11 Towns Where You Can Actually Afford to Buy a Beach House

Consider yourself one step closer to living out your private island fantasies.

It might have taken a global pandemic, but it seems like many urbanites have finally woken up to the joys of, well, not living in a major city. As remote work engulfed the nation, tiny apartments with astronomic rents were traded in for spacious homes in the countryside or along the coast. And despite housing prices being on the up and up around the country, it’s not too late to get your own slice of beachy bliss

It’s no secret that real estate is skyrocketing in places like Miami, San Francisco, and the Jersey Shore. But if you’re after all the beach access minus the flash, there are plenty of other spots on either coast (and in between) where you can score a dreamy home by the water with a stretch of sand so deserted, you can practically call it private.

We scrolled through every Millenial's favorite time-suck—a.k.a. Zillow—to find out which US beach towns have some of the lowest property prices at the current moment. Here are the 11 best shorefront locations where you’re most likely to find an affordable house that you actually want to buy—at least for the time being.

A young man sits with his dog near Sunset Bay on the Oregon Coast
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Coos Bay, Oregon

Average home price: $317,304
While North Coast Oregon towns like Cannon Beach tend to steal the spotlight, some of the state’s most scenic shoreline sits in Coos Bay. The highlight is Sunset Bay State Park, surrounded by majestic cliffs where miles of hiking trails take you to breathtaking vistas overlooking the secluded cove and Pacific Ocean beyond. Coos Bay also straddles the southern border of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, where you’ll find impressive natural beauty—including sand dunes towering over 500 feet tall. As for that other thing Oregon is best known for—beer, we mean beer—head into town for 7 Devils Brewing, whose nutty Lighthouse Session Pale Ale is as well-paired with a sunny summer day as it is a brutal winter windstorm.

Crystal Coast is surrounded by water from the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Water Way, Bogue Inlet, White Oak River and more
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Swansboro, North Carolina

Average home price: $324,185
North Carolina is chock-full of powdery, white-sand beaches, but only in Swansboro can you watch Osprey landings while you tan. The former East Coast shipbuilding and fishing hub, located about an hour and a half up the coast from Wilmington, shares a border with Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Hammocks Beach State Park, a patch of oceanfront that laps up against a host of gorgeous beaches only reachable by boat, might be the area’s greatest hidden gem. Weekend getaways include quick jaunts to the Outer Banks or sleepy islands like Ocracoke. The town itself features a main street lined with boutiques and cafes, but for a good spot to mull over your permanent move, head to Bake, Bottle and Brew for craft beer, good books, and waterfront views.

Battery Point Lighthouse, Crescent City, California
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Crescent City, California

Average home price: $346,442
Perhaps the only California beach town on the planet where you can still score a home for less than $350,000, this Del Norte County hideaway is as sleepy and picturesque as they come. Think soaring redwoods, vintage lighthouses, scenic byways, and windswept shorelines as far as the eye can see. It’s nothing short of a surfer’s paradise—at least for surfers in the know—and families love the wide open spaces and upbeat attractions like Ocean World, an aquarium stocked with tank after tank of sharks, seals, rays, sea lions, and more. A tiny regional airport provides easy access in case you get sick of Pebble Beach’s serene network of coves or Kellogg Beach’s driftwood-laden expanse (as if), while the adorable downtown is lined with just the right amount of shops, bars, and restaurants to keep you busy (consider SeaQuake Brewing and Paragon Coffeehouse your new locals). Relocate here and expect to spend the rest of your days basking in the ocean breeze, waving at your neighbors, and tending your native plant garden.

Sunrise on Myrtle Beach with birds
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Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Average home price: $299,609
Myrtle Beach has a lingering reputation as a kitschy, hectic spring break spot—and sure, in March you’ll find a college kid or two loitering on the boardwalk and taking one too many turns on the SkyWheel. But this city on the Grand Strand has a far more slow-paced, family-friendly vibe than people give it credit for—despite the fact it’s the fastest-growing city in the US, according to U.S. News & World Report. Along the 60-mile shoreline, you’ll find tons of seafood joints, learn how to shag dance at Fat Harold’s Beach Club, and ditch the tourists in idyllic neighborhoods like Cherry Grove in North Myrtle. One of the country’s most impressive sculpture gardens lies a few miles down the road at Brookgreen, and you can get your fill of the great outdoors by kayaking through mangroves and cypress swamps along the Waccamaw River.

Beaches on the Gulf of Mexico on the coast of Texas south of Houston
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Freeport, Texas

Average home price: $124,056
It might be easy to overlook this little town of about 12,000, which sits an hour from Houston and 45 minutes from Galveston. But if you’re down to spend your days swimming, fishing, and diving the northernmost coral reefs in the United States, Freeport might be the place for you. The town is best known as the gateway to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, which claims the best reef diving along the Gulf Coast. You’ll also have the expansive Bryan Beach to yourself, plus plenty of opportunities for deep-sea fishing. It’s a bit like the Florida Keys, right at the tip of Texas—so if you don’t mind a little humidity, this just might be your ticket to paradise.

colorful umbrellas and lounge chairs on the beach in Hampton, Virginia
Visit Hampton, Virginia!

Hampton, Virginia      

Average home price: $253,911
Sandwiched between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads Harbor, this coastal Virginia hideaway is bursting with history. Not only was it the first continuously English-speaking settlement in the State (yes, that amount of history), it also gave rise to the country’s first-ever free public education system, and served as the training ground for NASA’s very first astronauts. That, plus local monument Fort Monroe played a huge role in the Civil War. Thousands of formerly enslaved peoples sought refuge there after Major General Benjamin Butler’s 1861 ruling that they were “contraband of war” and thus couldn’t be sent back, kicking off the first step on the road to emancipation. Later, Confederate president Jefferson Davis was imprisoned inside the same fort—dubbed Freedom’s Fortress—after his 1865 capture. You can learn all about both turning points at the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe National Monument.

But, of course, the beach. It’s swell, with sandy public access points scattered along the sloping Chesapeake and culminating in the pristine Grandview Nature Reserve to the north. Between exploring the harbor on the 65-foot Miss Hampton II, fishing off the Downtown Hampton Public Pier, and lazy waterfront hangs, you can take advantage of award-winning programming at the Virginia Air & Space Center, Hampton History Museum, Hampton Coliseum (home to the annual Hampton Jazz Festival), Langley Speedway, and more. Come for the culture, stay for the vibes (and the refreshingly affordable real estate).

aerial shot of daytona beach with apartment building
Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Daytona Beach, Florida

Average home price: $257,788
Though a home by the Great American Race costs nearly twice what it might have five years ago, compared to a lot of Florida, it’s still pretty darn cheap. That means you'll have plenty of money left to put towards that giant four-wheel-drive vehicle needed to cruise along one of the only drive-on beaches in the country. Rest assured that the city is slowly moving away from its spring break past, so you won’t have to deal with as many college students invading the shores each March. Plus, with Orlando just a short jaunt away, Daytona offers the perfect place for a beach escape with easy access to big-city amenities.

people enjoying the beach and dunes in michigan city, indiana
Visit Michigan City LaPorte

Michigan City, Indiana

Average home price: $156,305
The Midwest has no coastline, you say? No beaches in sight? Think again, says this northern Indiana town perched on the banks of Lake Michigan just a stone’s throw from the always-epic Indiana Dunes National Park. It might be fresh water we’re talking about, but it has tides, waves, and sand—and, most importantly, not a single shark. It’s also got breezy lakefront restaurants, a handful of serious breweries (not to mention a pretty legit winery), a top-notch outlet mall, a full-on casino, sprawling botanical gardens, and crowd-pleasing annual events like the Great Lakes Grand Prix and the Lubeznik Arts Festival. All that plus dirt-cheap home prices, whether you’re in the market for a move or simply looking for a getaway plan that won’t break the bank. And if you’re itching for a little city-slicking, Chicago is only an hour’s drive down the road. Also, did we mention the whole zero sharks thing?

Old driftwood tree stump along coastline at Lake Mars area of Ocean Springs, Mississippi
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Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Average home price: $251,486
In 2022, this artsy, quintessentially Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast town ranked fifth in Smart Asset's top 10 most affordable beach towns. And of those counted, Ocean Springs was by far the beachiest. Step out of your charmingly affordable cottage and into the colorful, historic downtown lined with towering live oaks, artist studios, and locally driven restaurants. There's no shortage of funky bars on Government Street, where live music is the norm every weekend. Closer to the coast, you're a short boat ride from the turquoise waters of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, a big part of why this isn't just one of the very best beach towns in America.

Westport Grays Harbor on Puget Sound in Washington State
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Westport, Washington

Average home price: $294,053
With an average home price of $563,764 statewide—that’s nearly 2% higher than last year—finding a place to lie your head in the Evergreen State isn’t an inexpensive venture. And it’s even pricier along the shoreline, where waves crash rhythmically against the cliffs, the seafood is fresher than fresh, and the heavy sea air will surely cure whatever ails you. That’s why Westport, stashed along Grays Harbor about two hours southwest of tech-crazed Seattle, is your best bet if you’re hoping to pry a little sun and surf (yes, actual surf) out of this notoriously gloomy part of the country. Cast a line, drop a crab pot, or embark on a whale-watching expedition in the Marina District, walk Fido down one of the many dog-friendly beaches, then catch the sunset over oysters and hand-breaded halibut at a local fish shack. Now that’s living.

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Matt Meltzer is a contributing writer for Thrillist. Follow him on Instagram.
Meredith Heil is the editorial director of Thrillist Travel.