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	$85	7.49%/yr	28	271	12 months
2	Eden	$152,000	$121	6.50%/yr	34	205	six months
3	Lumberton	$170,000	$107	n/a	36	275	12 months
4	Reidsville	$189,900	$131	6.74%/yr	28	296	12 months
5	Goldsboro	$198,000	$122	5.21%/yr	24	206	six months
6	Spring Lake	$198,250	$143	3.89%/yr	11	102	12 months
7	Rocky Mount	$205,440	$123	6.30%/yr	35	387	six months
8	Mount Airy	$225,600	$147	7.04%/yr	28	190	12 months
9	Fayetteville	$229,000	$145	4.14%/yr	21	1,689	six months
10	Greenville	$230,000	$157	6.08%/yr	11	516	six months
11	Shelby	$239,900	$147	8.32%/yr	32	229	six months
12	Asheboro	$240,000	$149	6.08%/yr	26	173	six months
13	Lenoir	$241,750	$160	7.67%/yr	18	306	12 months
14	Wilson	$245,000	$145	6.58%/yr	23	342	six months
15	Burlington	$247,000	$167	6.04%/yr	24	419	six 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. 271 closings sit behind that figure, about 23 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $85 per square foot across 237 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 28 days to go under contract, across 118 listed closings. Full detail is on the Kinston market page.

2. Eden, $152,000

Homes in Eden closed at a median of $152,000 over the last six months, about 42 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 205 closings there, roughly 34 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $121, measured on 190 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 34 days to go under contract, across 127 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 275 closings there, roughly 23 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $107 per square foot across 245 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 36 days. Full detail is on the Lumberton market page.

4. Reidsville, $189,900

The median closed price in Reidsville is $189,900 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 53 percent of the state figure. 296 closings sit behind that figure, about 25 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $131, measured on 267 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 28 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.

5. Goldsboro, $198,000

Homes in Goldsboro closed at a median of $198,000 over the last six months, about 55 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. 206 closings sit behind that figure, about 34 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $122 per square foot across 177 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. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 24 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Goldsboro market page.

6. Spring Lake, $198,250

The median closed price in Spring Lake is $198,250 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 $143 per square foot across 80 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 11 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, $205,440

Homes in Rocky Mount closed at a median of $205,440 over the last six months, about 57 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. 387 closings sit behind that figure, about 64 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 35 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, $225,600

Homes in Mount Airy closed at a median of $225,600 over the last 12 months, about 63 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 190 closings there, roughly 16 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $147, measured on 149 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 28 days to go under contract, across 119 listed closings. Full detail is on the Mount Airy market page.

9. 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. 1,689 closings sit behind that figure, about 282 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $145 per square foot across 1,480 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.

10. Greenville, $230,000

Homes in Greenville closed at a median of $230,000 over the last six months, about 64 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 516 closings there, roughly 86 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $157 per square foot across 304 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.

11. Shelby, $239,900

Homes in Shelby closed at a median of $239,900 over the last six months, about 67 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. Resideline tracked 229 closings there, roughly 38 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $147 per square foot across 212 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 8.32 percent a year (511 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 32 days. About 7.9 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 Shelby market page.

12. Asheboro, $240,000

Asheboro's median closed price over the last six months was $240,000, around 67 percent of what the typical North Carolina sale closed at. Resideline tracked 173 closings there, roughly 29 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $149 per square foot across 131 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 26 days to go under contract, across 110 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.

13. Lenoir, $241,750

The median closed price in Lenoir is $241,750 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 67 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 306 closings there, roughly 26 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $160 per square foot across 287 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 7.67 percent a year (572 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 18 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Lenoir market page.

14. 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 342 closings there, roughly 57 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $145, measured on 310 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 23 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Wilson market page.

15. Burlington, $247,000

Homes in Burlington closed at a median of $247,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the North Carolina statewide median. 419 closings sit behind that figure, about 70 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $167, measured on 356 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.04 percent a year (1,383 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 24 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 6.1 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 Burlington 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 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.