Ranking

Cheapest states to get a real estate license

All 51 jurisdictions ranked by the midpoint of the realistic all-in cost to earn your license — course, exam, application, fingerprinting, and first-year E&O where required. Numbers are cross-checked against each state real estate commission.

States ranked cheapest to most expensive
#	State	Hours	Total cost	Timeline	Link
1	Michigan	40	$320–$570	3–8 weeks	Guide →
2	New York	77	$300–$650	8–20 weeks	Guide →
3	Maryland	60	$300–$650	4–12 weeks	Guide →
4	New Hampshire	40	$340–$650	4–12 weeks	Guide →
5	Massachusetts	40	$350–$650	2–8 weeks	Guide →
6	Wisconsin	72	$300–$700	4–10 weeks	Guide →
7	Florida	63	$350–$700	4–12 weeks	Guide →
8	Mississippi	60	$425–$650	4–10 weeks	Guide →
9	Arkansas	60	$480–$700	4–10 weeks	Guide →
10	Vermont	40	$425–$775	4–8 weeks	Guide →
11	Washington, D.C.	60	$460–$800	4–10 weeks	Guide →
12	Pennsylvania	75	$425–$850	8–16 weeks	Guide →
13	Missouri	72	$500–$850	4–10 weeks	Guide →
14	Georgia	75	$520–$850	4–10 weeks	Guide →
15	Virginia	60	$500–$900	4–12 weeks	Guide →
16	West Virginia	90	$500–$900	6–14 weeks	Guide →
17	Kansas	60	$510–$910	4–10 weeks	Guide →
18	Illinois	75	$500–$950	6–16 weeks	Guide →
19	South Carolina	90	$500–$950	6–16 weeks	Guide →
20	Rhode Island	45	$550–$900	4–8 weeks	Guide →
21	Alabama	60	$500–$1,000	5–10 weeks	Guide →
22	Indiana	90	$515–$1,015	4–12 weeks	Guide →
23	New Jersey	75	$575–$975	6–14 weeks	Guide →
24	Oklahoma	90	$580–$1,000	6–12 weeks	Guide →
25	Utah	120	$520–$1,080	6–16 weeks	Guide →
26	Nevada	120	$600–$1,000	6–16 weeks	Guide →
27	Montana	70	$600–$1,000	4–10 weeks	Guide →
28	Maine	55	$600–$1,010	6–16 weeks	Guide →
29	Minnesota	90	$550–$1,100	6–12 weeks	Guide →
30	Delaware	99	$550–$1,100	8–16 weeks	Guide →
31	Arizona	90	$650–$1,050	6–12 weeks	Guide →
32	Hawaii	60	$590–$1,150	6–16 weeks	Guide →
33	North Carolina	75	$550–$1,200	8–16 weeks	Guide →
34	California	135	$600–$1,200	12–26 weeks	Guide →
35	Tennessee	90	$700–$1,100	6–16 weeks	Guide →
36	Louisiana	90	$600–$1,200	8–16 weeks	Guide →
37	Kentucky	96	$650–$1,300	8–16 weeks	Guide →
38	Texas	180	$650–$1,500	8–24 weeks	Guide →
39	Washington	90	$800–$1,350	6–16 weeks	Guide →
40	Iowa	96	$850–$1,350	8–16 weeks	Guide →
41	Idaho	90	$950–$1,450	8–16 weeks	Guide →
42	Oregon	150	$840–$1,620	10–26 weeks	Guide →
43	Nebraska	96	$1,050–$1,450	10–20 weeks	Guide →
44	New Mexico	90	$1,000–$1,550	6–12 weeks	Guide →
45	Wyoming	54	$1,050–$1,500	6–12 weeks	Guide →
46	Connecticut	60	$1,030–$1,550	6–16 weeks	Guide →
47	Ohio	100	$950–$1,650	8–16 weeks	Guide →
48	Colorado	168	$770–$1,900	8–24 weeks	Guide →
49	North Dakota	90	$1,100–$1,750	6–14 weeks	Guide →
50	Alaska	40	$1,150–$1,800	4–10 weeks	Guide →
51	South Dakota	116	$1,450–$2,100	8–16 weeks	Guide →

Why costs vary so much

Required hours. States range from 40 hours (Massachusetts, Michigan) to 180 hours (Texas). Course price scales with the hour count.
Application and license fees. Most states collect an application fee, a license issuance fee, and a recovery-fund contribution — often $150–$300 combined.
Background checks. Fingerprint-based FBI checks are the norm and typically add $40–$70.
Errors & Omissions insurance. A few states (Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee) require proof of E&O before your license issues — usually $130–$220 per year through the state group plan.
Course provider. The single biggest variable. Self-paced online courses through The CE Shop, AceableAgent, or Colibri usually run $200–$700 depending on hours; live/in-person courses can cost 2–3x more.

Looking at speed instead of cost? See the fastest states to get licensed →