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	31	242	12 months
2	Sedalia	$179,950	$130	n/a	21	336	12 months
3	Florissant	$180,000	$136	n/a	12	331	six months
4	Joplin	$185,000	$142	n/a	27	250	six months
5	Saint Joseph	$190,000	$127	n/a	14	560	six months
6	West Plains	$199,250	$124	n/a	39	256	12 months
7	Lebanon	$205,000	$146	n/a	39	234	12 months
8	Springfield	$215,000	$152	n/a	10	1,207	six months
9	Raytown	$225,000	$144	n/a	13	266	six months
9	Independence	$225,000	$149	n/a	9	902	six months
11	Farmington	$235,900	$145	n/a	38	227	12 months
12	Cape Girardeau	$239,500	$130	n/a	11	292	six months
13	St. Louis	$240,000	$169	n/a	11	2,077	six months
14	Rolla	$248,500	$138	n/a	35	232	12 months
15	Branson	$250,000	$175	n/a	48	216	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 242 closings there, roughly 20 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $97, measured on 235 sales. The median listed home took 31 days to go under contract, across 150 listed closings. Full detail is on the Poplar Bluff market page.

2. Sedalia, $179,950

Sedalia's median closed price over the last 12 months was $179,950, around 60 percent of what the typical Missouri sale closed at. Resideline tracked 336 closings there, roughly 28 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $130 per square foot across 322 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.

3. Florissant, $180,000

Homes in Florissant closed at a median of $180,000 over the last six months, about 60 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 331 closings sit behind that figure, about 55 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $136 per square foot across 315 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 12 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.

4. Joplin, $185,000

Homes in Joplin closed at a median of $185,000 over the last six months, about 62 percent of the Missouri statewide median. Resideline tracked 250 closings there, roughly 42 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $142 per square foot across 245 sales with usable living area. The median listed home took 27 days to go under contract, across 133 listed closings. Full detail is on the Joplin market page.

5. Saint Joseph, $190,000

Homes in Saint Joseph closed at a median of $190,000 over the last six months, about 64 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 560 closings sit behind that figure, about 93 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $127 per square foot across 516 sales with usable living area. The median listed home was under contract in 14 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, $199,250

The median closed price in West Plains is $199,250 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 67 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 256 closings there, roughly 21 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $124 per square foot across 254 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 39 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 234 closings there, roughly 20 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $146, measured on 228 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 39 days. Full detail is on the Lebanon market page.

8. Springfield, $215,000

The median closed price in Springfield is $215,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 72 percent of the state figure. 1,207 closings sit behind that figure, about 201 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $152 per square foot across 1,150 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 Springfield market page.

9. Raytown, $225,000

Homes in Raytown closed at a median of $225,000 over the last six months, about 75 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 266 closings sit behind that figure, about 44 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $144 per square foot across 250 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 13 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.

9. 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 902 closings there, roughly 150 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $149, measured on 849 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. Farmington, $235,900

The median closed price in Farmington is $235,900 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 79 percent of the state figure. 227 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 $145, measured on 213 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 38 days. Full detail is on the Farmington market page.

12. Cape Girardeau, $239,500

Homes in Cape Girardeau closed at a median of $239,500 over the last six months, about 80 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 292 closings sit behind that figure, about 49 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $130 per square foot across 281 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. Full detail is on the Cape Girardeau market page.

13. St. Louis, $240,000

The median closed price in St. Louis is $240,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 80 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 2,077 closings there, roughly 346 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $169, measured on 1,507 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, $248,500

Homes in Rolla closed at a median of $248,500 over the last 12 months, about 83 percent of the Missouri statewide median. 232 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 $138, measured on 226 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. 216 closings sit behind that figure, about 36 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $175 per square foot across 72 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 48 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 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.