What Do Americans Spend on Housing?
If there’s one thing that brings people together, it’s the ridiculously high cost of housing. Want to buy a place? Good luck with that. If you do luck into homeownership, enjoy those skyrocketing bills. In late April and May, WIRED asked readers how they’re thinking about homes in 2026. More than 200 people responded, sharing how they’re living and at what cost, how their towns have changed, and what compromises they've had to make.
Their top concern, by far? Affordability. The price of everyday goods. Their soaring utility bills. And of course, the biggest cost of all—housing itself. The famous “30 percent” rule, which suggests limiting your housing spend to a third of your income, is effectively moot. According to datareleased earlier this year, nearly half of all renters paid more than that in 2024, as did 24 percent of homeowners. (A quarter of all rental households spent...
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