5 Homes for Sale Under $400k That’ll Help You Lean into Your Cottagecore Dreams

If you’re reading this while dressed in a hand-sewn shirt, resting from canning homegrown vegetables, and singing to an anthropomorphic owl, then you already know Cottagecore. For those outside the shire, the hit aesthetic of 2020 imagines a simple yet enchanted cottage lifestyle for the digital generation. People in all corners of the U.S. can cut a homebaked slice of the aesthetic right now. Here are 5 Cottagecore-style homes for sale at or below $400,000 that are sure to please your inner sprite.

Price: $325,000
Size: 2,609 square feet
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 3

Up north in Minnesota, this enchanted Tudor is giving us some serious 15th-16th century England vibes (obviously, right?). The flora-lined corner property’s welcoming exterior beckons visitors into its preserved vintage interior. The home’s dining room, with its dark built-in cabinets, is the perfect spot for a tea party. And with such a spacious kitchen, you can host all your Cottagecore companions for a day of baking. Wear yourselves out and retire to the bedrooms upstairs for peaceful slumber, or wander outside into the fenced-in garden with a massive deck for outdoor crocheting and crafting. 

Price: $389,000
Size: 1,969 square feet
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2

Greenery surrounds this wooded lake country cottage, with a sprawling yard for lazing. With the living room’s wood beam ceilings, stone wall, and wood-burning fireplace, hygge is basically built into the home. There’s plenty of room upstairs for guests, and the master bedroom boasts a balcony on which you can sip a mug of tea and wait for your singing bird friends to come calling. And if you feel the need to shake things up, the lake—complete with its lily pads and aquatic wonder—is just a short jog away.  

Price: $400,000
Size: 1,093 square feet
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 1

This Portland cottage, tucked away in a blossoming garden, is Miss Honey-approved. Wander through towering plants to venture onto the front porch. The crisp interior’s vintage-aesthetic kitchen has all the modern updates that make the simple cottage life even easier. Pop on an apron and brew up some hot cocoa while you mend a shirt you tore while hunting morels. The wooden office is an inspired spot for a workshop. And the fenced-in backyard, complete with a chicken coop, offers a private space to enjoy windchimes and buzzing bumblebees.  

Price: $275,000
Size: 1,244 square feet
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2

As an Illinois-born and raised resident, I might be biased… but Cottagecore just feels right in the Midwest. And this Madison property with its sprawling garden and colorful interior fits the bill. This garden offers so many uses—vegetable harvesting, herb cultivating, and guest entertaining. The interior showcases more of the simple vintage aesthetic that Cottagecore evokes. Plentiful natural light lets the sun’s soft rays in, and provides beautiful glimpses into the green backyard. And the upstairs bedrooms, with their sloping ceilings, are cozy nooks for reading, writing, and dreaming.

Price: $385,000
Size: 1,134 square feet
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2

This Sacramento beauty proves that you don’t need to live in a fairyland to enjoy cottage life—there’s plenty of jam to be jarred out west. The white picket fence greets you as you head into the garden, which is ready for vegetable growing and flower picking. While the home’s interior is more modern than your average cottage, the updated kitchen is far more reliable for baking tarts and other treats than the kitchens in Middle Earth. The real gem of this property is its backyard, with lemon and avocado trees, the perfect patio for string lights, and even a chicken coop. It’s basically Stardew-meets-Sacramento Valley.