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

Norwich, with a median closed price of $285,000 over its reporting window, among Connecticut 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 Connecticut (2026)

These are the Connecticut cities with the lowest median closed home price over their reporting window, among cities where Resideline tracked at least 100 closings inside the municipal limits. Cheapest is not the same as best value, so each city also shows what houses closed at per square foot, what history says about appreciation, and how fast listed homes went under contract.

The ranking

#	City	Median closed price	Houses $/sqft	Realized appreciation	Days to contract	Closings	Window
1	Norwich	$285,000	$203	6.23%/yr	16	453	six months
2	Waterbury	$308,000	$210	6.96%/yr	18	743	six months
3	Torrington	$310,000	$211	4.79%/yr	28	420	six months
4	New Milford	$315,000	$241	3.84%/yr	21	180	12 months
4	Manchester	$315,000	$225	4.12%/yr	7	262	six months
6	East Hartford	$325,000	$239	4.82%/yr	14	317	six months
6	Naugatuck	$325,000	$235	5.14%/yr	23	303	six months
8	Meriden	$327,250	$217	5.63%/yr	15	482	six months
9	Vernon	$331,000	$229	n/a	10	246	six months
10	Hartford	$335,000	$176	5.55%/yr	15	387	six months
11	Bristol	$340,000	$235	4.61%/yr	14	598	six months
12	Enfield	$341,100	$233	4.69%/yr	8	424	six months
13	Newington	$351,750	$256	4.58%/yr	7	322	six months
14	Middletown	$355,000	$244	4.86%/yr	11	419	six months
15	Branford	$360,000	$317	4.50%/yr	14	341	six months

1. Norwich, $285,000

Norwich's median closed price over the last six months was $285,000, around 64 percent of what the typical Connecticut sale closed at. Resideline tracked 453 closings there, roughly 76 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $203, measured on 287 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.23 percent a year (1,128 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 16 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Norwich market page.

2. Waterbury, $308,000

Homes in Waterbury closed at a median of $308,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Connecticut statewide median. Resideline tracked 743 closings there, roughly 124 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $210, measured on 484 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.96 percent a year (2,401 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 18 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 8.5 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 Waterbury market page.

3. Torrington, $310,000

Torrington's median closed price over the last six months was $310,000, around 70 percent of what the typical Connecticut sale closed at. 420 closings sit behind that figure, about 70 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $211, measured on 254 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.79 percent a year between those sales, on 1,082 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 28 days. 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 Torrington market page.

4. New Milford, $315,000

Homes in New Milford closed at a median of $315,000 over the last 12 months, about 71 percent of the Connecticut statewide median. 180 closings sit behind that figure, about 15 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $241 per square foot across 64 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.84 percent a year between those sales, on 584 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 21 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the New Milford market page.

4. Manchester, $315,000

The median closed price in Manchester is $315,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 71 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 262 closings there, roughly 44 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $225, measured on 173 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.12 percent a year between those sales, on 1,099 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 7 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. 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 Manchester market page.

6. East Hartford, $325,000

The median closed price in East Hartford is $325,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 73 percent of the state figure. 317 closings sit behind that figure, about 53 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $239, measured on 246 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.82 percent a year (573 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 14 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the East Hartford market page.

6. Naugatuck, $325,000

Homes in Naugatuck closed at a median of $325,000 over the last six months, about 73 percent of the Connecticut statewide median. Resideline tracked 303 closings there, roughly 50 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $235, measured on 196 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.14 percent a year between those sales, on 607 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 Naugatuck market page.

8. Meriden, $327,250

Homes in Meriden closed at a median of $327,250 over the last six months, about 74 percent of the Connecticut statewide median. 482 closings sit behind that figure, about 80 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $217, measured on 305 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.63 percent a year (1,246 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 15 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 7.7 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 Meriden market page.

9. Vernon, $331,000

Homes in Vernon closed at a median of $331,000 over the last six months, about 74 percent of the Connecticut statewide median. 246 closings sit behind that figure, about 41 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $229 per square foot across 162 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 10 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Vernon market page.

10. Hartford, $335,000

Hartford's median closed price over the last six months was $335,000, around 75 percent of what the typical Connecticut sale closed at. Resideline tracked 387 closings there, roughly 64 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $176, measured on 168 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.55 percent a year between those sales, on 1,959 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 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 Hartford market page.

11. Bristol, $340,000

Bristol's median closed price over the last six months was $340,000, around 76 percent of what the typical Connecticut sale closed at. 598 closings sit behind that figure, about 100 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $235, measured on 418 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.61 percent a year (1,359 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 14 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 7.3 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 Bristol market page.

12. Enfield, $341,100

Homes in Enfield closed at a median of $341,100 over the last six months, about 77 percent of the Connecticut statewide median. 424 closings sit behind that figure, about 71 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $233 per square foot across 329 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.69 percent a year between those sales, on 837 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 8 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Enfield market page.

13. Newington, $351,750

Newington's median closed price over the last six months was $351,750, around 79 percent of what the typical Connecticut sale closed at. Resideline tracked 322 closings there, roughly 54 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $256, measured on 184 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.58 percent a year (415 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 7 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Newington market page.

14. Middletown, $355,000

The median closed price in Middletown is $355,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 80 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 419 closings there, roughly 70 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $244, measured on 253 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.86 percent a year between those sales, on 878 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 11 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Middletown market page.

15. Branford, $360,000

Branford's median closed price over the last six months was $360,000, around 81 percent of what the typical Connecticut sale closed at. 341 closings sit behind that figure, about 57 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $317, measured on 144 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.50 percent a year between those sales, on 520 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 14 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Branford 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

Treat it as a shortlist. A citywide median cannot price a specific address, and the cheapest city on paper can be the most expensive per square foot or the slowest to resell. Run any address here through Resideline for the comparable sales behind its value.

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.