Unless you're living under a rock, you've probably heard of 35-year-old real estate mogul Tim Gurner's claim on Australia's 60 Minutes that millennials would be able to buy a home if they stopped spending their money on unnecessary items like "smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each."
"We’re at a point now where the expectations of younger people are very, very high," he said. "They want to eat out every day; they want to travel to Europe every year."
But does giving up on culinary extravaganza really make a difference financially? Neighborhoods.com set out to fact-check Gurner's claim by scouring major cities across the country to determine "just how much millennials are robbing themselves of the basic right of homeownership just for some instant gratification in the form of grated cheese atop smashed avocados spread across crispy multigrain toast."
In other words: How many avocado toasts do you have to give up on to buy a home in America?
Los Angeles
Average avocado toast cost: $8
Median home sale price: $550,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $110,000
Number of avocado toasts: 13,750
Avocado toastless years: 37
San Francisco
Average avocado toast cost: $9
Median home sale price: $1,185,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $237,000
Number of avocado toasts: 26,333
Avocado toastless years: 72
Chicago
Average avocado toast cost: $11
Median home sale price: $225,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $45,000
Number of avocado toasts: 4,091
Avocado toastless years: 11
Dallas
Average avocado toast cost: $8
Median home sale price: $250,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $50,000
Number of avocado toasts: 6,250
Avocado toastless years: 17
Houston
Average avocado toast cost: $9
Median home sale price: $225,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $45,000
Number of avocado toasts: 5,000
Avocado toastless years: 13
Miami
Average avocado toast cost: $10
Median home sale price: $270,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $54,000
Number of avocado toasts: 5,400
Avocado toastless years: 14
San Diego
Average avocado toast cost: $8
Median home sale price: $520,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $104,000
Number of avocado toasts: 13,000
Avocado toastless years: 35
Phoenix
Average avocado toast cost: $7
Median home sale price: $235,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $47,000
Number of avocado toasts: 6,714
Avocado toastless years: 18
Washington, DC
Average avocado toast cost: $9
Median home sale price: $520,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $104,000
Number of avocado toasts: 11,556
Avocado toastless years: 31
New York City
Average avocado toast cost: $10
Median home sale price: $1,100,000
Estimated closing cost needs: $220,000
Number of avocado toasts: 22,000
Avocado toastless years: 60