If you’ve ever dreamt of having your own beach home to escape the routine of everyday life, try looking in areas with just as much character and far less hype for your second home or vacation getaway.
Realtor.com, an online resource to search listings, compiled a list of towns in the United States where buyers can find the most affordable homes near the water — and no, wealthy enclaves like the Hamptons and Malibu didn’t make the cut.
“Perhaps you’ve been wondering whether you could retire by the beach. Or maybe it’s time to make that lifestyle change you’ve dreamed about,” wrote Realtor.com data journalist Evan Wyloge.
Realtor.com limited its list to just one beach town per state to “ensure geographical diversity.” Only locations with at least 50 properties within a mile of the water in the past year were included, and oceanside homes were “favored,” Wyloge said, but bayside locales were also included. Realtor.com aggregated federal listings of beaches and their locations and its own listing data for every home put on the market in the past year located within a one-mile radius of each beach. The most affordable beach towns were selected by price per square foot.
“No matter the reason, we’ve sifted through the dunes of data, and we’re happy to report that a beach home might be more attainable than you think — you just need to know where to look,” Wyloge wrote. “Despite what you may have assumed, in some places, a home by the beach can cost about the same as an average U.S. home—or less.”
Top 10 most affordable US beach towns
1. Gulfport, Mississippi
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $224,900
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $144
- For $225,000, buyers can find a fully renovated condo within a five-minute walk to the beach.
2. Newport News, Virginia
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $200,000
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $150
- Buyers looking for a deal can check out this three-bedroom, two-bathroom condo with a private beach on the market for $150,000.
3. New London, Connecticut
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $257,000
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $175
- A condo right on the water just south of Green Harbor Beach in New Longdon, home to some of the best public beaches in the state, goes for about $170,000.
4. Grand Isle, Louisiana
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $309,500
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $190
- Those looking for remote living on this tranquil, sparsely populated island can get a small classic beach house perched atop stilts for less than $250,000.
5. Corpus Christi, Texas
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $289,948
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $206
- For around $270,000, beach lovers can get a decent-sized, three-bedroom home less than a mile from the bay of Corpus Christi — the largest city on Realtor.com’s list located on the Gulf of Mexico.
6. Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $185,000
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $213
- Buyers can find a relatively small, three-bedroom home close to the beach for under $170,000.
7. Navarre, FL
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $442,500
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $240
- Homebuyers looking in Navarre Beach can score a condo for around $450,000.
8.North Beach, Maryland
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $384,495
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $245
- A relatively new condo on the boardwalk in North Beach, located about 30 miles east from Washington, D.C., goes for between $365,000 and $390,000 with views of the beach and the bay, according to Realtor.com.
9. Crescent City, California
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $329,000
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $248
- A 100-year-old, four-bedroom home just a few blocks from Battery Point Beach in Crescent City, a colder coastal city about 20 miles south of the Oregon border is listed for a little under $300,000.
10. Shirley, New York
- Median price within 1 mile of a beach: $414,990
- Median price per square foot within 1 mile of a beach: $256
- For about $350,000, you can get a modern looking, four-bedroom home in Shirley on Long Island.
