How many Bitcoins do you need to afford a home?

For years, Bitcoin was something of a punchline to most people. A cryptocurrency created by an unknown person with no affiliation to any banks or nations and completely anonymous transactions. What could possibly go wrong?

For a while there, it certainly seemed like this digital currency was destined to be a shiny plaything for technogeeks before it inevitably crashed and burned, taking all their money with it. Instead, not only has Bitcoin survived, but it’s beginning to thrive. Over the last two years, not only have more and more companies started to accept the currency, but its value has skyrocketed.

At the beginning of 2013, one Bitcoin equaled roughly $13. By the time 2014 rolled around, the value had jumped up to over $1,000 before dropping again. That value mellowed out to anywhere between $400 and $800 for most of the next couple years but this past January saw the worth of one Bitcoin climb past the four-digit barrier once more and it hasn’t looked back, rocketing up exponentially ever since. On Nov. 28, the value of one Bitcoin hit $10,000 for the first time ever, climbing to $11,000 the following day.

It should also be noted that the value of Bitcoin also dropped by $2,000 the very next day before rising again to the $10,000 mark. In other words, you’re still taking your chances investing in the world of cryptocurrency, no matter how enticing. 

However, that’s not stopping plenty of people from considering Bitcoin in their real estate transactions. Home and property sales settled through Bitcoin have popped up from Miami to Austin to San Diego and plenty of places in between. You can expect to see plenty more property owners saying they’re open to accepting Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies in the years to come.

Neighborhoods.com took a look around the U.S. to see just how many of those Bitcoins you’ll need to own in order to purchase a median-priced house (based on current values). For kicks (and so you can kick yourself for not investing sooner) we also noted how many Bitcoins it would have required back in January 2013 as well.

Ed. Note: As of the time of this writing, the market value of one Bitcoin is around $17,000