The National Housing Federation inquiry shows a worker paid the region's average wage - £23,405 - would need close to a £15,000 pay rise to qualify for an 80% mortgage.
The average home in the region costs almost £166,000, more than seven times the average salary.
In Harrogate, North Yorkshire, the average cost rises to 11 times salary.
The NHF report shows Harrogate has an average house cost of almost £277,000, where the average salary is still £24,731.
In comparison it found in Barnsley, Hull, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire the average house cost less than six times the average salary.
£277,000 Average house price in Harrogate
£166,000 Average house price in Yorkshire and the Humber
£38,000 The minimum salary needed for an 80% mortgage
£23,405 Average salary in Yorkshire and the Humber
The cost of renting or buying a home in the region was getting "further out of reach for many", according to the NHF.
Jo Allen, of the NHF, said: "In some places people are completely priced out of their local communities. In others we see areas which need employment opportunities and investment in empty homes."
The foundation represents independent non-profit housing associations in the United Kingdom.
It uses the mean average for house costs and wages and assumes an 80% mortgage based on a lending ratio of 3.5 times salary.
Salary data is based on the Annual Survey on Hours and Employment by the Office for National Statistics.
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of nine regions of England identified for statistical purposes.
Workers need to earn about £38,000 a year to afford a mortgage in Yorkshire and the Humber region, a report said.