The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in America: Price Drops & Gains in 33 Big Expensive Cities, May 2026

Home prices fell from prior peaks in 28 of 33 major expensive U.S. cities tracked in May 2026, with the largest declines in Austin (-27%), Oakland (-26%), and New Orleans (-19%), while prices rose year-over-year in only eight cities, notably Chicago and New York City which reached new all-time highs, and San Francisco where AI-driven compensation packages created a "mansion shortage" effect that boosted mid-tier prices 7.8% year-over-year. The analysis attributes prior price spikes from mid-2020 to mid-2022—led by Austin (+62%), Phoenix (+60%), and Fort Worth (+50%)—to Federal Reserve monetary policies including near-zero mortgage rates through quantitative easing, which created the current affordability crisis.