The 20 Cheapest Places to Buy Land in the U.S.

The price of land jumped dramatically from 2020 to the present, making it increasingly hard to find affordable land. As even the cheapest land values soared as interest rates on loans went down in a sellers’ market, it became harder to find cheap land. Even now, it’s tough to find affordable properties.

That said, you can still buy cheap land if you know where to look. So, if you’re looking for good deals on land, there are still plenty of places where the prices are reasonable. These may include areas near Petrified Forest National Park, the Chihuahuan Desert, and much more.

Even as land prices continue to soar, places like Southern and Western Arizona see cheap land prices with a price per acre far lower than you might expect. Some might be on inhospitable mountain land, but when the price per acre is this low, people seeking affordable land can’t be choosers.

So, if you don’t mind buying near a national park, settling in the western and southern parts of New Mexico on desert land, or feeling comfortable living near places like Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge or near hunting land, there are options. So, let’s examine the 20 cheapest places to buy land in the USA in 2024.

Our Methodology

Some of the most popular options for cheap land include diverse geography, low population density, recreational properties, acre range into the hundreds of acres, challenging landscape, rugged terrain, and what we call Mississippi price – a term based on the cheapness of living in that state. However, it’s common to find the lowest prices for land in areas like the southern part of the Upper Peninsula.

That said, land near the central part of the Lake Superior region and other remote locations isn’t always as cheap as you might think. The cheapest state might actually surprise you – or not, as the cheapest state is almost always Mississippi. Discovering this information requires a detailed research process in which we:

Check out the previous article we published in this series
Try to find new information about property prices
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The 20 Cheapest Options for Buying Land in America Today

When considering factors like median price, recreational fun, and affordable prices on property, it’s important to know several important facts. These can dictate whether you buy properties near areas like Lake Huron, Bullhead City, and Clear Lakes.

For example, will it be considered desert, do you have road access, are there creative ideas for transforming the area, is it near developed areas, will it have mild winters, and will it work well for your family’s unique needs? Let’s do a quick, deep dive into this subject to learn more!

20. Jasper County, Mississippi

Price of land per acre: $1,251

If you’re looking to buy the cheapest land in Mississippi, check out the southeastern part of the state. World Populations explains that you can find deals on land as cheap as $1,251 per acre in the more remote areas of the state about 50 miles east of Jackson in Jasper County.

You can buy land here very cheaply, which isn’t always possible in other parts of the nation. Cheap land and land prices here are surprisingly cost efficient. Affordable land is widely available, too, because Mississippi is not always one of the most popular places to live.

For example, Jasper County is small compared to many others, with just 676 square miles within its borders. That said, living in remote areas of Mississippi gives you the advantage of low population density and a peaceful and safe existence. You also get cheap land, so don’t forget that!

This region is near Bay Springs RV Park, Clarkco State Park, and Bienville National Forest if you crave outdoor excitement. Thankfully, there’s very little desert land here but, instead, diverse landscapes throughout residential land, including rolling hills. Land use rules are not bad here, either, and your per acre cost is likely to stay consistent or – at the very least – not go down.

19. Apache County, Arizona

Price of land per acre: $1,225

Land in the northeastern part of Arizona is cheaper outside the small towns and cities. In southern and western Arizona, you can find land for as low as $1,225 per acre in the Holbrook and Show Low areas. The cheapest land here is some of the most affordable land in the world.

Furthermore, cheap land prices go down when you look to buy land in the outlying areas of these towns, about 10 miles out or further. Amenities of living in these remote areas include driving distance to some of the most scenic and peaceful places.

Some parcels are near Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area, Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, and the Petrified Forest National Park. The Petrified Forest National Park has surprisingly decent land prices, so if you’re looking to buy land with a great price per acre near a national park, it’s worth trying out.

18. Socorro County, New Mexico

Price of land per acre: $800

Socorro County is in the central part of the state of New Mexico and is much cheaper than the western and southern parts of the state. The cheapest land is among the most affordable land in the nation, so if you’re looking to buy land, venture outside of Albuquerque for nearly 60 miles to get started.

Once here, you’ll find the property’s price is lower than other parts of New Mexico. Yes, some of it will be desert land, but other New Mexico areas provide diverse landscapes beyond the desert land you typically associate with New Mexico. Residential land per acre here is very affordable.

That said, the cheapest land in Socorro County, New Mexico, is undeveloped desert land in remote locations. You can buy a five-acre parcel for a mere $3,999. It breaks down to not quite $800 per acre. Some of the cheapest properties is in the outlying and more remote areas, but they’re within driving distance to amenities that make the cost even more exciting.

You could be within an hour’s drive to Albuquerque or an hour or two from the Manzano Mountains State Park, the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, and the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Manzano Mountains State Park is particularly exciting because it has outdoor recreation areas away from densely populated areas that should make your stay even more enjoyable in New Mexico.

17. Valencia County, New Mexico

Price of land per acre: $799

Compassland USA explains that in 2022, you can find land in Valencia County, New Mexico, that ranges in price from just under $600 to $799. A five-acre parcel on the outskirts of Albuquerque for $2,900. Values closer to the city will cost more, obviously.

But the cheapest land and the most affordable land in the area lies in the less populated area about 15 miles or further, as prices drop significantly for some less developed spotswhen looking to buy land. Buying land in these areas outside of Albuquerque offers significant benefits, including lower price costs and proximity to recreational areas through the state.

These include the Petroglyph National Monument, Manzano Mountains State Park, and the Cibola National Forest. As a result, you should try to find land from property owners for a decent New Mexico price, particularly if you aren’t into lush forests or don’t mind the lack of water in the region.

16. Cochise County, Arizona

Price of land per acre: $720

Cochise County encompasses 6,164 square miles within the state of Arizona, and trying to locate land here is a great option. It provides a reasonable New Mexico price with challenging landscapes that offer lower prices than you can get with more diverse geography and diverse landscape options.

If you’re looking for cheap land, the southeastern part of Arizona, bordering Mexico, is a good place to start your search. While the land is expensive in the city of Tucson, venturing about 40 miles to the east of town is the area where you’ll find real estate at lower prices. You can get a five-acre parcel of ground for $3,600, which is really good for the average person.

Amenities are less than an hour’s drive to Tucson and driving distance to the Coronado National Forest, San Rafael State Natural Area, and the Chiricahua National Monument. Occasionally, deals crop up in Cochise County from motivated sellers offering $599 parcels.

15. San Miguel County, New Mexico

Price of land per acre: $700

If you’re looking to build your own slice of heaven and a dream home near the Mexican border that provides recreational fun near the western areas of the state, New Mexico is an awesome option. The cost and the average price here are incredible and make it easier to find land.

In fact, it’s easily one of the cheapest states in which to buy land. And like the other cheapest states for property, it’s usually cheaper in rural areas. The rural areas of the cheapest states typically exist within a reasonable distance from bigger cities, which makes the price more reasonable.

For example, Santa Fe is a bustling city that offers all the amenities one could want from a desert city. While real estate is expensive in the city, you can find some great deals if you venture less than an hour outside of the city limits, where you get legal access to many amenities.

The central part of the state offers land in its more remote and unpopulated areas for as little as $700. You can find deals on 5-acre parcels as low as $3,500. You’ll be close to the Pecos National Historical Park, the Santa Fe National Forest, and Villanueva State Park.

14. Lake County, Oregon

Price of land per acre: $700

Similar to New Mexico’s cheap deals on land, you can also find great deals on parcels in Lake County, Oregon. It’s a different climate if you prefer the cooler spring, fall, and winter months of the Pacific Northwest. Like most areas of the Pacific Northwest, it’s very cozy and warm.

The Pacific coastline helps keep the area relatively warm in the winter, while the Lake County area provides inexpensive land. It’s a scenic area less than an hour outside of Bend. That proximity to bigger cities ensures that you’re never too far from modern amenities!

It’s in southern Oregon and borders Nevada and California. Some of the more motivated sellers in 2022 offered 5-acre tracts of land for as low as $3,500, breaking down to $700. Most of the cheaper deals are in remote areas with breathtaking views.

13. Mohave County, Arizona

Price of land per acre: $700-$1,080

Clearly, the southwest offers some of the best places to find land at a low cost. Go K Capital reveals that land is cheap in some remote parts of Mohave County. It’s in Arizona’s northwestern corner, not far from the Fort Mojave, Hualapai, and Kaibab Native American Reservations.

While some of the real estate is expensive, when you explore the outlying areas of Bullhead City, Kingman, and other parts of the county, you can find parcels of land as low as $700. That’s nearly what we’d call Kansas price or as close to rock bottom as you can get when you try to find land.

Some of the area’s amenities are the Hualapai Mountain Park Campground, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, and access to the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. It’s a beautiful area, though be prepared for quite a bit of extra warmth, as there is a lot of desert around the area.

12. Costilla County, Colorado

Price of land per acre: $500

Costilla County is in the southwestern part of Colorado. It’s also one of the best places to look for great deals on land. The price for 50-acre parcels is as low as $2,495, breaking down to less than $500 for an acre. Try to find land here, if you can!

You’ll find these cheaper prices in the more remote and outlying areas, about 15 miles outside Alamosa. It’s not far from town, and you can enjoy recreation at the San Luis State Wildlife Area, the Great Sand Dunes National Park, or the North Lake State Wildlife Area.

The toughest part about places like these is that they often get noticed really quickly by real estate investors. It’s not unusual for land to get snatched up pretty quickly here, so make sure you do your due diligence, research your options, and buy as soon as you can to avoid issues.

11. Hudspeth County, Texas

Price of land per acre: $250

You can still find land in Hudspeth County, Texas, for a dirt-cheap price, especially if you travel about 30 miles outside El Paso. Here, five-acre parcels for sale are as low as $1,200! Can you imagine that kind of cheap land? For some people, that’s a week of wages or less.

In fact, that cost breaks down to $250 an acre. When you settle here, you can enjoy the amenities of the westernmost part of the state that borders Mexico, with close access to the city and plenty of recreational activities. Even if the county is a bit rugged, it’s not too far from anything.

For example, it’s close enough to the Franklin Mountain State Park, Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, and other recreational opportunities. We strongly suggest that you relocate here if you’re interested in living in a rural area with plenty of relaxing and comfortable areas to hang out.

10. Hermon, Maine

Price of land per acre: $575 to $800

Far from Lake Michigan and other cozy seaside areas is Hermon, Maine. This town is located in the south of the state, and you can find land for sale for as low as $800 an acre, according to Landsearch. It’s a rural state and one that provides many uniquely beautiful and inexpensive land options.

The best place to look for cheap land is in the Northeastern part of the state. In Hermon, Franklin, and Perkins Township, you can find land that ranges from $575 to $800. That’s a very reasonable price, though there are some areas on inhospitable mountain land you need to watch.

That said, many of the best deals are in remote and secluded parts, far from civilization. That makes Maine a great place to settle, especially if you want a lot of land. After all, it’s difficult to find small parcels as most of them come in large acreage with great price costs.

9. Linneus, Maine

Price of land per acre: $400 to $800

Linneus is a township in Maine where you can still find properties that range between $450 to $800. Linneus is the least expensive area, with parcels in the outlying areas that cost between $400 to $700. Like Hermon, acreage is usually in pretty large bulk sizes.

In nearby Dyer Brook, Amity, and Cary, you can also find similar deals on land. Most offerings are not in prime areas, but they still offer amenities, such as hunting, fishing, and recreational opportunities. Most parcels are unrefined and do not come with utilities piped in or paved roads, but some do.

8. McNeal, Arizona

Price of land per acre: $400 to $600

Back we go to Arizona for a few entries! For a good reason, too: the price of land in McNeal can range from $1,500 to $6,000, but you’ll see a difference if you venture past the outskirts of town into the more remote desert areas. Here, you’ll start finding amazing land deals.

For example, you can find parcels that run between $400 to $600, though most are largely undeveloped. You can find similar prices outside of Hereford, Bisbee, and Douglas. If you’re willing to spend money to develop the property, it’s an amazing deal you shouldn’t pass up.

After all, these areas offer some of the world’s most magnificent sunrises and sunsets. There’s peace, and you can find quite a few places to buy that aren’t far from the local towns and watering holes. Whether it makes sense to call it your forever home will vary based on your preference for hot weather.

7. Kingman, Arizona

Price of land per acre: $250 to $500

We’re really getting to the cheapest land in the country now! While Kingman, Arizona, doesn’t have the cheapest land for sale in the state, the outlying areas are more affordable. Some tracts of land go for as low as $400 in 2024, which is hard to believe in today’s economy.

Before you fly out there to finalize a deal, it’s essential to note that the cheapest land is in the outlying desert, a few miles out of town. It can be a good deal if you don’t mind searing hot temperatures in the summer and love Arizona’s mild winters or have the cash to develop the property.

Even better, you can drive for a few hours to enjoy the canyons and forests, along with the resorts for skiing in the snow in the winter to give yourself a break from the desert climate. That said, there are few areas where you can watch the sunrise and sunset from the same porch.

6. Winnemucca, Nevada

Price of land per acre: $100 to $200

Winnemucca is a city that has some of the cheapest real estate available in the state. That said, buying land in the remote parts of the Northern Nevada desert isn’t for everyone. The cheap parcels are subprime, with roasting heat in the summertime and cold temperatures in the winter.

If you don’t mind the temperature extremes, though, you can buy land in some of the more remote areas without even going to the bank for a loan. The cheapest land lies on the outskirts of the town of Winnemucca, and you can find similar deals in Lovelock and Wells.

If buying here, we strongly recommend investing in solar panels. These can help cut back on your home energy bills, particularly when the summer temperatures peak. Having that kind of cost savings is critical when you start having to crank your air conditioning up.

5. Deming, New Mexico

Price of land per acre: $100

Deming, New Mexico, is in the southern part of the state, where the climate and geography are desertlike. It’s one of the cheapest places to buy land if you can handle the heat in the middle of summer days. The average price per acre here is more than reasonable, as you might expect.

The Chihuahuan Desert is the main land feature that affects the temperature with dry air. You can find land in Deming for less than $200 per acre. If you venture further away from the city or into the outlying areas of Bosque, you can find land as low as $100 per acre – far below Colorado price options on acreage.

4. Elwood, Nebraska

Price of land per acre: $0 with a refundable $500 deposit

If you have $500 to put down as a deposit, you could qualify for a free land giveaway in Elwood, Nebraska. It’s one of the few places still offering free land in alignment with the Homestead Act. That might sound amazing, but many sources have confirmed this wild fact.

In fact, Bob Vila confirms it’s an option as long as you plan to build a home on the land, begin construction on a new home, and have it completed by the second year of signing the agreement. When you’ve completed the house, the plot of land is legally yours, and the town will refund your initial deposit. Elwood is a small town with fewer than 1,000 residents, and they’re trying to grow.

3. Marne, Iowa

Price of land per acre: $0

Marne, Iowa, is another small town that still follows the tenets of the Homestead Act. It’s a farming community that seeks to build its agriculture-based economy by enticing people to move to the town. Whether or not you want to move here will likely depend on many factors.

For example, it has a population of 120 residents as of the last Census, which means they need warm bodies with a desire to help grow the community. The only requirement is that property owners build a home on a lot that is a minimum of 1,200 square feet. If you like the vibes of an old-fashioned community, it could be an ideal choice for the free land you get in return.

2. Curtis, Nebraska

Price of land per acre: $0

Curtis, Nebraska, offers a deal similar to Elwood but is a bit bigger – the small town has a population of under 1,000. With its free land giveaways, it is looking to expand. They’re offering small plots of land for free if people are willing to build a single-family home on the property.

The free land comes with this single requirement to seal the deal and make it your own. In other words, build a home and settle here. Is Curtis a nice place to live? Actually, it is if you don’t mind living in a pretty sleepy environment.

Curtis has paved streets, and the land already has access to utilities. Before building here, make sure you understand that there is a time frame associated with the requirements: you must build within two years. When you do, you get access to prime hunting and fishing areas in a peaceful town.

1. Marquette, Kansas

Price of land per acre: $0

If Nebraska isn’t your idea of heaven, there’s a little town in the Kansas heartland that offers free lots of land for those willing to make the town their home. It’s a place where the schools have high ratings, the streets are safe, and the open views are plentiful and beautiful.

Like other areas with free land, Marquette will give qualified applicants a plot of land for free if they build a house minimum of 1,000 square feet. You must build it within two years of getting the property, so make sure that you don’t dilly-dally: houses can take a while to build if you aren’t careful!

Thankfully, Marquette is a great place to raise a family if you don’t mind the small size of just over 600 residents. Are there things to do? Well, yes, Marquette draws people from other communities to tour its famous Kansas Motorcycle Museum. That makes it a little more exciting than you might think!

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The 20 Cheapest Places to Buy Land in the U.S.

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