Homeowners are told not to spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. But in many cities, that may be tough. Miami ranked no. 1 in a 2016 study determining the most cost-burdened city in the nation with almost two-thirds of the city paying over 30 percent of their income on housing. And it has not gotten much better. Southern Florida towns are beginning to dominate the list of cost-burdened towns in the country.

Smartasset looked beyond the 30 percent margin to find which cities are the most severely cost-burdened. Since 2016, Miami has seen a five-point increase in this category. Miami is the second most severely cost-burdened city in the nation, with almost a quarter of its population paying over 50 percent of their income on housing. 

Four of the top 10 severely cost-burdened cities are in the greater Miami area. Of these four, three are in the top four, making Florida the most severely cost-burdened state in the country.

Of those that earn less than $10,000 a year in Miami, 61 percent are severely cost-burdened. 

Just behind Miami, at no. 3, is Hialeah. It is estimated that over one in five homeowners in Hialeah use a majority of their income to pay for their housing.

Pompano Beach sits at no. 4 with an estimated 36 percent of homeowners being house-cost burdened. 

The last Florida city in the top 10 is Hollywood at no. 7. Two out of five households in Hollywood spend at least 30 percent of their income on housing. 

Florida’s cost-burdened city trend seems to only be getting worse, with more towns making the list and higher percentages of people paying higher percentages of their income. Less well-off households that pay over 50 percent of their income on housing will struggle to make financial plans for the near future and retirement. 

Chart from smartasset