What is the cheapest city to buy a house in Alabama?

Bessemer, with a median closed price of $138,000 over its reporting window, among Alabama cities where Resideline tracked at least 100 closings inside the city limits.

Are these asking prices or sale prices?

Closed sale prices. Every price median is the price homes actually closed at inside the municipal boundary, not a listing price. The one column measured differently is realized appreciation, which uses the postal city, as the note under the table says.

Why does a cheap city show a high price per square foot?

Because the ranking median covers every property type that closed, condos and multi-family included, while the $/sqft column is single-family houses only. In cities where most sales are condos, the median price is low and the house $/sqft can still be high.

Is the appreciation figure a forecast?

No. It is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home, on repeat-sale pairs. It is historical and nominal, and it says what happened, not what will.

Cheapest Cities to Buy a House in Alabama (2026)

Ranked cheapest first by median closed price, this list covers Alabama cities with at least 100 tracked closings inside the city line. A low entry price only means something next to the per-square-foot figure, the realized appreciation and the time to contract, so those sit in the same table.

The ranking

#	City	Median closed price	Houses $/sqft	Realized appreciation	Days to contract	Closings	Window
1	Bessemer	$138,000	$85	3.01%/yr	23	243	six months
2	Birmingham	$140,000	$81	4.47%/yr	21	1,503	six months
3	Montgomery	$143,750	$90	3.08%/yr	36	812	six months
4	Gadsden	$146,750	$88	6.37%/yr	34	140	six months
5	Anniston	$175,000	$93	6.69%/yr	26	235	12 months
6	Mobile	$199,000	$123	4.20%/yr	22	1,053	six months
7	Florence	$216,450	$131	5.81%/yr	18	320	six months
8	Dothan	$220,000	$125	5.30%/yr	24	504	six months
9	Jasper	$222,400	$123	n/a	37	255	12 months
10	Enterprise	$229,450	$129	n/a	27	202	six months
11	Decatur	$235,957	$135	6.30%/yr	34	530	six months
12	Phenix City	$249,000	$139	5.98%/yr	17	193	six months
13	Cullman	$257,500	$160	5.86%/yr	69	188	six months
14	Calera	$260,000	$157	3.28%/yr	47	265	six months
15	Hartselle	$260,900	$150	6.97%/yr	41	184	six months

1. Bessemer, $138,000

Homes in Bessemer closed at a median of $138,000 over the last six months, about 48 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 243 closings there, roughly 40 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $85 per square foot across 235 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.01 percent a year between those sales, on 1,215 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 23 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Bessemer market page.

2. Birmingham, $140,000

Birmingham's median closed price over the last six months was $140,000, around 48 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 1,503 closings sit behind that figure, about 250 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $81, measured on 1,292 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.47 percent a year (12,786 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 21 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Birmingham market page.

3. Montgomery, $143,750

The median closed price in Montgomery is $143,750 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 50 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 812 closings there, roughly 135 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $90, measured on 768 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.08 percent a year between those sales, on 2,690 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 36 days. About 6.1 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Montgomery market page.

4. Gadsden, $146,750

Gadsden's median closed price over the last six months was $146,750, around 51 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 140 closings sit behind that figure, about 23 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $88 per square foot across 135 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.37 percent a year (822 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 34 days to go under contract, across 58 listed closings. About 8.3 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Gadsden market page.

5. Anniston, $175,000

Anniston's median closed price over the last 12 months was $175,000, around 60 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. Resideline tracked 235 closings there, roughly 20 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $93 per square foot across 225 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.69 percent a year (552 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 26 days. About 9.0 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Anniston market page.

6. Mobile, $199,000

Homes in Mobile closed at a median of $199,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 1,053 closings there, roughly 176 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $123 per square foot across 982 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.20 percent a year (3,855 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 22 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 6.3 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Mobile market page.

7. Florence, $216,450

The median closed price in Florence is $216,450 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 75 percent of the state figure. 320 closings sit behind that figure, about 53 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $131 per square foot across 310 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.81 percent a year between those sales, on 1,432 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 18 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 8.0 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Florence market page.

8. Dothan, $220,000

Dothan's median closed price over the last six months was $220,000, around 76 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 504 closings sit behind that figure, about 84 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $125, measured on 474 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.30 percent a year between those sales, on 1,411 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 24 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Dothan market page.

9. Jasper, $222,400

Jasper's median closed price over the last 12 months was $222,400, around 77 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 255 closings sit behind that figure, about 21 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $123, measured on 247 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 37 days. Full detail is on the Jasper market page.

10. Enterprise, $229,450

The median closed price in Enterprise is $229,450 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 79 percent of the state figure. 202 closings sit behind that figure, about 34 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $129 per square foot across 177 sales with usable living area. The median listed home took 27 days to go under contract, across 50 listed closings. Full detail is on the Enterprise market page.

11. Decatur, $235,957

Decatur's median closed price over the last six months was $235,957, around 81 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 530 closings sit behind that figure, about 88 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $135 per square foot across 478 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.30 percent a year (1,325 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 34 days. Full detail is on the Decatur market page.

12. Phenix City, $249,000

Phenix City's median closed price over the last six months was $249,000, around 86 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 193 closings sit behind that figure, about 32 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $139 per square foot across 175 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.98 percent a year between those sales, on 845 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 17 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 7.5 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Phenix City market page.

13. Cullman, $257,500

Homes in Cullman closed at a median of $257,500 over the last six months, about 89 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 188 closings there, roughly 31 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $160 per square foot across 180 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.86 percent a year between those sales, on 619 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 69 days. Full detail is on the Cullman market page.

14. Calera, $260,000

Homes in Calera closed at a median of $260,000 over the last six months, about 90 percent of the Alabama statewide median. 265 closings sit behind that figure, about 44 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $157, measured on 251 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.28 percent a year between those sales, on 1,013 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home took 47 days to go under contract, across 129 listed closings. Full detail is on the Calera market page.

15. Hartselle, $260,900

The median closed price in Hartselle is $260,900 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 90 percent of the state figure. 184 closings sit behind that figure, about 31 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $150 per square foot across 164 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.97 percent a year between those sales, on 515 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 41 days. Full detail is on the Hartselle market page.

Note: realized appreciation is the one column measured on the postal city, from repeat sales of the same home across the ZIP codes that share the city's name; every other figure is confined to the municipal boundary.

How to read this list

A low median is where the analysis starts, not where it ends. Property type, size, condition and block move a number far more than the city line does, so check any address on this list against its own comparable closings.

Figures last updated November 4, 2026 from closings Resideline tracked. Appreciation is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home; it is historical, nominal and not a projection.