Luxury for Less: Realtor.com® Report Reveals the Top Metros for More Accessible High-End Living

San Antonio leads the nation in accessible luxury, while Heber, Utah remains the steepest entry point at more than 6x the national threshold

AUSTIN, Texas, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. luxury housing market is showing signs of a seasonal floor, even as prices continue to soften on a year-over-year basis. The national luxury threshold rose to $1,205,081 in February, according to the Realtor.com^® February Luxury Housing Report. While national entry-level luxury prices rose 1.0% month-over-month and slipped 3.1% from a year ago, the report highlights a significant opportunity for luxury for less, identifying several major markets where the financial threshold to enter the top tier is substantially lower than the national average.

In a cluster of supply-rich markets across the South and Midwest, the barrier to entry for luxury is notably lower. San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas, leads the nation with a luxury entry point of just $750,510. Conversely, in elite resort and coastal enclaves like Heber, Utah, and Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn., the bar for luxury can be five to six times higher than the national luxury median.

“We are seeing a continued recalibration in the luxury sector as we move into the spring season,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com^®. “While the national threshold remains below year-ago levels, the monthly uptick across all luxury tiers from entry-level to ultra luxury suggests that pricing is beginning to find a firmer footing. However, what luxury means remains highly localized; in some metros, a buyer can reach the top tier for under $800,000, while in others, $3 million is barely the baseline.”

National Luxury Overview

The Sun Belt: Lower Barriers to High-End Living

The report identifies Texas and the Sun Belt as the strongholds for more accessible luxury. Seven of the ten markets with the lowest luxury entry points are located in the South or Midwest. In these areas, expansive development and healthy inventory levels keep high-end pricing tethered to the broader market.

San Antonio ($750K), Houston ($794K), and Dallas-Fort Worth ($952K) all feature luxury thresholds under the $1 million mark. Houston stands out for its market velocity, with luxury homes moving in just 54 days, signaling an active and deep buyer pool. In Orlando, the luxury threshold of $894K is just 2.2 times the local median, which is the tightest ratio in the country.

“Sun Belt metros allow new-construction luxury to proliferate because land is more available,” said Anthony Smith, senior economist at Realtor.com^®. “In these markets, the luxury tier hasn’t detached from the median home price. A buyer in San Antonio or Charlotte can achieve a luxury lifestyle for a fraction of what they would pay in coastal hubs, often getting significantly more square footage in the process.”

Markets With the Lowest Luxury Entry Points (Top 10)

High-Bar Markets: Mountains, Coasts, and Constraints

At the other end of the spectrum, Heber, Utah, retains its title as the nation’s steepest luxury entry point at $7,250,000. Driven by proximity to Park City and premier ski resorts, Heber’s luxury floor is more than six times the national benchmark.

Coastal constraints continue to define pricing in California and the Northeast. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, Conn., features a luxury multiple of 5.5x the local median, which is the widest divide in the nation. This reflects a deeply bifurcated market where Greenwich estates exist in a different economic reality than inland communities. Meanwhile, California claims four of the top ten most expensive spots (Los Angeles, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Oxnard), even as these markets continue a year-over-year price recalibration.

Markets With the Highest Luxury Entry Points (Top 10)

New York and California: Signs of Stabilization

While the most expensive markets mostly saw year-over-year declines, data suggests the rate of descent is slowing. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, the luxury entry point ($3.1M) has increased in five of the last six months, hinting that prices may be finding a floor despite a longer 115-day median selling time. In Silicon Valley, San Jose remains the outlier for speed; despite a $3.5M entry point, luxury homes sell in a median of just 26 days.

Methodology

All data in this report is sourced from Realtor.com^® listing trends as of February 2026, reflecting active inventory of existing homes, including single-family residences, condos, townhomes, row homes, and co-ops. Listings reflect only those posted on MLS platforms that provide listing feeds to Realtor.com. New-construction listings are excluded unless actively listed on participating MLSs.

Luxury segmentation is based on market-specific price percentiles, with the 90th percentile representing entry-level luxury, the 95th percentile marking high-end luxury, and the 99th percentile indicating ultraluxury. All calculations are based on listing prices, not final sales prices.

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas are defined using the Office of Management and Budget’s OMB-2023 delineations, with Claritas 2025 household estimates used for relative comparisons. Where appropriate, we limited analysis to metros or micros with a minimum threshold of active million-dollar listings on average over the past year to ensure meaningful comparisons.

Historical listing trend data extends to July 2016, but year-over-year comparisons in this report use February 2025 as the baseline.

Luxury by the Numbers

90th percentile = Entry-level luxury (top 10% of prices)

95th percentile = High-end luxury

99th percentile = Ultraluxury (often rare or custom properties)

About Realtor.com^®

Realtor.com^® pioneered online real estate and has been at the forefront for over 25 years, connecting buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights, professional guidance and powerful tools to help them find their perfect home. Recognized as the No. 1 site trusted by real estate professionals, Realtor.com^® is a valued partner, delivering consumer connections and a robust suite of marketing tools to support business growth. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc.

Media contact: Emily Do, press@realtor.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/luxury-for-less-realtorcom-report-reveals-the-top-metros-for-more-accessible-high-end-living-302708428.html

SOURCE Realtor.com

Featured Image: Megapixl @ Yunkiphotoshot

Disclaimer