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No surprise here: Some Central, South Coast communities on list of least affordable in nation

A new survey shows that a number of Central and South Coasts rank low on the nation's affordability list.
Sandy Millar
/
Unsplash
A new survey shows that a number of Central and South Coasts rank low on the nation's affordability list.

List includes Oxnard/Thousand Oaks/Ventura metro, and Santa Maria/Santa Barbara metro.

A new survey affirms something most people know in the Tri-Counties. The region is a very expensive place to live.

New research shows the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metro area ranks at the very bottom of the list of mid-sized metropolitan areas when it comes to finding an affordable starter home.

The website Construction Coverage ranks the metro 80th and last on its list, with the median price of a three-bedroom home at $740,000. Not far behind is the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro, which ranked 76th out of 80 on the affordability index.

By comparison, the survey shows the most affordable mid-sized metro is Beaumont-Port Arthur Texas, with the median price for a three-bedroom house at $167,000. The study also shows that the home ownership rate for those under 35 in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metro area is at 5.5%.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.