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

Poplar Bluff, with a median closed price of $129,900 over its reporting window, among Missouri 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 Missouri (2026)

These are the Missouri 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	Poplar Bluff	$129,900	$97	n/a	35	248	12 months
2	Florissant	$179,950	$134	n/a	11	343	six months
3	Sedalia	$185,000	$132	n/a	21	321	12 months
4	Joplin	$188,000	$139	n/a	19	260	six months
5	Saint Joseph	$194,500	$126	n/a	11	537	six months
6	West Plains	$199,900	$125	n/a	36	250	12 months
7	Lebanon	$205,000	$147	n/a	39	230	12 months
8	Springfield	$220,000	$154	n/a	8	1,150	six months
9	Raytown	$224,900	$147	n/a	12	237	six months
10	Independence	$225,000	$148	n/a	9	894	six months
11	Cape Girardeau	$229,900	$130	n/a	10	281	six months
12	Farmington	$237,500	$146	n/a	40	215	12 months
13	St. Louis	$239,900	$169	n/a	11	1,987	six months
14	Rolla	$249,900	$140	n/a	35	223	12 months
15	Branson	$250,000	$188	n/a	55	213	six months

1. Poplar Bluff, $129,900

Homes in Poplar Bluff closed at a median of $129,900 over the last 12 months, about 43 percent of the Missouri statewide median. Resideline tracked 248 closings there, roughly 21 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $97, measured on 241 sales. The median listed home took 35 days to go under contract, across 155 listed closings. Full detail is on the Poplar Bluff market page.

2. Florissant, $179,950

Homes in Florissant closed at a median of $179,950 over the last six months, about 60 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 343 closings sit behind that figure, about 57 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $134 per square foot across 326 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 11 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 9.9 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 Florissant market page.

3. Sedalia, $185,000

Sedalia's median closed price over the last 12 months was $185,000, around 62 percent of what the typical Missouri sale closed at. Resideline tracked 321 closings there, roughly 27 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $132 per square foot across 307 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 Sedalia market page.

4. Joplin, $188,000

Homes in Joplin closed at a median of $188,000 over the last six months, about 63 percent of the Missouri statewide median. Resideline tracked 260 closings there, roughly 43 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $139 per square foot across 256 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 19 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Joplin market page.

5. Saint Joseph, $194,500

Homes in Saint Joseph closed at a median of $194,500 over the last six months, about 65 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 537 closings sit behind that figure, about 90 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $126 per square foot across 500 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 11 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 Saint Joseph market page.

6. West Plains, $199,900

The median closed price in West Plains is $199,900 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 67 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 250 closings there, roughly 21 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $125 per square foot across 248 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 36 days. Full detail is on the West Plains market page.

7. Lebanon, $205,000

Homes in Lebanon closed at a median of $205,000 over the last 12 months, about 69 percent of the Missouri statewide median. Resideline tracked 230 closings there, roughly 19 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $147, measured on 224 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 39 days. Full detail is on the Lebanon market page.

8. Springfield, $220,000

The median closed price in Springfield is $220,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 74 percent of the state figure. 1,150 closings sit behind that figure, about 192 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $154 per square foot across 1,091 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 8 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Springfield market page.

9. Raytown, $224,900

Homes in Raytown closed at a median of $224,900 over the last six months, about 75 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 237 closings sit behind that figure, about 40 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $147 per square foot across 222 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 12 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 8.4 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 Raytown market page.

10. Independence, $225,000

The median closed price in Independence is $225,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 75 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 894 closings there, roughly 149 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $148, measured on 845 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 9 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 9.2 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 Independence market page.

11. Cape Girardeau, $229,900

Homes in Cape Girardeau closed at a median of $229,900 over the last six months, about 77 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 281 closings sit behind that figure, about 47 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $130 per square foot across 269 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 Cape Girardeau market page.

12. Farmington, $237,500

The median closed price in Farmington is $237,500 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 79 percent of the state figure. 215 closings sit behind that figure, about 18 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $146, measured on 201 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 40 days. Full detail is on the Farmington market page.

13. St. Louis, $239,900

The median closed price in St. Louis is $239,900 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 80 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 1,987 closings there, roughly 331 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $169, measured on 1,448 sales. The median listed home was under contract in 11 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the St. Louis market page.

14. Rolla, $249,900

Homes in Rolla closed at a median of $249,900 over the last 12 months, about 84 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 223 closings sit behind that figure, about 19 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $140, measured on 217 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 35 days. Full detail is on the Rolla market page.

15. Branson, $250,000

Branson's median closed price over the last six months was $250,000, around 84 percent of what the typical Missouri sale closed at. 213 closings sit behind that figure, about 36 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $188 per square foot across 71 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 55 days. Full detail is on the Branson 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 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.