Bay St. Louis had 168 homes on the market in September 2026 and sold 24, down from 39 in August, its busiest month of the past year. Divide one by the other and you get 7.0 months of supply, up from 4.2 in August and the most of the 13 cities we track. That tilts the market back toward buyers.

August’s strong month did not change the underlying picture.

The average home that sold here in September had been on the market 131.6 days, the slowest of the 13 cities we track and more than twice as long as in Long Beach (60.9 days). If you are listing a home in the Bay, the single most useful thing you can understand is that patience is not a strategy here — pricing is.

The Bay St. Louis Numbers — September 2026

Metric	Figure
Median sold price	$405,000
Median asking price (active listings)	$392,500
Homes sold in September	24
Active listings	168
Average days on market	131.6
Months of inventory	7.0

Source: MLS United, residential statistics, September 2026. Months of inventory = active listings ÷ homes sold that month.

Two things stand out.

First, Bay St. Louis is one of the most expensive markets on the Coast. Its $405,000 September median sold price was the highest of the 13 cities we track, ahead of Pass Christian ($391,375), about $150,000 above Diamondhead and more than double Pascagoula.

Second — and this is the more useful fact — the gap between asking and selling is small. In September the sold median ($405,000) actually came in above the asking median ($392,500); in August the gap was about 5%. That is tight. It tells you that the homes which do sell in Bay St. Louis are priced close to right. The problem is not that sellers here are wildly optimistic. It is that there are simply a lot of homes and not many buyers, so the ones that are even slightly off get skipped.

Over the past year the median sold price has swung hard, from $199,000 in December to $415,000 in July. That volatility is a function of low monthly sales volume and a wide mix of property types, not of a market lurching around. Do not read a single month as a trend.

The Neighborhoods

Bay St. Louis has more distinct residential areas than most Coast towns its size, and they behave differently.

Old Town and First Ward is the historic heart — walkable, close to the beach and Main Street, and the reason a lot of people fall in love with the Bay in the first place. Inventory here is limited and tends to hold value.

Shoreline Park is the largest platted subdivision in the area and offers a genuinely broad price range, from modest homes to properties near $1M.

Clermont Harbor and Garden Isles sit toward the water and carry some of the higher-end inventory.

Jourdan River Estates is where you look for river access. Riverview and Chapel Hill hold the top of the current market — the two most expensive active listings in the city sit in those two subdivisions.

Carroll, Choctaw Oaks, and the surrounding established neighborhoods make up much of the mid-market.

As with much of Hancock County, a large share of Bay St. Louis inventory is unplatted — recorded in the MLS as “Metes and Bounds.” Those are the acreage and waterfront parcels, and they price on land, not on comparable houses.

Want the full breakdown? Read our complete guide to the best neighborhoods in Bay St. Louis, MS — where to live by lifestyle, budget, and commute.

Schools

Bay St. Louis is served by the Bay St. Louis–Waveland School District, shared with neighboring Waveland. Active listings reference Bay St. Louis Elementary.

Some properties on the city’s outskirts fall into the Hancock County School District instead. If schools matter to your decision, verify the assignment for the specific parcel — the two districts are not interchangeable and the boundary does not follow the city line.

How to Approach the Bay St. Louis Market

If you are buying: this is still one of the more negotiable markets on the Coast. With 168 homes on the market and sold homes averaging more than four months on market, you have time, you have options, and you have room. Look hard at anything that has passed 120 days on market — that seller has now watched four months go by and is thinking differently than they were in the spring. Ask for closing costs. Ask for repairs. The leverage is real.

If you are selling: the narrow ask-to-sold spread is telling you something important. Buyers in the Bay are not making lowball offers on well-priced homes — they are simply ignoring the ones that are priced wrong. Your first three weeks determine everything. Come in at the number, not $20,000 above it hoping to negotiate down. The homes that try that are the ones sitting at 150 days.

Bay St. Louis FAQs

Is Bay St. Louis a buyer’s market?

It depends on the month. In September 2026, 168 active listings against 24 sales worked out to 7.0 months of inventory, which leans toward buyers; in August it was 4.2 months, leaning toward sellers. Long days on market still give buyers room to negotiate.

What is the median home price in Bay St. Louis?

$405,000 sold in September 2026. Median asking price across active listings was $392,500.

How long do homes take to sell in Bay St. Louis?

An average of 131.6 days in September 2026 — the slowest of the 13 Coast cities we track.

Why is Bay St. Louis more expensive than Gulfport or Biloxi?

Waterfront and near-water inventory makes up a larger share of what is for sale, and Old Town commands a premium. The median reflects the mix of homes, not a like-for-like price difference.

What school district serves Bay St. Louis?

Bay St. Louis–Waveland School District. Some outlying properties are zoned to Hancock County schools.

Not sure which town fits? Read our comparison of Ocean Springs vs. Bay St. Louis.