Best Places to Buy Rental Property in Pennsylvania (2026)

Pennsylvania has something almost no other state still offers: real cities where homes close under $150,000 and the market is still liquid enough to buy and sell in. This page ranks those markets by entry price.

What it does not do is tell you what they rent for. We do not have verified rent data for these cities, so there are no cap rates, no rent-to-price ratios, and no cash-on-cash projections below. Publishing those would be invention.

What This Ranking Measures, and What It Does Not

Every city here recorded at least 100 closings in the trailing six months, which screens out markets too thin to underwrite. They are ordered cheapest first by median sold price.

Entry price tells you how much capital a position takes. Closing volume tells you how many comparable sales exist for valuing your property and how many buyers exist when you want out. Neither tells you what the property will rent for. That is a per-property question and it has to be answered per property.

Pennsylvania's statewide median sold price is $308,000 across 50,990 closings. Every city below closes under $182,001.

The Rankings

1. Chester, $80,500, 143 closings

The lowest entry price in Pennsylvania with meaningful volume, roughly 26 percent of the statewide median. At $80,500 most purchases are cash or small private loans, since conventional financing at this price is often impractical. Volume of 143 closings, about 24 a month, is respectable for the tier. Chester sits inside the Philadelphia metro, but a median this low reflects real condition and neighborhood challenges. Underwrite the specific block, not the city.

2. McKeesport, $97,500, 131 closings

The second sub-$100,000 market, in the Pittsburgh metro along the Monongahela. At $97,500 the entry cost is trivially low relative to almost any other state, and 131 closings means about 22 sales a month. The critical variable here is not acquisition, it is rehab. A $97,500 purchase with $60,000 of deferred maintenance is a very different deal from one that is rent-ready.

3. Johnstown, $115,750, 213 closings

Johnstown offers the best combination of low price and volume in the top third of this list: $115,750 with 213 closings, roughly 36 a month. That volume gives you a usable comp set, which is not always true at this price tier. Cambria County is a long-term population-decline market, a genuine consideration for exit timing, but the transaction count says buyers are still active.

4. Altoona, $135,000, 278 closings

278 closings is the second-highest count on this list, at a $135,000 median. Roughly 46 sales a month at a price point most states cannot offer at all. Blair County has a diversified employment base anchored by healthcare and rail. For an investor who wants low basis without sacrificing liquidity, this is the strongest sub-$150,000 entry on this page.

5. Pottsville, $135,000, 123 closings

Identical median to Altoona but with less than half the volume, 123 closings versus 278. Same entry cost, thinner exit. Schuylkill County anthracite-region stock is old, often with unusual layouts and heating systems that affect both rehab cost and appraisal. Physical inspection is not optional here.

6. Warren, $139,000, 102 closings

The thinnest market on this list at 102 closings, about 17 a month, priced at $139,000. Warren County sits in the far northwest near the Allegheny National Forest, with a small manufacturing base. Low volume means fewer comps and a slower exit, which argues for a longer hold horizon and conservative resale timing.

7. New Castle, $140,300, 244 closings

$140,300 with 244 closings, about 41 a month, the third-most liquid market on the list. Lawrence County, roughly an hour north of Pittsburgh near the Ohio border. A sub-$150,000 median paired with 244 six-month closings is genuinely uncommon, and it means you can build a real comparable-sales case for any property here.

8. Meadville, $158,000, 138 closings

$158,000 across 138 closings, roughly 23 a month. Crawford County, home to a college and a legacy tool-and-die manufacturing cluster. A college presence usually shapes lease timing and turnover cadence, but the size of that demand needs local verification rather than assumption.

9. Mc Kees Rocks, $162,500, 114 closings

Recorded in listing data with this spacing, just outside Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. $162,500 median, 114 closings, about 19 a month. Proximity to the Pittsburgh job base is the main asset. The main risk is housing age. Assume older systems and verify them.

10. Uniontown, $163,626, 134 closings

Fayette County, $163,626 median, 134 closings. The precision of that median is a reminder these are actual transaction figures, not rounded estimates. Uniontown's economy has historically tracked energy and coal activity in southwestern Pennsylvania, which makes it more cyclical than the price tier alone would suggest. Volume of about 22 sales a month is adequate but not deep.

11. Williamsport, $165,500, 177 closings

$165,500 with 177 closings, roughly 30 a month. Lycoming County has healthcare, higher education, and a Marcellus Shale services presence, giving it more employment diversity than most cities on this list. That diversity is worth something in a hold: it reduces the odds that one industry downturn empties your building.

12. Wilkes Barre, $170,000, 161 closings

$170,000 across 161 closings, about 27 a month. Wilkes Barre anchors the Wyoming Valley alongside Scranton, and the region has absorbed significant warehouse and logistics development along the I-81 corridor. That is a real demand driver, though how much of it reaches any specific property is a question for local rent comps.

13. New Kensington, $175,500, 146 closings

$175,500 with 146 closings, roughly 24 a month, in Westmoreland County northeast of Pittsburgh. Prices here have crept up relative to the deeper-discount Pittsburgh satellites like McKeesport and Mc Kees Rocks, which usually reflects better condition or stronger local demand. Confirm which one you are paying for on the specific property.

14. Erie, $181,000, 668 closings

By far the most liquid market on this page: 668 closings, about 111 a month, at a $181,000 median. Erie is the only city that appears both in Pennsylvania's twelve highest-volume markets and in its affordable tier. You get metro-scale transaction data, a deep comp set, and a real buyer pool at a price most metros cannot match. Lake-effect climate drives roof, gutter, and heating costs, so budget those honestly.

15. Aliquippa, $182,000, 171 closings

$182,000 with 171 closings, about 29 a month. Beaver County, where the local story has been industrial investment along the Ohio River corridor northwest of Pittsburgh. Development like that shifts a market unevenly and over years. Buy on today's numbers and treat it as upside you did not pay for.

What Price Tier Actually Tells You

At Pennsylvania's price points, the acquisition number is often not the number that decides the deal. When a house costs $97,500, a $45,000 rehab is 46 percent of your basis. Systems age, roof age, and heating type matter more than they do where the building is a smaller share of total cost. Transaction volume is the second lens: Erie at 668 closings and Altoona at 278 give you a defensible comparable-sales case and a real exit, while Warren at 102 and Mc Kees Rocks at 114 do not to the same degree. Neither lens says anything about rent.

Verify Rent and Cash Flow Before You Buy

Take the specific address, not the city median, and run the real rent, taxes, insurance, vacancy, and management assumptions through the rental property calculator. Pennsylvania property tax varies sharply by school district, and that line alone can decide a deal. Then model the full position, purchase, rehab, financing, and exit, in the deal analyzer.

For valuation, Resideline estimates are frozen at listing and later graded against the actual closing price, with results published on the accuracy dashboard. Comps are visible and adjustable, and condition is estimated from the listing photos, which matters in a state where a $135,000 house might be turnkey or might be a shell. Live valuation coverage spans 31 states. Buying to renovate, the ARV calculator keeps after-repair value separate from as-is value. For statewide context see our Pennsylvania housing market breakdown, and every one of the free calculators runs without a signup.