What is the cheapest city to buy a house in New York?

Elmira, with a median closed price of $110,000 over its reporting window, among New York 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 New York (2026)

These are the New York 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	Elmira	$110,000	$70	3.94%/yr	43	153	six months
2	Niagara Falls	$140,000	$116	5.94%/yr	14	273	six months
3	Binghamton	$155,000	$104	5.56%/yr	37	280	six months
4	Rochester	$180,000	$134	5.04%/yr	10	1,029	six months
5	Lockport	$180,400	$119	5.10%/yr	17	311	12 months
6	Syracuse	$186,000	$133	5.31%/yr	20	645	six months
7	Buffalo	$215,000	$137	6.75%/yr	16	1,149	six months
8	Tonawanda	$225,000	$176	7.17%/yr	12	217	12 months
9	Troy	$230,000	$157	6.07%/yr	9	262	six months
10	Schenectady	$248,000	$164	5.24%/yr	9	355	six months
11	Cheektowaga	$250,000	$201	n/a	9	343	six months
12	Irondequoit	$257,000	$177	n/a	7	374	12 months
12	North Tonawanda	$257,000	$200	5.96%/yr	11	173	six months
14	West Seneca	$279,950	$197	n/a	8	378	12 months
15	Greece	$281,450	$184	n/a	8	188	six months

1. Elmira, $110,000

Elmira's median closed price over the last six months was $110,000, around 20 percent of what the typical New York sale closed at. Resideline tracked 153 closings there, roughly 26 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $70, measured on 113 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.94 percent a year between those sales, on 1,271 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 43 days. About 15.2 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 Elmira market page.

2. Niagara Falls, $140,000

Homes in Niagara Falls closed at a median of $140,000 over the last six months, about 26 percent of the New York statewide median. 273 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 $116, measured on 215 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.94 percent a year between those sales, on 1,670 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 14 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 9.1 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 Niagara Falls market page.

3. Binghamton, $155,000

The median closed price in Binghamton is $155,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 28 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 280 closings there, roughly 47 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $104 per square foot across 180 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.56 percent a year (1,467 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 37 days to go under contract, across 147 listed closings. About 12.1 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 Binghamton market page.

4. Rochester, $180,000

Homes in Rochester closed at a median of $180,000 over the last six months, about 33 percent of the New York statewide median. 1,029 closings sit behind that figure, about 172 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $134, measured on 697 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.04 percent a year (11,877 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 10 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Rochester market page.

5. Lockport, $180,400

Homes in Lockport closed at a median of $180,400 over the last 12 months, about 33 percent of the New York statewide median. 311 closings sit behind that figure, about 26 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $119 per square foot across 267 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.10 percent a year between those sales, on 1,051 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 17 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 7.5 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 Lockport market page.

6. Syracuse, $186,000

Homes in Syracuse closed at a median of $186,000 over the last six months, about 34 percent of the New York statewide median. 645 closings sit behind that figure, about 108 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $133 per square foot across 464 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.31 percent a year between those sales, on 5,847 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. About 7.4 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 Syracuse market page.

7. Buffalo, $215,000

Homes in Buffalo closed at a median of $215,000 over the last six months, about 39 percent of the New York statewide median. 1,149 closings sit behind that figure, about 192 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $137, measured on 605 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.75 percent a year (11,183 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 16 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Buffalo market page.

8. Tonawanda, $225,000

The median closed price in Tonawanda is $225,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 41 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 217 closings there, roughly 18 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $176 per square foot across 183 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 7.17 percent a year (701 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 12 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Tonawanda market page.

9. Troy, $230,000

The median closed price in Troy is $230,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 42 percent of the state figure. 262 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 $157, measured on 137 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.07 percent a year (1,368 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 9 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 10.0 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 Troy market page.

10. Schenectady, $248,000

The median closed price in Schenectady is $248,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 45 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 355 closings there, roughly 59 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $164 per square foot across 231 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.24 percent a year (3,782 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 9 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 7.8 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 Schenectady market page.

11. Cheektowaga, $250,000

The median closed price in Cheektowaga is $250,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 46 percent of the state figure. 343 closings sit behind that figure, about 57 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $201, measured on 301 sales. The median listed home was under contract in 9 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Cheektowaga market page.

12. Irondequoit, $257,000

The median closed price in Irondequoit is $257,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 47 percent of the state figure. 374 closings sit behind that figure, about 31 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $177 per square foot across 355 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 7 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Irondequoit market page.

12. North Tonawanda, $257,000

Homes in North Tonawanda closed at a median of $257,000 over the last six months, about 47 percent of the New York statewide median. 173 closings sit behind that figure, about 29 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $200, measured on 153 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.96 percent a year (899 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. 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 North Tonawanda market page.

14. West Seneca, $279,950

West Seneca's median closed price over the last 12 months was $279,950, around 51 percent of what the typical New York sale closed at. 378 closings sit behind that figure, about 32 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $197, measured on 296 sales. 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 West Seneca market page.

15. Greece, $281,450

Homes in Greece closed at a median of $281,450 over the last six months, about 51 percent of the New York statewide median. Resideline tracked 188 closings there, roughly 31 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $184 per square foot across 167 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 Greece 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.