Buying a home in New York City will cost the average resident the better part of their adult life — in savings time, at least. According to StreetEasy’s April 2026 market report, a New Yorker earning the city’s median income would need close to 20 years of disciplined saving to scrape together a standard down payment on a median-priced home. The math is brutal. A New Yorker pulling down the city’s median household income would need to set aside 10% of their paycheck every year (before taxes,