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

Kelso, with a median closed price of $336,000 over its reporting window, among Washington 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 Washington (2026)

These are the Washington 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	Kelso	$336,000	$258	6.77%/yr	28	209	12 months
2	Shelton	$340,000	$243	6.56%/yr	18	139	12 months
3	Ocean Shores	$353,000	$279	7.19%/yr	52	224	six months
4	Moses Lake	$357,950	$229	5.59%/yr	44	282	six months
5	Spokane	$358,700	$198	5.77%/yr	14	1,880	six months
6	Longview	$360,000	$263	6.36%/yr	16	318	six months
7	Centralia	$362,000	$247	7.23%/yr	25	155	six months
8	Yakima	$364,000	$232	5.09%/yr	21	523	six months
9	Deer Park	$391,925	$253	6.43%/yr	36	212	12 months
10	Kennewick	$400,000	$243	n/a	20	597	six months
11	Walla Walla	$403,750	$247	6.08%/yr	26	282	six months
12	Ellensburg	$415,000	$264	5.99%/yr	22	185	six months
12	Port Angeles	$415,000	$276	7.41%/yr	21	205	six months
14	Pasco	$418,447	$259	6.26%/yr	22	506	six months
15	Spokane Valley	$427,000	$222	5.99%/yr	15	413	six months

1. Kelso, $336,000

Kelso's median closed price over the last 12 months was $336,000, around 58 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. Resideline tracked 209 closings there, roughly 17 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $258 per square foot across 180 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.77 percent a year between those sales, on 518 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 165 listed closings. Full detail is on the Kelso market page.

2. Shelton, $340,000

Shelton's median closed price over the last 12 months was $340,000, around 59 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. Only 139 homes closed in the window, roughly 12 a month, so the median is directional and the resale market is shallow. Single-family houses closed at a median of $243 per square foot across 116 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.56 percent a year between those sales, on 815 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 Shelton market page.

3. Ocean Shores, $353,000

Homes in Ocean Shores closed at a median of $353,000 over the last six months, about 61 percent of the Washington statewide median. 224 closings sit behind that figure, about 37 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $279, measured on 185 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.19 percent a year between those sales, on 716 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 52 days. Full detail is on the Ocean Shores market page.

4. Moses Lake, $357,950

Moses Lake's median closed price over the last six months was $357,950, around 62 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. 282 closings sit behind that figure, about 47 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $229 per square foot across 232 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.59 percent a year (951 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 44 days to go under contract, across 198 listed closings. Full detail is on the Moses Lake market page.

5. Spokane, $358,700

Homes in Spokane closed at a median of $358,700 over the last six months, about 62 percent of the Washington statewide median. 1,880 closings sit behind that figure, about 313 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $198 per square foot across 1,666 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.77 percent a year between those sales, on 7,882 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 14 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Spokane market page.

6. Longview, $360,000

The median closed price in Longview is $360,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 62 percent of the state figure. 318 closings sit behind that figure, about 53 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $263 per square foot across 270 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.36 percent a year between those sales, on 870 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. Full detail is on the Longview market page.

7. Centralia, $362,000

Homes in Centralia closed at a median of $362,000 over the last six months, about 62 percent of the Washington statewide median. 155 closings sit behind that figure, about 26 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $247 per square foot across 134 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.23 percent a year between those sales, on 448 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 25 days to go under contract, across 101 listed closings. Full detail is on the Centralia market page.

8. Yakima, $364,000

Homes in Yakima closed at a median of $364,000 over the last six months, about 63 percent of the Washington statewide median. Resideline tracked 523 closings there, roughly 87 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $232 per square foot across 400 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.09 percent a year between those sales, on 2,818 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 Yakima market page.

9. Deer Park, $391,925

The median closed price in Deer Park is $391,925 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 68 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 212 closings there, roughly 18 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $253 per square foot across 189 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.43 percent a year (428 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 36 days. Full detail is on the Deer Park market page.

10. Kennewick, $400,000

Homes in Kennewick closed at a median of $400,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Washington statewide median. 597 closings sit behind that figure, about 100 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $243, measured on 489 sales. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 20 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Kennewick market page.

11. Walla Walla, $403,750

Homes in Walla Walla closed at a median of $403,750 over the last six months, about 70 percent of the Washington statewide median. 282 closings sit behind that figure, about 47 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $247 per square foot across 236 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.08 percent a year between those sales, on 969 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 26 days. Full detail is on the Walla Walla market page.

12. Ellensburg, $415,000

The median closed price in Ellensburg is $415,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 72 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 185 closings there, roughly 31 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $264, measured on 161 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.99 percent a year (562 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 22 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Ellensburg market page.

12. Port Angeles, $415,000

The median closed price in Port Angeles is $415,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 72 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 205 closings there, roughly 34 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $276 per square foot across 189 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.41 percent a year between those sales, on 751 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 Port Angeles market page.

14. Pasco, $418,447

Pasco's median closed price over the last six months was $418,447, around 72 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. Resideline tracked 506 closings there, roughly 84 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $259 per square foot across 455 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.26 percent a year (3,735 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 22 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Pasco market page.

15. Spokane Valley, $427,000

The median closed price in Spokane Valley is $427,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 74 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 413 closings there, roughly 69 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $222, measured on 367 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.99 percent a year (3,704 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 15 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Spokane Valley 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 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.