"Stop Buying Lattes If You Want To Buy A House" Is My Least-Favorite Money Tip, So I Did The Math To Show Why

"Stop buying lattes if you want to buy a house" is my least-favorite generic money tip. First of all, it comes with the assumption that every young person is spending too much money on coffee, which is just not true. Secondly, lattes aren't the problem, and I've done the math to prove it.

Using Zillow data from 2021, The Zebra put together a list of average home prices in each state, which I used as a starting point. To calculate how many lattes a house would cost based on this data, I've set the price at $6 per latte. This covers $5 for a drink (possibly with oat milk) and $1 for tip.

Here's how many lattes you'd have to skip to buy a house in every state, ranked from lowest to highest:

51.West Virginia

Average home price in this state: $126,891

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 21,149

How many lattes to put 20% down: 4,230

50.Mississippi

Average home price in this state: $155,020

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 25,837

How many lattes to put 20% down: 5,167

49.Arkansas

Average home price in this state: $166,626

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 27,771

How many lattes to put 20% down: 5,554

48.Oklahoma

Average home price in this state: $169,307

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 28,218

How many lattes to put 20% down: 5644

47.Iowa

Average home price in this state: $183,159

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 30,527

How many lattes to put 20% down: 6,105

46.Kentucky

Average home price in this state: $186,255

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 31,043

How many lattes to put 20% down: 6,209

45.Alabama

Average home price in this state: $190,597

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 31,766

How many lattes to put 20% down: 6,353

44.Kansas

Average home price in this state: $196,956

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 32,826

How many lattes to put 20% down: 6,565

43.Ohio

Average home price in this state: $199,325

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 33,221

How many lattes to put 20% down: 6,644

42.Louisiana

Average home price in this state: $204,572

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 34,095

How many lattes to put 20% down: 6,819

41.Indiana

Average home price in this state: $207,576

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 34,596

How many lattes to put 20% down: 6,919

40.Missouri

Average home price in this state: $216,031

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 36,005

How many lattes to put 20% down: 7,201

39.Michigan

Average home price in this state: $220,278

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 36,713

How many lattes to put 20% down: 7,343

38.Nebraska

Average home price in this state: $228,087

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 38,015

How many lattes to put 20% down: 7,603

37.Wisconsin

Average home price in this state: $251,370

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 41,895

How many lattes to put 20% down: 8,379

36.Pennsylvania

Average home price in this state: $253,342

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 42,224

How many lattes to put 20% down: 8,445

35.Illinois

Average home price in this state: $253,637

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 42,273

How many lattes to put 20% down: 8,455

34.South Carolina

Average home price in this state: $266,396

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 44,399

How many lattes to put 20% down: 8,880

33.Tennessee

Average home price in this state: $269,250

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 44,875

How many lattes to put 20% down: 8,975

32.North Dakota

Average home price in this state: $270,233

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 45,039

How many lattes to put 20% down: 9,008

31.South Dakota

Average home price in this state: $273,720

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 45,620

How many lattes to put 20% down: 9,124

30.New Mexico

Average home price in this state: $274,665

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 45,778

How many lattes to put 20% down: 9,156

29.Texas

Average home price in this state: $285,684

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 47,614

How many lattes to put 20% down: 9,523

28.Georgia

Average home price in this state: $290,217

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 48,370

How many lattes to put 20% down: 9,674

27.North Carolina

Average home price in this state: $291,533

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 48,589

How many lattes to put 20% down: 9,718

26.Wyoming

Average home price in this state: $303,479

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 50,580

How many lattes to put 20% down: 10,116

25.Alaska

Average home price in this state: $323,363

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 53,894

How many lattes to put 20% down: 10,779

24.Minnesota

Average home price in this state: $325,052

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 54,175

How many lattes to put 20% down: 10,835

23.Delaware

Average home price in this state: $333,539

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 55,590

How many lattes to put 20% down: 11,118

22.Vermont

Average home price in this state: $336,726

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 56,121

How many lattes to put 20% down: 11,224

21.Maine

Average home price in this state: $337,856

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 56,309

How many lattes to put 20% down: 11,262

20.New York

Average home price in this state: $350,003

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 58,334

How many lattes to put 20% down: 11,667

19.Virginia

Average home price in this state: $359,823

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 59,971

How many lattes to put 20% down: 11,994

18.Connecticut

Average home price in this state: $360,415

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 60,069

How many lattes to put 20% down: 12,014

17.Florida

Average home price in this state: $366,301

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 61,050

How many lattes to put 20% down: 12,210

16.Maryland

Average home price in this state: $397,529

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 66,255

How many lattes to put 20% down: 13,251

15.Arizona

Average home price in this state: $416,486

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 69,414

How many lattes to put 20% down: 13,883

14.Rhode Island

Average home price in this state: $416,499

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 69,417

How many lattes to put 20% down: 13,883

13.Montana

Average home price in this state: $417,468

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 69,578

How many lattes to put 20% down: 13,916

12.New Hampshire

Average home price in this state: $420,823

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 70,137

How many lattes to put 20% down: 14,027

11.Nevada

Average home price in this state: $440,107

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 73,351

How many lattes to put 20% down: 14,670

10.New Jersey

Average home price in this state: $449,425

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 74,904

How many lattes to put 20% down: 14,981

9.Idaho

Average home price in this state: $462,281

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 77,047

How many lattes to put 20% down: 15,409

8.Oregon

Average home price in this state: $501,909

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 83,652

How many lattes to put 20% down: 16,730

7.Utah

Average home price in this state: $544,796

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 90,799

How many lattes to put 20% down: 18,160

6.Colorado

Average home price in this state: $563,545

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 93,924

How many lattes to put 20% down: 18,785

5.Massachusetts

Average home price in this state: $569,951

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 94,992

How many lattes to put 20% down: 18,998

4.Washington

Average home price in this state: $597,128

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 99,521

How many lattes to put 20% down: 19,904

3.California

Average home price in this state: $764,358

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 127,393

How many lattes to put 20% down: 25,479

2.District of Columbia

Average home price in this state: $803,327

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 133,888

How many lattes to put 20% down: 26,778

1.Hawaii

Average home price in this state: $959,134

How many lattes to buy a house in cash: 159,856

How many lattes to put 20% down: 31,971

In conclusion, if you enjoy getting a coffee as a small and affordable luxury, that's between you and your budget. But maaaaybe if you bought, like, 5,000 lattes last year, you might think about cutting back.