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

Pittsfield, with a median closed price of $311,000 over its reporting window, among Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts (2026)

Ranked cheapest first by median closed price, this list covers Massachusetts 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	Pittsfield	$311,000	$219	5.17%/yr	25	294	six months
2	Chicopee	$312,500	$244	4.94%/yr	22	304	six months
3	Springfield	$315,000	$227	5.98%/yr	23	825	six months
4	Fitchburg	$431,000	$276	7.19%/yr	25	275	six months
5	New Bedford	$465,000	$317	7.34%/yr	26	353	six months
6	Worcester	$480,000	$292	6.83%/yr	21	782	six months
7	Taunton	$495,000	$335	6.00%/yr	23	353	six months
8	Fall River	$500,000	$266	6.74%/yr	33	362	six months
9	Lowell	$508,500	$339	6.12%/yr	22	426	six months
10	Brockton	$525,000	$339	6.42%/yr	22	373	six months
11	Haverhill	$531,750	$325	6.61%/yr	21	442	six months
12	Attleboro	$540,000	$325	5.70%/yr	21	266	six months
13	Milford	$580,000	$302	5.47%/yr	22	206	six months
14	Salem	$590,000	$435	5.38%/yr	22	287	six months
15	North Attleboro	$592,000	$326	n/a	21	192	six months

1. Pittsfield, $311,000

The median closed price in Pittsfield is $311,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 46 percent of the state figure. 294 closings sit behind that figure, about 49 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $219, measured on 219 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.17 percent a year between those sales, on 1,074 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 202 listed closings. Full detail is on the Pittsfield market page.

2. Chicopee, $312,500

Homes in Chicopee closed at a median of $312,500 over the last six months, about 47 percent of the Massachusetts statewide median. Resideline tracked 304 closings there, roughly 51 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $244 per square foot across 182 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.94 percent a year between those sales, on 720 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 22 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Chicopee market page.

3. Springfield, $315,000

The median closed price in Springfield is $315,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 47 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 825 closings there, roughly 138 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $227, measured on 570 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.98 percent a year between those sales, on 2,359 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 Springfield market page.

4. Fitchburg, $431,000

The median closed price in Fitchburg is $431,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 64 percent of the state figure. 275 closings sit behind that figure, about 46 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $276, measured on 160 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 7.19 percent a year (994 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 25 days. Full detail is on the Fitchburg market page.

5. New Bedford, $465,000

Homes in New Bedford closed at a median of $465,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Massachusetts statewide median. 353 closings sit behind that figure, about 59 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $317, measured on 226 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 7.34 percent a year (1,660 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 26 days to go under contract, across 214 listed closings. Full detail is on the New Bedford market page.

6. Worcester, $480,000

Worcester's median closed price over the last six months was $480,000, around 72 percent of what the typical Massachusetts sale closed at. Resideline tracked 782 closings there, roughly 130 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $292, measured on 466 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.83 percent a year between those sales, on 2,978 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. Full detail is on the Worcester market page.

7. Taunton, $495,000

Homes in Taunton closed at a median of $495,000 over the last six months, about 74 percent of the Massachusetts statewide median. 353 closings sit behind that figure, about 59 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $335, measured on 200 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.00 percent a year (1,450 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 23 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Taunton market page.

8. Fall River, $500,000

Fall River's median closed price over the last six months was $500,000, around 75 percent of what the typical Massachusetts sale closed at. Resideline tracked 362 closings there, roughly 60 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $266 per square foot across 170 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.74 percent a year (1,367 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 33 days to go under contract, across 178 listed closings. Full detail is on the Fall River market page.

9. Lowell, $508,500

The median closed price in Lowell is $508,500 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 76 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 426 closings there, roughly 71 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $339, measured on 179 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.12 percent a year (1,104 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 Lowell market page.

10. Brockton, $525,000

Brockton's median closed price over the last six months was $525,000, around 78 percent of what the typical Massachusetts sale closed at. Resideline tracked 373 closings there, roughly 62 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $339 per square foot across 284 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.42 percent a year (1,518 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. About 6.5 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 Brockton market page.

11. Haverhill, $531,750

The median closed price in Haverhill is $531,750 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 79 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 442 closings there, roughly 74 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $325, measured on 211 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.61 percent a year (1,181 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. 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 Haverhill market page.

12. Attleboro, $540,000

Attleboro's median closed price over the last six months was $540,000, around 81 percent of what the typical Massachusetts sale closed at. 266 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 $325, measured on 177 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.70 percent a year between those sales, on 760 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. Full detail is on the Attleboro market page.

13. Milford, $580,000

Homes in Milford closed at a median of $580,000 over the last six months, about 87 percent of the Massachusetts statewide median. Resideline tracked 206 closings there, roughly 34 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $302, measured on 123 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.47 percent a year (509 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 Milford market page.

14. Salem, $590,000

Homes in Salem closed at a median of $590,000 over the last six months, about 88 percent of the Massachusetts statewide median. Resideline tracked 287 closings there, roughly 48 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $435 per square foot across 82 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.38 percent a year between those sales, on 914 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 22 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Salem market page.

15. North Attleboro, $592,000

Homes in North Attleboro closed at a median of $592,000 over the last six months, about 88 percent of the Massachusetts statewide median. Resideline tracked 192 closings there, roughly 32 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $326 per square foot across 127 sales with usable living area. 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 North Attleboro 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 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.