Buying your first home can be a daunting, stressful process. It’s also a particularly expensive undertaking for prospective homebuyers who live in one of the 233 U.S. cities where the average starter home costs at least $1 million.

A recent Zillow analysis found that the number of cities where a typical starter home surpasses the $1 million mark has more than doubled since March 2020, when just 85 cities held that dubious distinction. Nationwide, a typical starter home costs $192,514, according to Zillow.

“First-time buyers are facing a market where prices that once seemed unimaginable have become reality,” said Kara Ng, senior economist at Zillow, in a press release. “The encouraging news for buyers is that starter homes remain well below $1 million in most of the country. With more homes hitting the market, listings lingering longer and sellers cutting prices at record rates, buyers are starting to regain some negotiating power.”

The real estate listings company noted that typical starter homes — which it defines as properties that are in the lowest third of home values in a given region — topped $1 million in 239 cities at the start of 2025. Six cities fell off the list as of the end of March, as increased housing inventory and dampening buyer enthusiasm pushed home prices down.

California leads all states with 113 cities where the average starter home was priced at $1 million or more in March. The San Francisco metro area accounted for 43 of those cities, while 34 cities in the greater Los Angeles area hit the $1 million threshold.

Other states that rank highly in the million-dollar starter home club include New York (32 cities), New Jersey (20), Florida (11), Massachusetts (11) and Washington (8).

The effects of the pandemic-era housing boom are particularly apparent in New Jersey and Massachusetts. In March 2020, New Jersey had just two cities with million-dollar starter homes and Massachusetts had none.

Overall, 25 states have at least one city where a typical starter home costs $1 million or more, an increase from 10 in March of 2020.