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

Kelso, with a median closed price of $331,000 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	$331,000	$258	6.77%/yr	27	218	12 months
2	Shelton	$348,500	$239	6.56%/yr	19	138	12 months
3	Ocean Shores	$355,000	$281	7.19%/yr	43	217	six months
3	Moses Lake	$355,000	$228	5.59%/yr	50	291	six months
3	Spokane	$355,000	$200	5.77%/yr	14	1,925	six months
6	Longview	$360,000	$259	6.36%/yr	17	316	six months
7	Centralia	$365,000	$249	7.23%/yr	27	292	12 months
8	Yakima	$370,000	$230	5.09%/yr	22	521	six months
9	Deer Park	$389,997	$255	6.43%/yr	36	226	12 months
10	Walla Walla	$400,000	$248	6.08%/yr	36	290	six months
11	Kennewick	$402,500	$242	n/a	18	525	six months
12	Port Angeles	$405,000	$276	7.41%/yr	21	197	six months
13	Pasco	$419,922	$264	6.26%/yr	20	508	six months
14	Ellensburg	$424,500	$264	5.99%/yr	19	189	six months
15	Spokane Valley	$429,900	$220	5.99%/yr	17	432	six months

1. Kelso, $331,000

Kelso's median closed price over the last 12 months was $331,000, around 57 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. Resideline tracked 218 closings there, roughly 18 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $258 per square foot across 187 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 27 days to go under contract, across 171 listed closings. Full detail is on the Kelso market page.

2. Shelton, $348,500

Shelton's median closed price over the last 12 months was $348,500, around 60 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. Only 138 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 $239 per square foot across 118 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 19 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Shelton market page.

3. Ocean Shores, $355,000

Homes in Ocean Shores closed at a median of $355,000 over the last six months, about 61 percent of the Washington statewide median. 217 closings sit behind that figure, about 36 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $281, measured on 177 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 43 days. Full detail is on the Ocean Shores market page.

3. Moses Lake, $355,000

Moses Lake's median closed price over the last six months was $355,000, around 61 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. 291 closings sit behind that figure, about 48 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $228 per square foot across 235 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 50 days to go under contract, across 210 listed closings. Full detail is on the Moses Lake market page.

3. Spokane, $355,000

Homes in Spokane closed at a median of $355,000 over the last six months, about 61 percent of the Washington statewide median. 1,925 closings sit behind that figure, about 321 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $200 per square foot across 1,708 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. 316 closings sit behind that figure, about 53 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $259 per square foot across 268 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 17 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Longview market page.

7. Centralia, $365,000

Homes in Centralia closed at a median of $365,000 over the last 12 months, about 63 percent of the Washington statewide median. 292 closings sit behind that figure, about 24 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $249 per square foot across 252 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 27 days to go under contract, across 224 listed closings. Full detail is on the Centralia market page.

8. Yakima, $370,000

Homes in Yakima closed at a median of $370,000 over the last six months, about 64 percent of the Washington statewide median. Resideline tracked 521 closings there, roughly 87 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $230 per square foot across 417 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 22 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Yakima market page.

9. Deer Park, $389,997

The median closed price in Deer Park is $389,997 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 67 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 226 closings there, roughly 19 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $255 per square foot across 201 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. Walla Walla, $400,000

Homes in Walla Walla closed at a median of $400,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Washington statewide median. 290 closings sit behind that figure, about 48 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $248 per square foot across 241 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 36 days. Full detail is on the Walla Walla market page.

11. Kennewick, $402,500

Homes in Kennewick closed at a median of $402,500 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Washington statewide median. 525 closings sit behind that figure, about 88 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $242, measured on 435 sales. 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 Kennewick market page.

12. Port Angeles, $405,000

The median closed price in Port Angeles is $405,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 70 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 197 closings there, roughly 33 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $276 per square foot across 181 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.

13. Pasco, $419,922

Pasco's median closed price over the last six months was $419,922, around 72 percent of what the typical Washington sale closed at. Resideline tracked 508 closings there, roughly 85 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $264 per square foot across 461 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 20 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Pasco market page.

14. Ellensburg, $424,500

The median closed price in Ellensburg is $424,500 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 73 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 189 closings there, roughly 32 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $264, measured on 157 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 19 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Ellensburg market page.

15. Spokane Valley, $429,900

The median closed price in Spokane Valley is $429,900 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 74 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 432 closings there, roughly 72 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $220, measured on 385 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 17 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 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.