A real estate report found that there are only four cities in the U.S. where it makes more sense for residents to rent rather than buy. The foreclosure crisis has made it more practical to buy rather than rent in 72% of America's 50 largest cities.
The report was prepared by the website Trulia. The four expensive cities to purchase a home, in order, are NYC, Seattle and Kansas City, MO and San Francisco tied for third place.
"Trulia's study - which only took into consideration two-bedroom apartments, condominiums and townhouses - used a price-to-rent ratio to calculate its rankings.
Cities with a ratio of 21 or higher were deemed cheaper to rent than to buy.
The study found that San Francisco, with an estimated median home price of $763,000 and an annual rent cost of about $36,000, came in with a price-to-rent ratio of 21, as did Kansas City, Mo. Not surprisingly, New York had the most-expensive real estate and a price-to-rent ratio of 31."
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