Another way of looking at affordability
The Center for Neighborhood Technology has a suggestion, one that will resonate with anyone who's moved far from work for less expensive home prices: Consider transportation costs along with housing costs when you're deciding what affordable means.
An interactive tool you can find HERE lets you see how much of various metro areas is "affordable" in the traditional sense -- housing costs don't top 30 percent of local median income -- vs. a different definition (no more than 48 percent of income spent on housing and transportation combined).
Looking for Baltimore? Scroll down to "W" for Washington. The two metro areas are shown as one region ... which, of course, they are in most senses of the word.
