nationwide.
Those numbers are daunting but they don’t tell the entire story.
I’m seeing buyers get opportunities every day because they’re willing to make the offer, negotiate and see what a seller is willing to do. More inventory means buyers have more choices, and in some cases more leverage than they’ve had in years.
That doesn’t suddenly make Southern California affordable but if buying a home is your goal, don’t let a headline make the decision for you before you’ve explored what might actually be possible.
Sometimes you have to shoot your shot.
Source: @redfinrealestate Housing Market Analysis (June 2026)
