What is the cheapest Virginia city to buy an investment property?

Of the 15 cities on this list, Danville has the lowest median closed price at $145,000, measured across 266 closings tracked inside the city limits.

Which affordable Virginia market has the most transaction volume?

Norfolk, with 1,441 tracked closings and a median closed price of $320,000. More closings means a deeper comparable set to price against.

Do these rankings include rent or cash flow figures?

No. Resideline does not have verified rent data for these cities, so this page ranks on entry price and transaction volume only. Publishing yields or cash-on-cash figures without rent data would be invention rather than analysis.

Do these figures cover the city or the wider postal area?

The city. Every median and count here describes closings inside the municipal boundary, which is usually a smaller and different footprint from the postal area that shares the name.

Best Places to Buy Rental Property in Virginia (2026)

There is no honest way to rank Virginia cities by rental return without rent data, and this page does not have it. What it does have is transaction evidence: the median price homes actually closed at inside each city's limits, and how many closings happened. That answers the two questions that come before any cash flow analysis, what it costs to get in and whether you can get back out.

What this page measures, and what it does not

Every city below cleared at least 100 closings in its reporting window, which filters out markets too thin to read. They are ranked cheapest first by median closed price, from $145,000 to $400,000. You will not find rent estimates, rent-to-price ratios, cap rates, cash-on-cash projections or gross yield rankings here. Resideline does not have verified rent data for these cities, so publishing those numbers would be invention rather than analysis. Entry price and transaction volume are what the data supports. Every figure describes closings inside the city limits, not the wider postal area that shares the city's name. The two can differ a lot: a postal area usually reaches into surrounding townships, which pulls the median toward whatever those townships are worth. Virginia's statewide median closed price is $440,000 across 64,411 tracked closings.

The rankings

City	Median closed price	Closings tracked	Window
Danville	$145,000	266	6 months
Bristol	$193,000	176	6 months
Roanoke	$234,950	837	6 months
Lynchburg	$254,950	686	6 months
Portsmouth	$265,000	808	6 months
Salem	$275,950	185	6 months
Hampton	$280,000	994	6 months
Staunton	$289,013	242	6 months
Newport News	$291,375	1,058	6 months
Norfolk	$320,000	1,441	6 months
North Chesterfield	$365,000	920	6 months
Forest	$368,650	232	12 months
Winchester	$374,945	204	6 months
Suffolk	$385,000	766	6 months
Glen Allen	$400,000	162	6 months

1. Danville, $145,000, 266 closings

At $145,000 the entry price is about 33 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 266 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 44 a month. About 93 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Danville market page.

2. Bristol, $193,000, 176 closings

At $193,000 the entry price is about 44 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 176 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 29 a month. About 86 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Bristol market page.

3. Roanoke, $234,950, 837 closings

At $234,950 the entry price is about 53 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 837 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 140 a month. About 88 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Roanoke market page.

4. Lynchburg, $254,950, 686 closings

At $254,950 the entry price is about 58 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 686 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 114 a month. Full detail is on the Lynchburg market page.

5. Portsmouth, $265,000, 808 closings

At $265,000 the entry price is about 60 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 808 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 135 a month. About 89 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Portsmouth market page.

6. Salem, $275,950, 185 closings

At $275,950 the entry price is about 63 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 185 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 31 a month. About 90 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Salem market page.

7. Hampton, $280,000, 994 closings

At $280,000 the entry price is about 64 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 994 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 166 a month. About 87 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Hampton market page.

8. Staunton, $289,013, 242 closings

At $289,013 the entry price is about 66 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 242 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 40 a month. About 94 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Staunton market page.

9. Newport News, $291,375, 1,058 closings

At $291,375 the entry price is about 66 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 1,058 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 176 a month. About 84 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Newport News market page.

10. Norfolk, $320,000, 1,441 closings

At $320,000 the entry price is about 73 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 1,441 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 240 a month. About 83 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Norfolk market page.

11. North Chesterfield, $365,000, 920 closings

At $365,000 the entry price is about 83 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 920 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 153 a month. About 88 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the North Chesterfield market page.

12. Forest, $368,650, 232 closings

At $368,650 the entry price is about 84 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 232 closings there over the last last 12 months, roughly 19 a month. Full detail is on the Forest market page.

13. Winchester, $374,945, 204 closings

At $374,945 the entry price is about 85 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 204 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 34 a month. Full detail is on the Winchester market page.

14. Suffolk, $385,000, 766 closings

At $385,000 the entry price is about 88 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 766 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 128 a month. About 88 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Suffolk market page.

15. Glen Allen, $400,000, 162 closings

At $400,000 the entry price is about 91 percent of the Virginia median. Resideline tracked 162 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 27 a month. Full detail is on the Glen Allen market page.

How to use this list

Treat it as a shortlist, not an answer. A citywide median cannot price a specific address: property type, size, condition and location move a number far more than the city line does. Run any address on this list through Resideline for the comparable set behind its value.

Figures last updated August 23, 2026 from closings Resideline tracked.