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

Dyersburg, with a median closed price of $135,000 over its reporting window, among Tennessee 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 Tennessee (2026)

Ranked cheapest first by median closed price, this list covers Tennessee cities with at least 100 tracked closings inside the city line. A low entry price only means something next to the per-square-foot figure, the realized appreciation and the time to contract, so those sit in the same table.

The ranking

#	City	Median closed price	Houses $/sqft	Realized appreciation	Days to contract	Closings	Window
1	Dyersburg	$135,000	$102	3.83%/yr	31	255	12 months
2	Memphis	$152,000	$105	3.33%/yr	29	3,629	six months
3	La Follette	$183,750	$140	7.54%/yr	21	172	12 months
4	Fayetteville	$186,900	$133	5.89%/yr	37	149	12 months
5	Lawrenceburg	$220,000	$145	6.62%/yr	40	211	12 months
6	McMinnville	$225,000	$160	n/a	39	259	12 months
7	Bristol	$230,000	$160	6.02%/yr	14	225	six months
7	Elizabethton	$230,000	$173	7.41%/yr	16	220	12 months
9	Athens	$240,000	$162	5.53%/yr	27	152	six months
10	Sparta	$242,000	$169	7.31%/yr	28	101	12 months
11	Lewisburg	$259,900	$190	7.00%/yr	40	153	six months
12	Greeneville	$274,000	$144	5.94%/yr	21	178	six months
13	Jackson	$274,750	$145	4.38%/yr	34	522	six months
14	Kingsport	$275,000	$161	5.58%/yr	24	622	six months
15	Smithville	$278,950	$190	7.32%/yr	37	134	12 months

1. Dyersburg, $135,000

The median closed price in Dyersburg is $135,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 37 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 255 closings there, roughly 21 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $102, measured on 228 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.83 percent a year (654 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 31 days to go under contract, across 133 listed closings. Full detail is on the Dyersburg market page.

2. Memphis, $152,000

The median closed price in Memphis is $152,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 42 percent of the state figure. 3,629 closings sit behind that figure, about 605 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $105, measured on 3,028 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.33 percent a year between those sales, on 20,605 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 29 days to go under contract, across 1,888 listed closings. About 11.1 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 Memphis market page.

3. La Follette, $183,750

Homes in La Follette closed at a median of $183,750 over the last 12 months, about 50 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. 172 closings sit behind that figure, about 14 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $140, measured on 165 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.54 percent a year between those sales, on 488 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 21 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the La Follette market page.

4. Fayetteville, $186,900

Fayetteville's median closed price over the last 12 months was $186,900, around 51 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 149 closings sit behind that figure, about 12 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $133, measured on 141 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.89 percent a year between those sales, on 703 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 37 days to go under contract, across 38 listed closings. Full detail is on the Fayetteville market page.

5. Lawrenceburg, $220,000

Homes in Lawrenceburg closed at a median of $220,000 over the last 12 months, about 60 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. Resideline tracked 211 closings there, roughly 18 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $145 per square foot across 196 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.62 percent a year (554 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 40 days to go under contract, across 62 listed closings. Full detail is on the Lawrenceburg market page.

6. McMinnville, $225,000

McMinnville's median closed price over the last 12 months was $225,000, around 62 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 259 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 $160, measured on 242 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 39 days. Full detail is on the McMinnville market page.

7. Bristol, $230,000

Bristol's median closed price over the last six months was $230,000, around 63 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 225 closings sit behind that figure, about 38 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $160, measured on 185 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.02 percent a year (1,065 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 14 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 8.2 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 Bristol market page.

7. Elizabethton, $230,000

Elizabethton's median closed price over the last 12 months was $230,000, around 63 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 220 closings sit behind that figure, about 18 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $173, measured on 194 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.41 percent a year between those sales, on 730 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 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 Elizabethton market page.

9. Athens, $240,000

Athens's median closed price over the last six months was $240,000, around 66 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 152 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 $162, measured on 147 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.53 percent a year (591 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 27 days to go under contract, across 75 listed closings. 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 Athens market page.

10. Sparta, $242,000

Homes in Sparta closed at a median of $242,000 over the last 12 months, about 66 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. That rests on 101 closings, about 8 a month, which is a thin market: a buyer's comparable set and eventual exit both depend on a small pool. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $169, measured on 94 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.31 percent a year between those sales, on 695 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 41 listed closings. Full detail is on the Sparta market page.

11. Lewisburg, $259,900

Lewisburg's median closed price over the last six months was $259,900, around 71 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 153 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 $190, measured on 134 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.00 percent a year between those sales, on 595 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 40 days to go under contract, across 38 listed closings. About 7.6 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 Lewisburg market page.

12. Greeneville, $274,000

Greeneville's median closed price over the last six months was $274,000, around 75 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. Resideline tracked 178 closings there, roughly 30 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $144 per square foot across 150 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.94 percent a year between those sales, on 1,112 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. About 6.3 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 Greeneville market page.

13. Jackson, $274,750

Homes in Jackson closed at a median of $274,750 over the last six months, about 75 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. Resideline tracked 522 closings there, roughly 87 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $145, measured on 494 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.38 percent a year between those sales, on 2,399 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 34 days to go under contract, across 306 listed closings. Full detail is on the Jackson market page.

14. Kingsport, $275,000

The median closed price in Kingsport is $275,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 75 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 622 closings there, roughly 104 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $161 per square foot across 534 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.58 percent a year (2,934 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 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 Kingsport market page.

15. Smithville, $278,950

Homes in Smithville closed at a median of $278,950 over the last 12 months, about 76 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. That rests on 134 closings, about 11 a month, which is a thin market: a buyer's comparable set and eventual exit both depend on a small pool. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $190, measured on 131 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.32 percent a year between those sales, on 427 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 37 days. Full detail is on the Smithville 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 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.