Many of the nation’s premier urban meccas come at a steep price to home buyers and renters. But researchers at realtor.com® have pinpointed affordable alternatives to the country’s hottest locales.

They uncovered budget-friendly counterparts to some of the nation’s most expensive metros, referring to them as “metro matchups.” They are places comparable to urban meccas in many ways but whose housing prices largely remain below $350,000. To determine its list, realtor.com® limited its rankings to the 150 largest metros and factored in housing stock, occupations, weather, and nightlife, among other measurements. Here are a few “metro matchups” that made the list.

San Francisco

• Median home list price: $868,000

Matchup: Raleigh, N.C.

• Median home list price: $339,200

Why they match up: They’re both meccas for tech jobs.
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Los Angeles

• Median home list price: $699,600

Matchup: Savannah, Ga.

• Median home list price: $249,900

Why they match up: They both have beaches and attract movie production.

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Honolulu

• Median home list price: $695,000

Matchup: Myrtle Beach, S.C.

• Median home list price: $235,000

Why they match up: Both are beachside towns with thriving tourism sectors.

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Denver

• Median home list price: $499,500

Matchup: Kansas City, Mo.

• Median home list price: $245,800

Why they match up: Both draw a large hipster scene and are good for car culture.

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Boston

• Median home list price: $489,500

Matchup: Philadelphia

• Median home list price: $249,400

Why they match up: They both have a healthy market for historic brownstones and plentiful tech and finance jobs.

Source: “Kindred Cities: Affordable Alternatives to Your Favorite Pricey Places,” realtor.com® (Oct. 16, 2017)