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

Martinsville, with a median closed price of $105,000 over its reporting window, among Virginia 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 Virginia (2026)

These are the Virginia 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	Martinsville	$105,000	$76	8.36%/yr	42	234	12 months
2	Danville	$145,000	$95	7.90%/yr	37	288	six months
3	Bristol	$185,000	$126	6.46%/yr	31	181	six months
4	Petersburg	$199,000	$149	6.10%/yr	13	333	six months
5	Roanoke	$232,000	$153	5.92%/yr	18	831	six months
6	Lynchburg	$254,900	$148	5.74%/yr	16	673	six months
7	Portsmouth	$265,000	$183	3.13%/yr	16	817	six months
8	Salem	$274,950	$166	5.29%/yr	10	190	six months
9	Hampton	$279,500	$190	3.58%/yr	18	1,012	six months
10	Newport News	$290,000	$190	3.85%/yr	19	1,032	six months
11	Staunton	$295,000	$198	6.77%/yr	8	245	six months
12	Waynesboro	$304,775	$191	6.22%/yr	14	240	six months
13	Christiansburg	$312,000	$189	4.57%/yr	8	255	six months
14	Harrisonburg	$315,000	$200	5.79%/yr	9	201	six months
15	Norfolk	$323,000	$211	3.46%/yr	18	1,440	six months

1. Martinsville, $105,000

The median closed price in Martinsville is $105,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 24 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 234 closings there, roughly 20 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $76 per square foot across 221 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 8.36 percent a year between those sales, on 349 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 42 days to go under contract, across 133 listed closings. About 16.6 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 Martinsville market page.

2. Danville, $145,000

Danville's median closed price over the last six months was $145,000, around 33 percent of what the typical Virginia sale closed at. 288 closings sit behind that figure, about 48 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $95 per square foot across 264 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.90 percent a year between those sales, on 702 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. About 12.8 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 Danville market page.

3. Bristol, $185,000

The median closed price in Bristol is $185,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 42 percent of the state figure. 181 closings sit behind that figure, about 30 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $126 per square foot across 152 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.46 percent a year (650 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 31 days. About 10.8 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 Bristol market page.

4. Petersburg, $199,000

Homes in Petersburg closed at a median of $199,000 over the last six months, about 45 percent of the Virginia statewide median. Resideline tracked 333 closings there, roughly 56 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $149, measured on 292 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.10 percent a year (1,641 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 13 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 16.2 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 Petersburg market page.

5. Roanoke, $232,000

Homes in Roanoke closed at a median of $232,000 over the last six months, about 53 percent of the Virginia statewide median. 831 closings sit behind that figure, about 138 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $153 per square foot across 732 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.92 percent a year between those sales, on 3,656 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 18 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. 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 Roanoke market page.

6. Lynchburg, $254,900

The median closed price in Lynchburg is $254,900 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 58 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 673 closings there, roughly 112 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $148 per square foot across 519 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.74 percent a year between those sales, on 2,876 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 16 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Lynchburg market page.

7. Portsmouth, $265,000

The median closed price in Portsmouth is $265,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 60 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 817 closings there, roughly 136 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $183, measured on 724 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.13 percent a year between those sales, on 538 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 16 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Portsmouth market page.

8. Salem, $274,950

The median closed price in Salem is $274,950 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 62 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 190 closings there, roughly 32 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $166 per square foot across 171 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.29 percent a year between those sales, on 740 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 10 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Salem market page.

9. Hampton, $279,500

Homes in Hampton closed at a median of $279,500 over the last six months, about 64 percent of the Virginia statewide median. Resideline tracked 1,012 closings there, roughly 169 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $190, measured on 873 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.58 percent a year between those sales, on 614 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 18 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Hampton market page.

10. Newport News, $290,000

Homes in Newport News closed at a median of $290,000 over the last six months, about 66 percent of the Virginia statewide median. 1,032 closings sit behind that figure, about 172 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $190 per square foot across 866 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.85 percent a year (975 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 19 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Newport News market page.

11. Staunton, $295,000

The median closed price in Staunton is $295,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 67 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 245 closings there, roughly 41 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $198, measured on 230 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.77 percent a year between those sales, on 713 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 8 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Staunton market page.

12. Waynesboro, $304,775

Waynesboro's median closed price over the last six months was $304,775, around 69 percent of what the typical Virginia sale closed at. 240 closings sit behind that figure, about 40 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $191 per square foot across 195 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.22 percent a year (707 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. Full detail is on the Waynesboro market page.

13. Christiansburg, $312,000

The median closed price in Christiansburg is $312,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 71 percent of the state figure. 255 closings sit behind that figure, about 42 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $189 per square foot across 188 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.57 percent a year between those sales, on 475 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 8 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Christiansburg market page.

14. Harrisonburg, $315,000

Harrisonburg's median closed price over the last six months was $315,000, around 72 percent of what the typical Virginia sale closed at. 201 closings sit behind that figure, about 34 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $200 per square foot across 111 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.79 percent a year (670 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. 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 Harrisonburg market page.

15. Norfolk, $323,000

Norfolk's median closed price over the last six months was $323,000, around 73 percent of what the typical Virginia sale closed at. 1,440 closings sit behind that figure, about 240 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $211 per square foot across 1,174 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.46 percent a year between those sales, on 890 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. Full detail is on the Norfolk 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.