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

Decatur, with a median closed price of $110,000 over its reporting window, among Illinois 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 Illinois (2026)

Ranked cheapest first by median closed price, this list covers Illinois 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	Decatur	$110,000	$77	4.11%/yr	23	686	six months
1	Galesburg	$110,000	$89	4.17%/yr	20	229	six months
3	Alton	$115,000	$99	4.39%/yr	27	201	six months
4	Granite City	$120,000	$93	4.14%/yr	18	232	six months
5	Rock Island	$130,000	$105	3.76%/yr	19	267	six months
6	Mount Vernon	$133,000	$101	4.88%/yr	22	292	12 months
7	Peoria	$141,000	$91	2.95%/yr	8	965	six months
8	Pekin	$142,500	$98	3.79%/yr	5	287	six months
9	Dixon	$150,000	$108	n/a	21	244	12 months
9	Belleville	$150,000	$106	4.31%/yr	25	370	six months
11	Moline	$157,500	$119	3.56%/yr	9	361	six months
12	Marion	$164,950	$108	5.63%/yr	33	288	12 months
13	Quincy	$170,500	$114	4.41%/yr	23	360	six months
14	Rockford	$175,000	$107	4.39%/yr	7	1,036	six months
15	Lansing	$185,900	$148	3.26%/yr	31	215	six months

1. Decatur, $110,000

Homes in Decatur closed at a median of $110,000 over the last six months, about 34 percent of the Illinois statewide median. Resideline tracked 686 closings there, roughly 114 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $77, measured on 624 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.11 percent a year between those sales, on 1,806 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 23 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 12.5 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 Decatur market page.

1. Galesburg, $110,000

Homes in Galesburg closed at a median of $110,000 over the last six months, about 34 percent of the Illinois statewide median. 229 closings sit behind that figure, about 38 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $89 per square foot across 216 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.17 percent a year (541 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 10.2 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 Galesburg market page.

3. Alton, $115,000

Alton's median closed price over the last six months was $115,000, around 35 percent of what the typical Illinois sale closed at. 201 closings sit behind that figure, about 34 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $99, measured on 189 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.39 percent a year (817 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 27 days to go under contract, across 116 listed closings. About 16.1 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 Alton market page.

4. Granite City, $120,000

Homes in Granite City closed at a median of $120,000 over the last six months, about 37 percent of the Illinois statewide median. Resideline tracked 232 closings there, roughly 39 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $93 per square foot across 214 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.14 percent a year (917 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 17.2 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 Granite City market page.

5. Rock Island, $130,000

Rock Island's median closed price over the last six months was $130,000, around 40 percent of what the typical Illinois sale closed at. Resideline tracked 267 closings there, roughly 44 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $105 per square foot across 230 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.76 percent a year (901 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 19 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 11.9 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 Rock Island market page.

6. Mount Vernon, $133,000

Homes in Mount Vernon closed at a median of $133,000 over the last 12 months, about 41 percent of the Illinois statewide median. Resideline tracked 292 closings there, roughly 24 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $101 per square foot across 252 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.88 percent a year (301 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. 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 Mount Vernon market page.

7. Peoria, $141,000

Peoria's median closed price over the last six months was $141,000, around 43 percent of what the typical Illinois sale closed at. Resideline tracked 965 closings there, roughly 161 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $91 per square foot across 843 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 2.95 percent a year between those sales, on 4,695 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. About 14.3 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 Peoria market page.

8. Pekin, $142,500

Pekin's median closed price over the last six months was $142,500, around 44 percent of what the typical Illinois sale closed at. 287 closings sit behind that figure, about 48 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $98 per square foot across 266 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.79 percent a year (951 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 5 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 19.5 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 Pekin market page.

9. Dixon, $150,000

Homes in Dixon closed at a median of $150,000 over the last 12 months, about 46 percent of the Illinois statewide median. 244 closings sit behind that figure, about 20 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $108 per square foot across 222 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 21 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Dixon market page.

9. Belleville, $150,000

Homes in Belleville closed at a median of $150,000 over the last six months, about 46 percent of the Illinois statewide median. 370 closings sit behind that figure, about 62 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $106, measured on 337 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.31 percent a year between those sales, on 2,605 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 25 days to go under contract, across 209 listed closings. About 13.3 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 Belleville market page.

11. Moline, $157,500

The median closed price in Moline is $157,500 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 48 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 361 closings there, roughly 60 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $119, measured on 287 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.56 percent a year between those sales, on 775 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 9 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 9.4 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 Moline market page.

12. Marion, $164,950

Homes in Marion closed at a median of $164,950 over the last 12 months, about 51 percent of the Illinois statewide median. 288 closings sit behind that figure, about 24 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $108, measured on 265 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.63 percent a year between those sales, on 319 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 33 days. Full detail is on the Marion market page.

13. Quincy, $170,500

Homes in Quincy closed at a median of $170,500 over the last six months, about 52 percent of the Illinois statewide median. 360 closings sit behind that figure, about 60 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $114 per square foot across 289 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.41 percent a year between those sales, on 766 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 23 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 15.3 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 Quincy market page.

14. Rockford, $175,000

Rockford's median closed price over the last six months was $175,000, around 54 percent of what the typical Illinois sale closed at. Resideline tracked 1,036 closings there, roughly 173 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $107, measured on 813 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.39 percent a year between those sales, on 3,773 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 7 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 16.5 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 Rockford market page.

15. Lansing, $185,900

Lansing's median closed price over the last six months was $185,900, around 57 percent of what the typical Illinois sale closed at. Resideline tracked 215 closings there, roughly 36 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $148 per square foot across 173 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.26 percent a year (559 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 31 days. Full detail is on the Lansing 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.