How to read this table
Every row is the median deal in that metro: median price, average rent, the metro’s effective property-tax rate, and a full PITIA built at 20% down, 30-year term, a 7.44% indicative DSCR rate, and insurance at 0.5% of price per year. The last column is the coverage ratio an underwriter would see on that file. Green means the median deal covers itself at 1.0× or better; everything else needs more down payment, a better rate tier, an interest-only structure, or a better-than-median deal. Full mechanics live in the DSCR loan guide, and you can rerun any row with your own numbers in the free DSCR calculator.
The 65-metro table, ranked by coverage
| # | Metro | State | Median price | Avg rent | Prop. tax | Est. PITIA | DSCR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | MI | $100,000 | $1,100 | 1.94% | $759 | 1.45× |
| 2 | Birmingham | AL | $170,000 | $1,360 | 0.66% | $1,110 | 1.23× |
| 3 | Cleveland | OH | $150,000 | $1,375 | 2.18% | $1,169 | 1.18× |
| 4 | Toledo | OH | $128,000 | $1,140 | 2.12% | $991 | 1.15× |
| 5 | Memphis | TN | $178,000 | $1,390 | 1.24% | $1,248 | 1.11× |
| 6 | Little Rock | AR | $182,000 | $1,290 | 0.62% | $1,182 | 1.09× |
| 7 | New Orleans | LA | $245,000 | $1,680 | 0.8% | $1,628 | 1.03× |
| 8 | Pittsburgh | PA | $225,000 | $1,635 | 1.79% | $1,681 | 0.97× |
| 9 | Oklahoma City | OK | $225,000 | $1,440 | 0.99% | $1,531 | 0.94× |
| 10 | St. Louis | MO | $200,000 | $1,335 | 1.38% | $1,426 | 0.94× |
| 11 | Indianapolis | IN | $255,000 | $1,575 | 0.84% | $1,703 | 0.92× |
| 12 | Louisville | KY | $235,000 | $1,370 | 0.9% | $1,581 | 0.87× |
| 13 | Cincinnati | OH | $242,000 | $1,525 | 1.68% | $1,785 | 0.85× |
| 14 | Miami | FL | $475,000 | $2,670 | 0.95% | $3,215 | 0.83× |
| 15 | Tulsa | OK | $220,000 | $1,250 | 1.05% | $1,508 | 0.83× |
| 16 | Corpus Christi | TX | $225,000 | $1,400 | 1.95% | $1,711 | 0.82× |
| 17 | Kansas City | MO | $262,000 | $1,510 | 1.3% | $1,850 | 0.82× |
| 18 | Philadelphia | PA | $345,000 | $1,870 | 0.96% | $2,338 | 0.80× |
| 19 | Greensboro | NC | $265,000 | $1,420 | 0.95% | $1,794 | 0.79× |
| 20 | Tampa | FL | $410,000 | $2,150 | 0.89% | $2,755 | 0.78× |
| 21 | Wichita | KS | $205,000 | $1,120 | 1.3% | $1,447 | 0.77× |
| 22 | Orlando | FL | $375,000 | $1,890 | 0.9% | $2,523 | 0.75× |
| 23 | Fort Worth | TX | $310,000 | $1,770 | 2.05% | $2,383 | 0.74× |
| 24 | Baltimore | MD | $370,000 | $1,870 | 1.1% | $2,551 | 0.73× |
| 25 | Bakersfield | CA | $395,000 | $1,930 | 1.0% | $2,690 | 0.72× |
| 26 | Minneapolis | MN | $335,000 | $1,660 | 1.25% | $2,351 | 0.71× |
| 27 | Jacksonville | FL | $355,000 | $1,680 | 0.9% | $2,388 | 0.70× |
| 28 | St. Paul | MN | $295,000 | $1,460 | 1.3% | $2,083 | 0.70× |
| 29 | Atlanta | GA | $380,000 | $1,810 | 1.0% | $2,588 | 0.70× |
| 30 | Virginia Beach | VA | $425,000 | $2,010 | 0.95% | $2,877 | 0.70× |
| 31 | Stockton | CA | $430,000 | $1,980 | 0.9% | $2,893 | 0.68× |
| 32 | Houston | TX | $305,000 | $1,610 | 2.1% | $2,357 | 0.68× |
| 33 | Phoenix | AZ | $460,000 | $2,020 | 0.56% | $2,964 | 0.68× |
| 34 | Las Vegas | NV | $395,000 | $1,730 | 0.55% | $2,542 | 0.68× |
| 35 | Lexington | KY | $335,000 | $1,520 | 0.95% | $2,268 | 0.67× |
| 36 | Charlotte | NC | $390,000 | $1,730 | 0.8% | $2,591 | 0.67× |
| 37 | Tucson | AZ | $335,000 | $1,500 | 0.9% | $2,254 | 0.67× |
| 38 | Colorado Springs | CO | $445,000 | $1,880 | 0.5% | $2,845 | 0.66× |
| 39 | Nashville | TN | $425,000 | $1,780 | 0.65% | $2,771 | 0.64× |
| 40 | San Antonio | TX | $280,000 | $1,390 | 2.1% | $2,164 | 0.64× |
| 41 | Fresno | CA | $390,000 | $1,650 | 0.78% | $2,585 | 0.64× |
| 42 | Durham | NC | $400,000 | $1,730 | 1.0% | $2,724 | 0.64× |
| 43 | Columbus | OH | $325,000 | $1,510 | 1.75% | $2,417 | 0.62× |
| 44 | Arlington | TX | $315,000 | $1,500 | 2.05% | $2,421 | 0.62× |
| 45 | Lincoln | NE | $295,000 | $1,340 | 1.75% | $2,194 | 0.61× |
| 46 | Omaha | NE | $285,000 | $1,300 | 1.9% | $2,155 | 0.60× |
| 47 | Dallas | TX | $370,000 | $1,650 | 1.8% | $2,767 | 0.60× |
| 48 | Mesa | AZ | $435,000 | $1,650 | 0.56% | $2,803 | 0.59× |
| 49 | Aurora | CO | $465,000 | $1,750 | 0.55% | $2,993 | 0.58× |
| 50 | Raleigh | NC | $430,000 | $1,660 | 0.75% | $2,839 | 0.58× |
| 51 | Henderson | NV | $485,000 | $1,810 | 0.55% | $3,121 | 0.58× |
| 52 | Sacramento | CA | $580,000 | $2,230 | 0.8% | $3,854 | 0.58× |
| 53 | Newark | NJ | $485,000 | $2,140 | 2.2% | $3,788 | 0.56× |
| 54 | Honolulu | HI | $760,000 | $2,640 | 0.3% | $4,733 | 0.56× |
| 55 | Riverside | CA | $650,000 | $2,360 | 1.0% | $4,427 | 0.53× |
| 56 | Oakland | CA | $720,000 | $2,540 | 0.88% | $4,832 | 0.53× |
| 57 | Denver | CO | $560,000 | $1,860 | 0.52% | $3,590 | 0.52× |
| 58 | Austin | TX | $542,000 | $2,010 | 1.63% | $3,976 | 0.51× |
| 59 | Santa Ana | CA | $865,000 | $2,850 | 0.7% | $5,675 | 0.50× |
| 60 | Portland | OR | $535,000 | $1,780 | 1.1% | $3,688 | 0.48× |
| 61 | San Diego | CA | $950,000 | $2,890 | 0.72% | $6,249 | 0.46× |
| 62 | Anaheim | CA | $950,000 | $2,690 | 0.7% | $6,233 | 0.43× |
| 63 | Seattle | WA | $760,000 | $2,190 | 0.87% | $5,094 | 0.43× |
| 64 | Long Beach | CA | $865,000 | $2,310 | 0.75% | $5,711 | 0.40× |
| 65 | Irvine | CA | $1,565,000 | $3,300 | 0.8% | $10,398 | 0.32× |
Market data: MaximizeRentalIncome (June 2026), metro-level estimates from public market data; each metro links to its full MRI market profile. DSCR computed by LumoLend at the stated assumptions. Illustrative only — verify before underwriting.
What the ranking actually says
The pattern is brutal and consistent: coverage lives where price-to-rent is low, not where headlines are. Detroit (1.45×), Birmingham (1.23×), Cleveland (1.18×), Toledo (1.15×), Memphis (1.11×) top the board, while the California coast occupies the entire bottom decile — an identical 20%-down file that underwrites at 1.4× in Detroit prices out below 0.4× in Irvine. That doesn’t make coastal metros untouchable; it makes them appreciation plays that need structure: bigger down payments, interest-only periods, or sub-1.0 programs at lower leverage.
Two caveats before you pick a city off this list. First, the median hides the deal: duplexes, below-market acquisitions, and rehabbed properties routinely beat the metro line — the BRRRR playbook exists precisely to manufacture coverage. Second, taxes shown are effective rates today; several states reassess at sale (Michigan’s uncapping, Texas’s purchase-price reassessment), so model your bill, not the seller’s — the state-by-state guide covers every trap.