They are at opposite ends of the country, but both sit on oceans. One city is sprawled out over 468 square miles, the other only takes up 35. Miami (small in geographic size) and Los Angeles (big) could not be more different. They have one thing in common, however. They are the two least affordable housing markets in America.

This is according to Interest.com researchers, based on their figures that measure “percentages which reflect how much the median household income in a metropolitan area exceeds or falls short of the income required to purchase a median-priced home in that area.” By this measure, Miami weighs in at -26%, LA at -32% New York City at -32%, San Diego at -38% and San Francisco at -46%. Miami’s presence on the list is a bit of a surprise. Home values in most of Florida were crushed during the recession. However, Miami has become the de facto destination of many people from South America.

At the other end of the affordability yardstick are several old cities that once relied on manufacturing to support their working populations. In some of these cities, many of those jobs are gone. Based on Interest.com data, the most affordable cities are Minneapolis at the top at +23%, followed by Atlanta at +22, St. Louis at +20, Detroit at +14 and Pittsburgh at +13.

Commenting on the data, Interest.com experts wrote:

A median-income household can only afford a median-priced home in 10 of the 25 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. That’s actually an improvement from last year, when the median-income household fell short in all but eight of the 25 metros.

Affordability is among the foundations of the housing recovery, which has stalled some recently. However, the real estate boom is resuming in some areas, in the opinion of experts. If so, cities on the opposite ends of the country are out in front as the potential problem resumes.

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