What is the cheapest city to buy a house in North Carolina?

Kinston, with a median closed price of $141,000 over its reporting window, among North Carolina 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 North Carolina (2026)

Every North Carolina 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	Kinston	$141,000	$87	7.49%/yr	31	257	12 months
2	Eden	$151,000	$121	6.50%/yr	35	208	six months
3	Lumberton	$170,000	$105	n/a	39	268	12 months
4	Goldsboro	$191,900	$121	5.21%/yr	28	205	six months
5	Reidsville	$195,000	$132	6.74%/yr	32	281	12 months
6	Spring Lake	$199,000	$147	3.89%/yr	13	102	12 months
7	Rocky Mount	$205,680	$123	6.30%/yr	41	388	six months
8	Mount Airy	$225,000	$144	7.04%/yr	29	195	12 months
9	Greenville	$228,000	$156	6.08%/yr	11	552	six months
10	Fayetteville	$229,000	$145	4.14%/yr	21	1,607	six months
11	Asheboro	$237,500	$149	6.08%/yr	31	158	six months
12	Lexington	$243,000	$145	7.06%/yr	33	172	six months
13	Thomasville	$245,000	$154	5.26%/yr	21	246	six months
13	Wilson	$245,000	$147	6.58%/yr	21	339	six months
15	Hope Mills	$246,000	$153	3.86%/yr	28	262	12 months

1. Kinston, $141,000

Kinston's median closed price over the last 12 months was $141,000, around 39 percent of what the typical North Carolina sale closed at. 257 closings sit behind that figure, about 21 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $87 per square foot across 223 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.49 percent a year between those sales, on 375 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 31 days to go under contract, across 114 listed closings. Full detail is on the Kinston market page.

2. Eden, $151,000

Homes in Eden closed at a median of $151,000 over the last six months, about 42 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 208 closings there, roughly 35 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $121, measured on 194 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.50 percent a year (403 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 35 days to go under contract, across 128 listed closings. About 6.7 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 Eden market page.

3. Lumberton, $170,000

The median closed price in Lumberton is $170,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 47 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 268 closings there, roughly 22 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $105 per square foot across 238 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 39 days. Full detail is on the Lumberton market page.

4. Goldsboro, $191,900

Homes in Goldsboro closed at a median of $191,900 over the last six months, about 53 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. 205 closings sit behind that figure, about 34 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $121 per square foot across 170 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.21 percent a year between those sales, on 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 took 28 days to go under contract, across 73 listed closings. Full detail is on the Goldsboro market page.

5. Reidsville, $195,000

The median closed price in Reidsville is $195,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 54 percent of the state figure. 281 closings sit behind that figure, about 23 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $132, measured on 254 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.74 percent a year between those sales, on 555 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 32 days. About 8.1 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 Reidsville market page.

6. Spring Lake, $199,000

The median closed price in Spring Lake is $199,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 55 percent of the state figure. Only 102 homes closed in the window, roughly 8 a month, so the median is directional and the resale market is shallow. Single-family houses closed at a median of $147 per square foot across 79 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.89 percent a year between those sales, on 729 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 13 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Spring Lake market page.

7. Rocky Mount, $205,680

Homes in Rocky Mount closed at a median of $205,680 over the last six months, about 57 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. 388 closings sit behind that figure, about 65 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $123, measured on 332 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.30 percent a year (1,106 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 41 days. About 6.8 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 Rocky Mount market page.

8. Mount Airy, $225,000

Homes in Mount Airy closed at a median of $225,000 over the last 12 months, about 62 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 195 closings there, roughly 16 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $144, measured on 155 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 7.04 percent a year (536 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 29 days to go under contract, across 124 listed closings. Full detail is on the Mount Airy market page.

9. Greenville, $228,000

Homes in Greenville closed at a median of $228,000 over the last six months, about 63 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 552 closings there, roughly 92 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $156 per square foot across 299 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.08 percent a year (1,826 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 11 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Greenville market page.

10. Fayetteville, $229,000

Fayetteville's median closed price over the last six months was $229,000, around 64 percent of what the typical North Carolina sale closed at. 1,607 closings sit behind that figure, about 268 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $145 per square foot across 1,409 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.14 percent a year (6,966 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 21 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. 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 Fayetteville market page.

11. Asheboro, $237,500

Asheboro's median closed price over the last six months was $237,500, around 66 percent of what the typical North Carolina sale closed at. Resideline tracked 158 closings there, roughly 26 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $149 per square foot across 119 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.08 percent a year (723 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 31 days to go under contract, across 100 listed closings. 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 Asheboro market page.

12. Lexington, $243,000

Lexington's median closed price over the last six months was $243,000, around 68 percent of what the typical North Carolina sale closed at. Resideline tracked 172 closings there, roughly 29 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $145, measured on 156 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 7.06 percent a year (1,439 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 33 days. Full detail is on the Lexington market page.

13. Thomasville, $245,000

Thomasville's median closed price over the last six months was $245,000, around 68 percent of what the typical North Carolina sale closed at. 246 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 $154, measured on 228 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.26 percent a year (905 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. About 6.4 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 Thomasville market page.

13. Wilson, $245,000

Homes in Wilson closed at a median of $245,000 over the last six months, about 68 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 339 closings there, roughly 56 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $147, measured on 311 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.58 percent a year between those sales, on 763 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 Wilson market page.

15. Hope Mills, $246,000

The median closed price in Hope Mills is $246,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 68 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 262 closings there, roughly 22 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $153 per square foot across 251 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.86 percent a year between those sales, on 1,350 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 184 listed closings. Full detail is on the Hope Mills 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.