Survey Shows Emotional Toll of Homeownership Costs

As a homeowner, you understand better than anyone that rising home costs are impacting more than just your budget. For many, the pressure of owning a home in 2026 leads to sleepless nights, doctor’s visits, and conversations around the dinner table.

A new Hometap survey of 1,000 U.S. homeowners looked at how financial stress from owning a home shows up in daily life. Before we get into the data, I want to take a minute to explain why it was important for us to ask these questions in the first place.

At Hometap, understanding how homeowners really feel is something we care about deeply, and we’ve spent a lot of time listening to their answers.

In our 2025 homeowner cost survey, 79% of homeowners said they’re spending a higher percentage of their income on housing than ever. When we asked what trade-offs they were making to make ends meet, 44% said they’d cut back on travel and 44% said they’d cut back on hobbies. Another 34% said they’d cut back on groceries and essentials.

Many of these aren’t luxuries. They’re fundamental expenses — and reducing them can have a lasting impact.

In June 2026, we turned to a bigger question: how do homeowners feel about owning a home today? About half of the 1,000 homeowners we surveyed described the American Dream as “eroding” or “broken.”

We’ve known homeowners were stressed, stretched thin, and compromising to make ends meet. What we didn’t know was how that stress is showing up in their daily lives. So we asked.

Nearly Two-Thirds of Homeowners Feel the Strain

Sixty-three percent of homeowners say owning a home causes them at least moderate financial stress, up from 55% in June 2025.

For the most stressed homeowners, the effects go well beyond the budget. Among those who are very or extremely stressed, more than nine in 10 (92%) say the stress shows up in at least one way in their daily lives. Only about 9% say none of the options apply.

Here’s how it shows up, among those same homeowners:

• Health: 57% report symptoms of anxiety or depression, 52% have trouble sleeping, and 33% have delayed medical or dental care.
• Relationships: About 30% report tension with a spouse or partner, about 30% report arguments about money at home, and 20% spend less quality time with family.
• Work and money habits: 23% have trouble focusing at work, and 22% avoid checking bank accounts or bills.
• Life plans: 8% have delayed having children or other family plans.

Which Costs Hit Hardest

Not every cost weighs equally. Among homeowners who named mortgage payments as their most stressful cost, 89% are at least moderately stressed, and 51% are very or extremely stressed. Property taxes follow: 73% of homeowners who named property taxes as their most stressful cost are at least moderately stressed. Among homeowners who named none of the listed costs, just 23% are.

Stress and a Sense of Lost Control

Stress and feeling out of control go together. Among homeowners who are at least moderately stressed, 68% say the cost of owning their home feels increasingly out of their control, compared with 24% of less-stressed homeowners. Sixty percent of stressed homeowners worry about affording their home in the next few years, compared with 21% of less-stressed homeowners.

In Their Own Words

Homeowners who wrote in their own answers described the pressure in everyday terms:

• “Having to go without everyday needs in order to pay utilities and buy groceries.”
• “Worried about having bill money for winter, generally good during the summer but the gas bill is a big deal when it gets cold.”
• “Stress[ed] watching savings dwindle.”

Still, Homeowners Keep Showing Up

Here’s the part of the story that gives us hope: stress hasn’t pushed homeowners to the sidelines or caused them to give up. About 41% say being a homeowner makes them more likely to vote in the midterms. The more stressed they are, the more likely they are to say so: 48% of at least moderately stressed homeowners say owning makes them more likely to vote, compared with 28% of less-stressed homeowners.

That resilience runs deeper than the ballot box. In our 2025 survey, 76% of homeowners said, despite all of the stress and downsides, that homeownership is still part of the American Dream. And in our June 2026 survey, 49.1% of homeowners describe owning their home as a major achievement.

Homeowners are carrying more than their budgets show, and they’re still putting in the effort. Casting a vote is one more way they’re saying they’ll keep going, and we think that deserves to be celebrated.

Homeownership is hard. Keep showing up, and we’ll keep working to make homeownership less stressful and more accessible.

Methodology: The survey was conducted by AYTM on behalf of Hometap from October 4-6, 2026, among 1,000 U.S. homeowners representing a mix of ages, demographics, and regions. Respondents were recruited through AYTM’s online panel and screened to confirm current homeownership. The 20-question survey was administered online with randomized multiple-choice options and “Not applicable” or “Other” responses available for all questions. State of residence was captured to support regional views. The results reflect a 95% confidence level with a ±3% margin of error.

Generations were grouped by the following age ranges: Millennials age 25-44, Generation X age 45-64, and Baby Boomers age 65-79.

Disclaimer: These are symptoms homeowners reported themselves, not diagnoses. If financial stress is affecting your health, talking with a doctor or mental health professional can help.