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

Bemidji, with a median closed price of $222,000 over its reporting window, among Minnesota 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 Minnesota (2026)

Every Minnesota city below cleared 100 closings in its window and is ranked by the median price homes actually closed at, not the asking price. The columns beside it are the questions that follow a low price: what you pay per square foot, what the same homes did on resale, and how quickly listings go.

The ranking

#	City	Median closed price	Houses $/sqft	Realized appreciation	Days to contract	Closings	Window
1	Bemidji	$222,000	$120	5.12%/yr	28	207	12 months
2	Brainerd	$240,500	$145	7.04%/yr	25	198	12 months
3	Saint Cloud	$265,000	$136	5.48%/yr	22	455	six months
4	Owatonna	$279,000	$138	5.66%/yr	16	262	six months
5	Moorhead	$280,500	$147	4.31%/yr	24	373	six months
6	Duluth	$290,000	$203	5.76%/yr	12	790	six months
7	Mankato	$295,000	$141	4.73%/yr	20	235	six months
7	Brooklyn Center	$295,000	$174	n/a	17	177	six months
9	Alexandria	$299,000	$167	5.53%/yr	24	265	12 months
10	Saint Paul	$305,000	$189	4.17%/yr	17	1,803	six months
11	Monticello	$324,900	$176	4.68%/yr	20	237	12 months
12	Crystal	$330,000	$181	n/a	13	186	six months
13	Coon Rapids	$332,000	$186	n/a	15	421	six months
14	Anoka	$337,500	$181	4.28%/yr	20	209	12 months
15	Maplewood	$340,000	$189	n/a	17	244	six months

1. Bemidji, $222,000

Bemidji's median closed price over the last 12 months was $222,000, around 60 percent of what the typical Minnesota sale closed at. Resideline tracked 207 closings there, roughly 17 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $120, measured on 174 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.12 percent a year between those sales, on 694 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 28 days to go under contract, across 135 listed closings. Full detail is on the Bemidji market page.

2. Brainerd, $240,500

Brainerd's median closed price over the last 12 months was $240,500, around 65 percent of what the typical Minnesota sale closed at. Resideline tracked 198 closings there, roughly 16 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $145 per square foot across 182 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.04 percent a year between those sales, on 535 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 25 days. Full detail is on the Brainerd market page.

3. Saint Cloud, $265,000

Homes in Saint Cloud closed at a median of $265,000 over the last six months, about 72 percent of the Minnesota statewide median. Resideline tracked 455 closings there, roughly 76 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $136, measured on 410 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.48 percent a year (1,399 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. 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 Saint Cloud market page.

4. Owatonna, $279,000

Homes in Owatonna closed at a median of $279,000 over the last six months, about 76 percent of the Minnesota statewide median. Resideline tracked 262 closings there, roughly 44 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $138 per square foot across 245 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.66 percent a year (752 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 16 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Owatonna market page.

5. Moorhead, $280,500

Homes in Moorhead closed at a median of $280,500 over the last six months, about 76 percent of the Minnesota statewide median. Resideline tracked 373 closings there, roughly 62 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $147 per square foot across 313 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.31 percent a year between those sales, on 1,232 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 Moorhead market page.

6. Duluth, $290,000

Homes in Duluth closed at a median of $290,000 over the last six months, about 79 percent of the Minnesota statewide median. 790 closings sit behind that figure, about 132 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $203, measured on 683 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.76 percent a year (2,721 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 12 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Duluth market page.

7. Mankato, $295,000

Mankato's median closed price over the last six months was $295,000, around 80 percent of what the typical Minnesota sale closed at. Resideline tracked 235 closings there, roughly 39 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $141, measured on 179 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.73 percent a year (1,027 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 20 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Mankato market page.

7. Brooklyn Center, $295,000

The median closed price in Brooklyn Center is $295,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 80 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 177 closings there, roughly 30 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $174, measured on 155 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 17 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Brooklyn Center market page.

9. Alexandria, $299,000

Homes in Alexandria closed at a median of $299,000 over the last 12 months, about 81 percent of the Minnesota statewide median. 265 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 $167, measured on 200 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.53 percent a year between those sales, on 779 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 Alexandria market page.

10. Saint Paul, $305,000

Homes in Saint Paul closed at a median of $305,000 over the last six months, about 83 percent of the Minnesota statewide median. Resideline tracked 1,803 closings there, roughly 300 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $189 per square foot across 1,363 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.17 percent a year (20,218 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 17 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Saint Paul market page.

11. Monticello, $324,900

Monticello's median closed price over the last 12 months was $324,900, around 88 percent of what the typical Minnesota sale closed at. 237 closings sit behind that figure, about 20 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $176 per square foot across 174 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.68 percent a year between those sales, on 679 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. Full detail is on the Monticello market page.

12. Crystal, $330,000

The median closed price in Crystal is $330,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 89 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 186 closings there, roughly 31 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $181 per square foot across 173 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 13 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Crystal market page.

13. Coon Rapids, $332,000

Homes in Coon Rapids closed at a median of $332,000 over the last six months, about 90 percent of the Minnesota statewide median. 421 closings sit behind that figure, about 70 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $186 per square foot across 297 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 15 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Coon Rapids market page.

14. Anoka, $337,500

The median closed price in Anoka is $337,500 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 91 percent of the state figure. 209 closings sit behind that figure, about 17 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $181, measured on 172 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.28 percent a year between those sales, on 1,496 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. Full detail is on the Anoka market page.

15. Maplewood, $340,000

Homes in Maplewood closed at a median of $340,000 over the last six months, close to the statewide median. 244 closings sit behind that figure, about 41 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $189, measured on 174 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 17 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Maplewood 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.