Top 10 Most Affordable Beach Towns in 2024

Owning a waterfront property is a dream for many Americans. Here’s where your clients can snag a beach house in the U.S. for under $450,000.

OUTDOOR LIVINGVACATION HOMESBEACH PROPERTIES

REALTOR Magazine, Melissa Dittmann Tracey

6/5/20241 min read

white wooden chair on brown wooden dock during daytime
white wooden chair on brown wooden dock during daytime

Top 10 Most Affordable Beach Towns in 2024

REALTOR® Magazine; article by Melissa Dittmann Tracey | June 4, 2024

Owning a waterfront property is a dream for many Americans. Here’s where your clients can snag a beach house in the U.S. for under $450,000.

Most Americans say they dream of owning a vacation home, according to a new realtor.com® survey, and many hope it’s near a beach. But beachside property often comes with a hefty price tag.

Realtor.com® found pockets across the country offering bargains on the beach in its list of America’s 10 most affordable beach towns, which analyzes median list prices for single-family homes and condos in coastal cities and towns nationwide. In the top five cities, waterfront property can be had for less than $300,000.

For example, in Pascagoula, Miss., a city of about 22,000 on the Gulf Shore that ranked number one on realtor.com®’s list, home buyers can snatch up a waterfront property for a median of $164,900. “It’s located off two major waterways—the Gulf of Mexico and the Pascagoula River—and offers a lot of fun outdoor activities, from fishing off the pier, to kayaking in its unimpeded river system, to an annual summer music festival,” says Ketih Griffith, a writer for realtor.com®.

Here are the housing markets that topped realtor.com®’s rankings (based on March listing data):

  1. Pascagoula, Miss.; Median list price: $164,900

  2. Atlantic City, N.J.; Median list price: $239,000

  3. Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Median list price: $239,950

  4. Dennis Port, Mass.; Median list price: $277,500

  5. Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Median list price: $299,500

  6. Corpus Christi, Texas; Median list price: $315,000

  7. Sunset Beach, N.C.; Median list price: $340,000

  8. Grand Isle, La.; Median list price: $375,000

  9. Newport, Ore.; Median list price: $399,950

  10. Ocean Shores, Wash.; Median list price: $425,000