11 Midwest Cities Where You Can Buy a Home for Under $100K

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America’s Heartland, the Midwest, is widely known for its friendly residents, vast farmland, ample wildlife and, of course, the Windy City of Chicago. It is also recognized as one of the most affordable regions to live in the United States.

In a study from earlier this year, GOBankingRates identified the 100 largest housing markets across the United States, according to Zillow, and examined all active listings under $100,000 sourced by Realtor.com. By calculating the percentage of all listings under that price point, we pinpointed the top cities in the Midwest where you can still buy a house for less than $100,000. Of the top 20 cities with such affordable housing in the United States, 11 are located in the Midwest region. Clearly, this is the place to be when it comes to affordability.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the average sales price of a new home in the United States was nearly $493,000 as of August 2024, and the median sales price of a new home was close to $421,000. Across the country, home prices are up nearly 30% from the second quarter of 2020, which makes a $100,000 home an incredible bargain, no matter where you live. 

If you want to take a closer look at this promising region as you shop for your first or next home, below are some great options to consider.

11. Fort Wayne, Indiana

• Total active listings: 369
• Active listings under $100,000: 16
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 4.34%

10. Indianapolis

• Total active listings: 2,636
• Active listings under $100,000: 128
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 4.86%

9. Wichita, Kansas

• Total active listings: 1,134
• Active listings under $100,000: 75
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 6.61%

8. Cincinnati

• Total active listings: 1,176
• Active listings under $100,000: 79
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 6.72%

7. Kansas City, Missouri

• Total active listings: 1,674
• Active listings under $100,000: 118
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 7.05%

6. Chicago

• Total active listings: 3,169
• Active listings under $100,000: 299
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 9.44%

5. Milwaukee

• Total active listings: 644
• Active listings under $100,000: 153
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 23.76%

4. St. Louis

• Total active listings: 2,060
• Active listings under $100,000: 530
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 25.73%

3. Cleveland

• Total active listings: 1,171
• Active listings under $100,000: 518
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 44.24%

2. Toledo, Ohio

• Total active listings: 684
• Active listings under $100,000: 358
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 52.34%

1. Detroit

• Total active listings: 1,726
• Active listings under $100,000: 1,171
• Percentage of listings under $100,000: 67.84%

The Midwest is home to a variety of cities and communities that feature plenty of active home listings under $100,000. And the list goes on, especially if you are willing to live in a smaller town. If, for instance, you’re open to purchasing a home in a smaller community, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota all have a number of townships where you can purchase a home for $100,000 or less.

This region, in general, is a more affordable place to live than many others in the United States, with a strong job market, ample housing supply, affordable land prices and a lower cost of living when it comes to groceries, healthcare and other general necessities.

Methodology: To find the 11 best cities in the Midwest where you can buy a house for under $100,000, GOBankingRates first found the top 100 largest housing markets according to Zillow. For each housing market, GOBankingRates found: (1) total active listings and (2) active listings under $100,000 sourced from Realtor.com. Then GOBankingRates calculated the percentage of listings under $100,000 and sorted the data to show the highest availability of listings under $100,000. All data is up to date as of May 13, 2024.

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