Last week we ran the numbers on all nine towns we track (catch up here). This week, one story deserves its own post: affordability. In a country where the typical home costs well over three times as much, five Southern Illinois towns still have a median sale price under $120,000. Not fixer-uppers. Not auctions. The middle of the market.
Meet the $120K Club
Murphysboro
| Homes closed Jan–Jun 2026 | 184 (+3% vs 2025) |
| June median sale price | $108,975 |
What Greg Holthaus sees: The most affordable ticket in the club — and busier than last year. Ten minutes from Carbondale jobs and SIU, with Kinkaid Lake up the road. This is where first-time buyers get in the game.
Herrin
| Homes closed Jan–Jun 2026 | 219 (+4% vs 2025) |
| June median sale price | $113,474 |
What Greg Holthaus sees: The busiest town in the club — 219 closings in six months. Herrin sits ten minutes from everything in Williamson County, and at these prices your dollar goes about twice as far as it does one town over in Carterville.
West Frankfort
| Homes closed Jan–Jun 2026 | 151 |
| First-half medians vs 2025 | +12% |
What Greg Holthaus sees: The club member on the move — first-half prices are running about 12% ahead of last year. Interstate access on I-57, old-school neighborhoods, and still under $115K at the median. That combination doesn't usually last.
Du Quoin
| Homes closed Jan–Jun 2026 | 86 |
| Est. closed volume vs 2025 | +41% |
What Greg Holthaus sees: Fewer sales, way bigger dollars — volume up 41% because buyers are trading up into nicer homes. Home of the State Fairgrounds, and quietly one of the strongest price trends in our nine towns.
Benton
| Homes closed Jan–Jun 2026 | 140 |
| Est. closed volume vs 2025 | +22% |
What Greg Holthaus sees: Just squeaks into the club at $119,973 — and with Rend Lake in the backyard and volume up 22%, Benton may not stay under $120K much longer. The quality end of this market is getting bid up.
What Does Under-$120K Actually Cost Per Month?
Here's the math most renters never see. Take a $120,000 home with 5% down ($6,000) on a 30-year fixed loan at an illustrative 6.75% rate: principal and interest comes to about $739 a month, before taxes and insurance. That's an example, not a rate quote — but in most of these towns, that math competes head-to-head with rent on a 3-bedroom. Every month you'd be building equity in your own house instead of somebody else's.
And because SIRE is a one-stop shop, you don't have to figure the financing out alone — our in-house lender Jarod Sanders can run your real numbers, including first-time buyer, VA, and USDA options that work especially well at these price points. Many of these towns qualify for USDA's zero-down rural programs. Start here.
🔮 Greg Holthaus Predicts
The $120K Club is going to lose members — not because the towns change, but because the prices climb out. West Frankfort's medians are up 12%, Du Quoin and Benton dollars are surging, and there just isn't enough inventory at this price point anywhere in America. My call: within a couple of years, at least two of these five towns graduate past a $120K median. The window where "affordable" and "quality" overlap this cleanly is open right now — buyers who move this fall will look smart in five years.
That's my professional opinion based on local closing data and price trends — not a guarantee. Every deal is its own story.
The Bottom Line
You don't have to leave Southern Illinois to find opportunity — and you don't need a fortune to own a home here. Five real towns, 780 real closings in six months, medians from $109K to $120K. If you're renting anywhere in this region, the honest question isn't "can I afford to buy?" — it's "have I actually run the numbers?" Most people who text me haven't. Takes ten minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most affordable town to buy a home in Southern Illinois?
Can you still buy a house for under $120,000 in Southern Illinois?
What would the monthly payment be on a $120,000 home?
Which affordable Southern Illinois towns are growing fastest?
📱 Got a Question About This Market? Text Greg.
Buying? Selling? Not sure where to start? Text Greg Holthaus directly — just tell him you saw his blog. He'll help you think through your decision, match you with the best broker for your situation, and point you in the right direction. He's open to a text any time.
Text Greg · 618.925.8654
Who is Greg Holthaus?
Greg Holthaus is the Owner and Designated Managing Broker of Southern Illinois Realty Experts, with 25+ years in Southern Illinois real estate and more than 10,000 transactions closed. He leads a full-service operation — home sales, mortgage, title, and property management under one roof — with offices in Marion, Herrin, and Carbondale. Meet Greg ›
About these numbers: Figures come from local MLS closed-sale data for each ZIP code shown, covering all residential home types, with complete data through June 2026. "Closed volume" is estimated as homes sold × that month's median sale price. The monthly payment shown is an illustrative example, not a loan offer or rate quote; actual rates, payments, and program eligibility vary by borrower. Projections are the professional opinion of Greg Holthaus, not a guarantee of future results. Southern Illinois Realty Experts is a full-service brokerage offering home sales, mortgage, title, and property management across Southern Illinois.