We can’t be the only ones who daydream about all the great home improvement projects we’d love to do.  From changing paint colors, light fixtures, or doing a full remodel, the possibilities are endless.  Until you start thinking about the price tag to do all of these projects! But thankfully, Augusta did rank in the most affordable cities for home improvement!

There’s no denying that the price of home improvement has gone WAY up.  Especially in the last couple of years.  Between inflation, supply chain issues, labor shortages and more, those projects may just have to wait.

Our friends at Lawn Love decided to do a little research on places where it’s most expensive for home improvement.  And of course, they also highlight the cities where it’s more affordable.

And when it comes to affordability, Augusta actually ranked pretty well in the most affordable cities for home improvement, coming in at number 16.

Lawn Love ranked 200 cities.  They based the results on 16 key indicators, like hourly rates for professionals, average age of homes in the area, labor and supply access, and average spending per household on home improvement.

Experts are predicting spending on remodels will continue increasing throughout this year.  Median home improvement spending increased by 50% over the past three years.  And more than 55% of homeowners are considering home renovations this year.

Much of the reasoning behind home improvement spending is due to the competitive housing marking right now.  Sellers have a big advantage, and with some investment on repairs and renovations can make a big different. Of course, not everyone is looking to sell.  But home improvements can make a huge difference for you and your family.  Whether it’s upgrading your kitchen or bath, or adding a home office or gym, these things could boost your overall happiness, and even your health.

When taking a look at the most affordable cities, you will notice a lot of them are in southern states, with quite a few in the state of Florida! The study highlights affordable builder rates in the South.  In Florida, they seem to have low costs overall and access to many contractors and building suppliers.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum? Any guesses which state has the most cities on the most expensive list? If you guessed California, you’re right! California has eight cities out of the top 10!

If you’re considering doing some upgrades yourself, be sure to take a look at these tips for DIY!

But let’s take a quick look at the most affordable cities first!

• Top 20 Most Affordable Cities for Home Improvement

  Note: Lawn Love considered a lower Average Annual Household Income as “worse,” as it translates to lower spending ability. In most affordable table for Income, a lower ranking number (e.g., 1) corresponds with a higher income.

• 20. McAllen, Texas

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  61.92	2	35	199	157

• 19. Hollywood, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.06	32	52	43	111

• 18. El Paso, Texas

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.19	3	62	167	167

• 17. Clarksville, Tennessee

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.24	10	1	198	162

• 16. Augusta, Georgia

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.25	21	14	114	180

• 15. Tampa, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.3	92	3	25	66

• 14. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.33	71	68	12	42

• 13. Little Rock, Arkansas

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.45	17	56	130	92

• 12. St. Petersburg, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.56	41	8	118	85

• 11. Hialeah, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.58	11	31	59	195

• 10. Brownsville, Texas

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  62.95	1	15	200	193

• 9. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  63.08	57	9	28	109

• 8. Jacksonville, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  63.14	36	11	50	126

• 7. Knoxville, Tennessee

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  63.64	19	2	105	181

• Tied for 5. Port St. Lucie, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  63.88	28	6	74	119

• Tied for 5. Tallahassee, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  63.88	12	23	86	161

• 4. Grand Rapids, Michigan

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  64.71	42	36	5	166

• 3. Cape Coral, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  65.82	37	24	9	118

• 2. Miami, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  66.02	45	55	2	133

• 1. Orlando, Florida

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  67.13	31	5	10	108

• Top 10 Most Expensive Cities for Home Improvement

  Note: Lawn Love considered a lower Average Household Income as “worse,” as it translates to lower spending ability.  In most expensive table for the Income category, a higher ranking number (e.g., 200) corresponds with a higher income.

• 10. Honolulu, Hawaii

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  60.11	24	3	180	150

• 9. Torrance, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  60.48	22	4	123	181

   

• 8. New York, New York

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  61	8	34	35	163

• 7. Oakland, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  61.2	11	15	128	176

• 6. Glendale, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  61.22	36	6	67	151

• 5. Pasadena, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  63.47	12	5	93	183

• 4. Fremont, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  66.51	2	7	99	198

• 3. San Francisco, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  66.81	4	2	167	197

• 2. San Jose, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  66.93	3	8	126	193

• 1. Sunnyvale, California

   

  Overall Score	Costs Rank	Cost Inflators Rank	Builder and Supply Access Rank	Income Rank
  70.02	1	1	97	200

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