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

Bessemer, with a median closed price of $121,000 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	$121,000	$83	3.01%/yr	26	240	six months
2	Montgomery	$136,000	$86	3.08%/yr	29	805	six months
3	Birmingham	$145,000	$79	4.47%/yr	20	1,770	six months
4	Gadsden	$149,750	$88	6.37%/yr	29	156	six months
5	Anniston	$175,000	$93	6.69%/yr	24	254	12 months
6	Mobile	$203,750	$125	4.20%/yr	18	1,154	six months
7	Florence	$217,500	$132	5.81%/yr	21	319	six months
8	Jasper	$220,000	$123	n/a	36	259	12 months
8	Dothan	$220,000	$122	5.30%/yr	22	550	six months
10	Enterprise	$230,000	$127	n/a	27	207	six months
11	Decatur	$230,745	$134	6.30%/yr	34	586	six months
12	Phenix City	$249,000	$138	5.98%/yr	15	214	six months
13	Hartselle	$250,000	$149	6.97%/yr	36	195	six months
14	Cullman	$260,200	$158	5.86%/yr	70	202	six months
15	Calera	$263,900	$160	3.28%/yr	50	303	six months

1. Bessemer, $121,000

Homes in Bessemer closed at a median of $121,000 over the last six months, about 42 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 240 closings there, roughly 40 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $83 per square foot across 234 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. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 26 days. Full detail is on the Bessemer market page.

2. Montgomery, $136,000

The median closed price in Montgomery is $136,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 47 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 805 closings there, roughly 134 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $86, measured on 762 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 29 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.

3. Birmingham, $145,000

Birmingham's median closed price over the last six months was $145,000, around 50 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 1,770 closings sit behind that figure, about 295 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $79, measured on 1,517 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 20 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Birmingham market page.

4. Gadsden, $149,750

Gadsden's median closed price over the last six months was $149,750, around 52 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 156 closings sit behind that figure, about 26 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $88 per square foot across 152 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 29 days to go under contract, across 60 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 254 closings there, roughly 21 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $93 per square foot across 244 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. The median listed home was under contract in 24 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. 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, $203,750

Homes in Mobile closed at a median of $203,750 over the last six months, about 70 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 1,154 closings there, roughly 192 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $125 per square foot across 1,071 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 18 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, $217,500

The median closed price in Florence is $217,500 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 75 percent of the state figure. 319 closings sit behind that figure, about 53 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $132 per square foot across 311 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 21 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. Jasper, $220,000

Jasper's median closed price over the last 12 months was $220,000, around 76 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 259 closings sit behind that figure, about 22 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $123, measured on 251 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 36 days. Full detail is on the Jasper 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. 550 closings sit behind that figure, about 92 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $122, measured on 519 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 22 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Dothan market page.

10. Enterprise, $230,000

The median closed price in Enterprise is $230,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 79 percent of the state figure. 207 closings sit behind that figure, about 34 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $127 per square foot across 184 sales with usable living area. The median listed home took 27 days to go under contract, across 55 listed closings. Full detail is on the Enterprise market page.

11. Decatur, $230,745

Decatur's median closed price over the last six months was $230,745, around 80 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 586 closings sit behind that figure, about 98 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $134 per square foot across 526 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. 214 closings sit behind that figure, about 36 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $138 per square foot across 196 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 15 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. Hartselle, $250,000

The median closed price in Hartselle is $250,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 86 percent of the state figure. 195 closings sit behind that figure, about 32 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $149 per square foot across 172 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 36 days. Full detail is on the Hartselle market page.

14. Cullman, $260,200

Homes in Cullman closed at a median of $260,200 over the last six months, about 90 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 202 closings there, roughly 34 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $158 per square foot across 195 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 70 days. Full detail is on the Cullman market page.

15. Calera, $263,900

Homes in Calera closed at a median of $263,900 over the last six months, about 91 percent of the Alabama statewide median. 303 closings sit behind that figure, about 50 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $160, measured on 289 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 50 days to go under contract, across 146 listed closings. Full detail is on the Calera 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 October 3, 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.