What is the cheapest city to buy a house in Pennsylvania?

Johnstown, with a median closed price of $52,500 over its reporting window, among Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania (2026)

Every Pennsylvania 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	Johnstown	$52,500	$40	4.39%/yr	18	197	12 months
2	Chester	$80,000	$64	5.15%/yr	34	211	six months
3	Beaver Falls	$81,250	$51	4.54%/yr	46	146	12 months
4	New Castle	$100,000	$75	5.86%/yr	45	157	six months
5	Pottsville	$102,000	$66	7.54%/yr	16	263	12 months
6	Butler	$105,000	$75	3.95%/yr	52	189	12 months
7	Aliquippa	$120,000	$97	4.75%/yr	43	162	12 months
8	Altoona	$125,000	$84	4.85%/yr	16	339	six months
9	New Kensington	$146,000	$116	n/a	49	194	12 months
10	Harrisburg	$147,000	$86	5.34%/yr	15	335	six months
11	Williamsport	$149,900	$93	4.59%/yr	15	303	12 months
12	Erie	$150,000	$119	4.50%/yr	7	611	six months
13	Wilkes Barre	$160,000	$104	n/a	18	182	six months
14	York	$163,500	$112	4.62%/yr	9	271	six months
15	Coatesville	$188,750	$128	4.22%/yr	20	144	12 months

1. Johnstown, $52,500

Johnstown's median closed price over the last 12 months was $52,500, around 17 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. Resideline tracked 197 closings there, roughly 16 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $40 per square foot across 144 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.39 percent a year (477 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 Johnstown market page.

2. Chester, $80,000

Homes in Chester closed at a median of $80,000 over the last six months, about 26 percent of the Pennsylvania statewide median. Resideline tracked 211 closings there, roughly 35 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $64 per square foot across 125 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.15 percent a year (1,463 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 34 days to go under contract, across 85 listed closings. About 11.3 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 Chester market page.

3. Beaver Falls, $81,250

Beaver Falls's median closed price over the last 12 months was $81,250, around 27 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. Resideline tracked 146 closings there, roughly 12 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $51, measured on 108 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.54 percent a year (336 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 46 days. Full detail is on the Beaver Falls market page.

4. New Castle, $100,000

New Castle's median closed price over the last six months was $100,000, around 33 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. 157 closings sit behind that figure, about 26 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $75, measured on 142 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.86 percent a year between those sales, on 757 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 45 days to go under contract, across 80 listed closings. About 6.0 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 New Castle market page.

5. Pottsville, $102,000

Pottsville's median closed price over the last 12 months was $102,000, around 33 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. 263 closings sit behind that figure, about 22 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $66, measured on 178 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 7.54 percent a year (370 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 16 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 13.2 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 Pottsville market page.

6. Butler, $105,000

Butler's median closed price over the last 12 months was $105,000, around 34 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. Resideline tracked 189 closings there, roughly 16 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $75, measured on 123 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.95 percent a year (489 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 52 days. Full detail is on the Butler market page.

7. Aliquippa, $120,000

Aliquippa's median closed price over the last 12 months was $120,000, around 39 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. Resideline tracked 162 closings there, roughly 14 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $97, measured on 130 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.75 percent a year (469 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 43 days. Full detail is on the Aliquippa market page.

8. Altoona, $125,000

Altoona's median closed price over the last six months was $125,000, around 41 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. Resideline tracked 339 closings there, roughly 56 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $84, measured on 277 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.85 percent a year between those sales, on 596 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 16 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 8.7 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 Altoona market page.

9. New Kensington, $146,000

New Kensington's median closed price over the last 12 months was $146,000, around 48 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. 194 closings sit behind that figure, about 16 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $116, measured on 57 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 49 days. Full detail is on the New Kensington market page.

10. Harrisburg, $147,000

Harrisburg's median closed price over the last six months was $147,000, around 48 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. Resideline tracked 335 closings there, roughly 56 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $86 per square foot across 182 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.34 percent a year (2,734 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 15 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Harrisburg market page.

11. Williamsport, $149,900

Williamsport's median closed price over the last 12 months was $149,900, around 49 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. 303 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 $93, measured on 241 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.59 percent a year (658 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 15 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Williamsport market page.

12. Erie, $150,000

Homes in Erie closed at a median of $150,000 over the last six months, about 49 percent of the Pennsylvania statewide median. 611 closings sit behind that figure, about 102 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $119 per square foot across 508 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.50 percent a year between those sales, on 3,759 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 7 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Erie market page.

13. Wilkes Barre, $160,000

Wilkes Barre's median closed price over the last six months was $160,000, around 52 percent of what the typical Pennsylvania sale closed at. Resideline tracked 182 closings there, roughly 30 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $104, measured on 136 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 18 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 Wilkes Barre market page.

14. York, $163,500

Homes in York closed at a median of $163,500 over the last six months, about 54 percent of the Pennsylvania statewide median. 271 closings sit behind that figure, about 45 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $112 per square foot across 110 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.62 percent a year between those sales, on 5,154 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 9 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the York market page.

15. Coatesville, $188,750

The median closed price in Coatesville is $188,750 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 62 percent of the state figure. 144 closings sit behind that figure, about 12 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $128 per square foot across 89 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.22 percent a year between those sales, on 1,238 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 6.9 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 Coatesville 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 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.