Nationally, the median home price is around $400,000, up 20% since 2020. According to PropertyShark, that budget yields a 4,918 square-foot home in Detroit (enough space for a five- to six-bedroom home, depending on room size); in Manhattan, just 267 square feet (barely big enough for a studio apartment). 

But how does $400,000 stack up in Phoenix? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. 

Of course, the median home price varies widely across the Phoenix area. Here’s how the square footage shakes out in the largest Phoenix-area cities.

Phoenix – 1,515 square feet

In Phoenix proper, the median sale price is $425,000. That means on a $400,000 budget, Phoenicians must shop for homes that are slightly smaller than the typical square footage, staying around the 1,515-square-foot range. That’s about 100 square feet smaller than the median Phoenix home (1,610 square feet) and carries a price per square foot of $264. 

Glendale – 1,707 square feet

The cheapest prices in the Phoenix area can be found in Glendale, where the median home price is $413,000. That means even in the most affordable parts of Phoenix, homebuyers on a $400,000 budget are at a disadvantage. 

Glendale’s median home size is 2,114 square feet, so $400,000 will run buyers about 1,473 square feet (bigger than any other large Phoenix-area city at the price point) at about $272 per square foot.

Chandler – 1,397 square feet

In Chandler, the median home price is $529,000, and the median home size is 1,848 square feet — so a $400,000 home would be about 1,397 square feet, or $286 per square foot.

Gilbert – 1,473 square feet

Gilbert offers the largest homes in the Phoenix area, with a median size of 2,114 square feet and a median home price of $574,000. That means a $400,000 home is about 1,473 square feet, or about $272 per square foot.

Mesa – 1,546 square feet

On the eastern side of the Phoenix area, Mesa has a median home price of $441,000 and a median home size of 1,704. Buyers on a budget of $400,000 can afford about 1,546 square feet of space there, which equates to about $259 per square foot.

Scottsdale – 924 square feet

Finally, in the priciest part of the Phoenix area, Scottsdale has a median home price of $908,000 and an average home size of 2,097 square feet. That means $400,000 only gets buyers about 924 square feet in Scottsdale — for a whopping $433 per square foot.