September 03, 2026 – Austin, Texas -- Homebuyers hunting for a new-built house at a discount should look to Charleston, South Carolina, where new construction now sells for 12.2% less than existing homes, according to Realtor.com's second annual Top Metros for New Construction report.
Charleston-North Charleston tops the ranking of the 100 largest U.S. metros with an overall score of 84.7 out of 100. The median new-build listing there runs $443,273, compared with $504,832 for an existing home -- the widest new-construction price advantage among the top 10 markets.
Southern metros dominate the top 10 rankings
Eight of the 10 best metros for new construction sit in the South. Greenville-Anderson-Greer, South Carolina, ranks second, followed by Boise City, Idaho, in third. Six of the top 10 metros are located in North or South Carolina, and two more are in Tennessee.
"New construction is one of the most important ways to expand the supply of homes available to buyers, but the opportunity is not evenly distributed across the country," said Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com. He noted that Southern metros are building more homes while creating conditions where new construction can compete with, or beat, existing-home prices.
Smaller metros and college towns lead the pack
The list skews toward small-to-midsize metros. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, the nation's 20th-largest metro, is the biggest market in the top 10; Nashville, ranked 35th by size, follows. No other top-10 metro ranks among the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, and nearly every top-10 market is anchored by a major research university or flagship school.
Madison shows the strongest buyer interest nationwide
Madison, Wisconsin, is the only Midwestern metro in the ranking, and it posts the strongest shopper interest among the top 10, with page views per new-construction listing running 108.4% above the national average. Boise is the sole Western metro on the list, and no Northeast metro made the top 10.
Four factors determine each metro's score
Realtor.com weighted new-construction share of listings and new-construction price premium at 33% each, while climate risk versus existing homes and market hotness -- measured by page views and days on market -- each counted for 17%. Listing data was collected from Realtor.com between January 1 and June 30, 2026, with climate-risk figures sourced from First Street.
Honorable mentions just outside the top 10 include Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina; and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas, where new-construction listings drew 48.1% fewer page views than the national average despite an 8.1% price discount versus existing homes.