Cheapest Cities to Buy a House in North Dakota (2026)
The 5 cheapest North Dakota cities by median closed price, from $285,000 in Minot to $319,900 in Bismarck, with what houses cost per square foot, what resales did, and how fast listings go.
These are the North Dakota 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 | Minot | $285,000 | $142 | n/a | 26 | 402 | six months |
| 2 | Grand Forks | $305,000 | $159 | n/a | 17 | 326 | six months |
| 3 | Fargo | $313,900 | $162 | n/a | 23 | 875 | six months |
| 4 | Mandan | $314,400 | $160 | n/a | 16 | 198 | six months |
| 5 | Bismarck | $319,900 | $169 | n/a | 9 | 577 | six months |
1. Minot, $285,000
Minot's median closed price over the last six months was $285,000, around 87 percent of what the typical North Dakota sale closed at. Resideline tracked 402 closings there, roughly 67 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $142, measured on 306 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 26 days. Full detail is on the Minot market page.
2. Grand Forks, $305,000
The median closed price in Grand Forks is $305,000 across the last six months, roughly in line with the state as a whole. 326 closings sit behind that figure, about 54 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $159, measured on 249 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 17 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Grand Forks market page.
3. Fargo, $313,900
Homes in Fargo closed at a median of $313,900 over the last six months, close to the statewide median. 875 closings sit behind that figure, about 146 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $162, measured on 688 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 23 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Fargo market page.
4. Mandan, $314,400
Homes in Mandan closed at a median of $314,400 over the last six months, close to the statewide median. 198 closings sit behind that figure, about 33 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $160 per square foot across 136 sales with usable living area. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 16 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Mandan market page.
5. Bismarck, $319,900
The median closed price in Bismarck is $319,900 across the last six months, roughly in line with the state as a whole. 577 closings sit behind that figure, about 96 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $169, measured on 341 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 Bismarck 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest city to buy a house in North Dakota?
Minot, with a median closed price of $285,000 over its reporting window, among North Dakota 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.
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