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	$101	3.83%/yr	33	255	12 months
2	Memphis	$150,000	$102	3.33%/yr	28	3,566	six months
3	La Follette	$181,250	$139	7.54%/yr	28	168	12 months
4	Fayetteville	$186,000	$135	5.89%/yr	36	145	12 months
5	Lawrenceburg	$220,000	$143	6.62%/yr	42	215	12 months
6	McMinnville	$225,000	$161	n/a	39	246	12 months
7	Bristol	$237,000	$160	6.02%/yr	12	256	six months
8	Elizabethton	$239,900	$175	7.41%/yr	18	227	12 months
9	Lewisburg	$247,000	$187	7.00%/yr	30	153	six months
10	Greeneville	$249,900	$142	5.94%/yr	20	161	six months
11	Athens	$250,000	$165	5.53%/yr	40	157	six months
12	Kingsport	$270,000	$161	5.58%/yr	20	600	six months
13	Millington	$277,990	$173	4.04%/yr	42	206	12 months
14	Tullahoma	$279,950	$186	6.25%/yr	33	284	six months
15	Jackson	$279,990	$144	4.38%/yr	35	524	six 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 $101, measured on 226 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 33 days to go under contract, across 131 listed closings. Full detail is on the Dyersburg market page.

2. Memphis, $150,000

The median closed price in Memphis is $150,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 41 percent of the state figure. 3,566 closings sit behind that figure, about 594 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $102, measured on 2,854 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 28 days to go under contract, across 1,872 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, $181,250

Homes in La Follette closed at a median of $181,250 over the last 12 months, about 50 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. 168 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 $139, measured on 161 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. The median listed home took 28 days to go under contract, across 83 listed closings. Full detail is on the La Follette market page.

4. Fayetteville, $186,000

Fayetteville's median closed price over the last 12 months was $186,000, around 51 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 145 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 $135, measured on 137 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 36 days to go under contract, across 37 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 215 closings there, roughly 18 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $143 per square foot across 200 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 42 days to go under contract, across 65 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. 246 closings sit behind that figure, about 20 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $161, measured on 231 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 39 days. Full detail is on the McMinnville market page.

7. Bristol, $237,000

Bristol's median closed price over the last six months was $237,000, around 65 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 256 closings sit behind that figure, about 43 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $160, measured on 207 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 12 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.

8. Elizabethton, $239,900

Elizabethton's median closed price over the last 12 months was $239,900, around 66 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. 227 closings sit behind that figure, about 19 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $175, measured on 203 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 18 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. Lewisburg, $247,000

Lewisburg's median closed price over the last six months was $247,000, around 68 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 $187, measured on 132 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 30 days to go under contract, across 36 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.

10. Greeneville, $249,900

Greeneville's median closed price over the last six months was $249,900, around 69 percent of what the typical Tennessee sale closed at. Resideline tracked 161 closings there, roughly 27 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $142 per square foot across 139 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 20 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.

11. Athens, $250,000

Athens's median closed price over the last six months was $250,000, around 69 percent of what the typical Tennessee 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 $165, 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 40 days to go under contract, across 84 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.

12. Kingsport, $270,000

The median closed price in Kingsport is $270,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 74 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 600 closings there, roughly 100 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $161 per square foot across 525 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 20 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.

13. Millington, $277,990

The median closed price in Millington is $277,990 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 76 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 206 closings there, roughly 17 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $173 per square foot across 184 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.04 percent a year between those sales, on 608 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 42 days. About 8.9 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 Millington market page.

14. Tullahoma, $279,950

Homes in Tullahoma closed at a median of $279,950 over the last six months, about 77 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. Resideline tracked 284 closings there, roughly 47 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $186 per square foot across 266 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.25 percent a year between those sales, on 834 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 33 days. 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 Tullahoma market page.

15. Jackson, $279,990

Homes in Jackson closed at a median of $279,990 over the last six months, about 77 percent of the Tennessee statewide median. Resideline tracked 524 closings there, roughly 87 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $144, measured on 492 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 35 days to go under contract, across 306 listed closings. Full detail is on the Jackson 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.