USA, — Financial experts encourage people to spend no more than 30% of their before-tax income on housing costs, but many Americans find themselves doing so to own a home.

This demographic is described as "house poor," someone able to pay for a mortgage at the expense of other needs like groceries, healthcare, retirement or vacation, according to Chase Bank.

In the last five years, the median household income rose 24% while monthly housing costs increased by 26% nationwide, according to ConsumerAffairs .

A recent study by ConsumerAffairs ranked the top 10 cities with the most "house-poor" homeowners in the United States, based on 2024 Census data of cities with populations over 175,000.

Finance experts encourage people to follow the " 50/30/20 " rule — 50% for needs (including housing)

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