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

Bessemer, with a median closed price of $127,725 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	$127,725	$84	3.01%/yr	26	248	six months
2	Montgomery	$135,000	$84	3.08%/yr	39	789	six months
3	Birmingham	$145,900	$83	4.47%/yr	20	1,811	six months
4	Gadsden	$155,000	$88	6.37%/yr	28	169	six months
5	Anniston	$170,000	$93	6.69%/yr	23	251	12 months
6	Mobile	$205,000	$126	4.20%/yr	20	1,207	six months
7	Jasper	$220,000	$123	n/a	38	255	12 months
8	Dothan	$222,000	$124	5.30%/yr	24	581	six months
9	Florence	$225,000	$135	5.81%/yr	20	317	six months
10	Enterprise	$230,000	$128	n/a	27	215	six months
10	Decatur	$230,000	$135	6.30%/yr	35	601	six months
12	Phenix City	$239,600	$134	5.98%/yr	16	225	six months
13	Hartselle	$245,425	$150	6.97%/yr	39	210	six months
14	Cullman	$259,896	$158	5.86%/yr	68	218	six months
15	Calera	$264,900	$161	3.28%/yr	59	326	six months

1. Bessemer, $127,725

Homes in Bessemer closed at a median of $127,725 over the last six months, about 44 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 248 closings there, roughly 41 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $84 per square foot across 241 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, $135,000

The median closed price in Montgomery is $135,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 47 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 789 closings there, roughly 132 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $84, measured on 747 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 39 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, $145,900

Birmingham's median closed price over the last six months was $145,900, around 50 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 1,811 closings sit behind that figure, about 302 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $83, measured on 1,542 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, $155,000

Gadsden's median closed price over the last six months was $155,000, around 53 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 169 closings sit behind that figure, about 28 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $88 per square foot across 164 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 28 days to go under contract, across 70 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, $170,000

Anniston's median closed price over the last 12 months was $170,000, around 59 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. Resideline tracked 251 closings there, roughly 21 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $93 per square foot across 240 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 23 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, $205,000

Homes in Mobile closed at a median of $205,000 over the last six months, about 71 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 1,207 closings there, roughly 201 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $126 per square foot across 1,116 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 20 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. 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. 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 249 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 38 days. Full detail is on the Jasper market page.

8. Dothan, $222,000

Dothan's median closed price over the last six months was $222,000, around 77 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 581 closings sit behind that figure, about 97 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $124, measured on 550 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. Florence, $225,000

The median closed price in Florence is $225,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 78 percent of the state figure. 317 closings sit behind that figure, about 53 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $135 per square foot across 308 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 20 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.

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. 215 closings sit behind that figure, about 36 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $128 per square foot across 187 sales with usable living area. The median listed home took 27 days to go under contract, across 54 listed closings. Full detail is on the Enterprise market page.

10. Decatur, $230,000

Decatur's median closed price over the last six months was $230,000, around 79 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 601 closings sit behind that figure, about 100 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $135 per square foot across 540 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 35 days. Full detail is on the Decatur market page.

12. Phenix City, $239,600

Phenix City's median closed price over the last six months was $239,600, around 83 percent of what the typical Alabama sale closed at. 225 closings sit behind that figure, about 38 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $134 per square foot across 208 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 16 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, $245,425

The median closed price in Hartselle is $245,425 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 85 percent of the state figure. 210 closings sit behind that figure, about 35 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $150 per square foot across 189 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 39 days. Full detail is on the Hartselle market page.

14. Cullman, $259,896

Homes in Cullman closed at a median of $259,896 over the last six months, about 90 percent of the Alabama statewide median. Resideline tracked 218 closings there, roughly 36 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $158 per square foot across 211 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 68 days. Full detail is on the Cullman market page.

15. Calera, $264,900

Homes in Calera closed at a median of $264,900 over the last six months, about 91 percent of the Alabama statewide median. 326 closings sit behind that figure, about 54 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $161, measured on 310 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 59 days to go under contract, across 168 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 September 5, 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.