These 30 metro areas are now more affordable to live in

Buying a home is a big step in life, but it's an expensive one. But the expense doesn't have to be as big depending on where you choose to live, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. The group's "Housing Affordability Index" ranks metropolitan areas on how easily a family earning the median income can qualify for a mortgage. A value of 100 means a median-income family has exactly enough to qualify for a mortgage. An HAI score of 120.0 means a family in the area has 120 percent of the income necessary to qualify for a mortgage. The following is a ranking of the top 30 cities where affordability has increased the most.