To celebrate Pride Month in June, Realtor®.com recently released its findings of the top seven cities in the U.S. with a strong mix of housing affordability and inclusivity for LGBTQ+ people.
However, some of the findings might be a head-scratcher, because a few metros are in states that aren’t exactly renowned for rolling out the welcome mat to the LGBTQ+ community.
Realtor.com tapped the U.S. Census Bureau’s same-sex couple data from the American Community Survey to find cities with above-average populations of same-sex couples. It also consulted the Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score to check the group’s ratings for how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are toward the local LGBTQ+ community.
Most of the cities Realtor.com ranked are in the Sun Belt, boasting warm climates and affordable housing, to be sure.
However, many of these metros are also in states that have passed anti-equality legislation and have seen considerable increases in hate crime reports against the LGBTQ+ community, according to SafeHome.org’s 2024 LGBTQ+ State Safety Report Cards study.
Take Florida, Arizona and Ohio, for instance. Four of Realtor.com’s metros are in these states—all of which received an ‘F’ rating in SafeHome.org’s study. Florida has the worst legal environment for LGBTQ+ people and is ranked last for hate crime reporting, SafeHome.org revealed.
Florida’s widely criticized “Don’t Say Gay” law restricting students and teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s public schools, and additional anti-equality legislation on the books have made Florida less safe for LGBTQ+ community members in recent years, the study found.
Meanwhile, Ohio has one of the highest rates of reported hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people in the country. And Texas isn’t far behind in a dismal safety score with a ‘D’ grade, followed by Georgia’s ‘C’ rating.
Homebuyers need to consider a variety of factors when choosing where to settle down. Affordability, proximity to family or work, climate and state tax implications may outweigh how inclusive a state may (or may not) be, says Tommie L. Wehrle, 2026 president-elect of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance and a senior leadership instructor with Better Homes and Gardens in Milford, Connecticut.
REALTORS® must also avoid steering their homebuyer clients to one location or another, which is illegal, Wehrle adds.
“It’s really critical for agents to provide resources or to highly suggest that a buyer do their due diligence in order to be able to decide where they’re going to live,” Wehrle says. She adds that environments could also change over time; states that may appear LGBTQ-friendly today might not be in the future, and vice versa.
With these considerations in mind, here is Realtor.com’s list of affordable LGBTQ-friendly locales:
- San Antonio, Texas
Estimated same-sex couple composition: 1 in every 13 couples
Median list price: $348,262
Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score: 100 (out of 100)
- Gainesville, Florida
Estimated same-sex couple composition: 1 in every 11 couples
Median list price: $362,300
Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score: 90
- Columbus, Ohio
Estimated same-sex couple composition: 1 in every 13 couples
Median list price: $402,450
Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score: 100
- Tucson, Arizona
Estimated same-sex couple composition: 1 in every 13 couples
Median list price: $403,876
Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score: 100
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Estimated same-sex couple composition: 1 in every 11 couples
Median list price: $423,913
Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score: 100
- Atlanta, Georgia
Estimated same-sex couple composition: 1 in every 11 couples
Median list price: $423,950
Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score: 100
- Tampa, Florida
Estimated same-sex couple composition: 1 in every 11 couples
Median list price: $425,000
Human Rights Commission Municipal Equality Index Score: 100
