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Canada Housing Market Overview 2026

Updated

City housing market reports

We track housing market data for 32 Canadian cities and regions. Click any city below for the full report.

🇨🇦 March 2026 Snapshot Source: CREA, Apr 15 2026

$673,084National avg price▼ 0.8% YoY
▼ 4.7%HPI benchmark YoY▼ 0.4% MoM (slowing)
47.8%Sales-to-new-listingsBalanced territory
5.0 moMonths of supplyNational average
167,524Active listings▲ 1% YoY · 10.6% below LTA

⚠️ Double headwind: trade war uncertainty + fixed rates jumped above 4% mid-March. CREA revised 2026 forecast downward. BC & ON benchmarks -5 to -7% YoY — Quebec & Prairies still rising.

  • National prices soft: avg $673,084 (-0.8% YoY); HPI benchmark -4.7% YoY — monthly pace of decline is slowing
  • BC & Ontario under pressure: buyer's markets across the board; Vancouver -6.8%, Toronto -7.0%, with benchmark declines of 5–9% in most cities
  • Prairies & Quebec leading: Calgary +2.4%, Edmonton +2.2%, Montreal +6.1% — fundamentals remain strong in more affordable markets
  • Fixed rates jumped above 4% mid-March, adding friction heading into spring; CREA revised its 2026 forecast downward
  • Inventory at decade highs in select markets: 167,524 active listings nationally — up 1% YoY but still 10.6% below the long-term average

Provincial housing market reports

We also publish detailed reports for all 10 Canadian provinces. Click any province for the full analysis.

Ontario

British Columbia

Quebec

Prairies

Atlantic Canada

More housing market data

National market snapshot

For the latest national market interpretation, use the city and provincial reports above and the housing-starts companion hub. This page is optimized as a market directory and quick-reference index so readers can move directly to local data that matters for their buying or selling decision.

Canada’s housing market is best understood at the regional level. Conditions vary dramatically from coast to coast.

RegionMarket ConditionsPrice Trend (YoY)Months of SupplyInventory
British ColumbiaBuyer’sDeclining (-2.0% avg, -5.6% benchmark)7.8 months*Elevated
OntarioBuyer’sDeclining (-4.8% avg, -6.5% benchmark)4.6 monthsElevated
Prairies (AB, SK, MB)Seller’s to balancedMixed (AB benchmarks -3% to -9%, SK +6.0%, MB +3.0%)2.1–4.3 monthsLow to moderate
QuebecSeller’sRising (+6% SF median, +6.9% benchmark)4.4 months*Moderate
Atlantic CanadaMixedMixed (NS +0.2%, NB +4.6% bench, NL +0.1%, PEI +1.2%)4.8–6.7 monthsModerate

*February 2026 data.

The biggest story in March 2026 is the double headwind of trade war uncertainty and a mid-month jump in fixed mortgage rates. CREA has revised its 2026 sales forecast downward. British Columbia and Ontario continue to see the steepest year-over-year price declines, while Quebec and Saskatchewan post the strongest gains. Alberta’s market has shifted significantly — benchmark prices are now down year-over-year across all property types in Calgary, a reversal from the gains seen through most of 2025. Manitoba stands out as the tightest market nationally at just 2.1 months of supply.

Government housing policies in Canada

Federal and provincial governments have implemented several policies that significantly affect the housing market:

Mortgage stress test

All federally regulated lenders require borrowers to qualify at the greater of their contracted rate plus 2% or the Bank of Canada’s qualifying rate (currently 5.25%). This limits how much Canadians can borrow and is designed to ensure borrowers can handle rate increases. Use our mortgage qualification calculator or mortgage stress test calculator to see how this affects your borrowing power.

Foreign buyer ban

The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, originally effective January 1, 2023, restricts non-Canadians from purchasing residential property in Census Metropolitan Areas. The ban has been extended through January 1, 2027.

First Home Savings Account (FHSA)

Introduced in 2023, the FHSA lets first-time home buyers save up to $8,000 per year (up to a $40,000 lifetime limit) in a tax-advantaged account. Contributions are tax-deductible (like an RRSP) and withdrawals for a qualifying home purchase are tax-free (like a TFSA). Learn more with our FHSA calculator.

Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP)

The Home Buyers’ Plan lets first-time buyers withdraw up to $60,000 from their RRSPs to fund a home purchase. This can be combined with the FHSA for even more tax-advantaged savings toward a down payment.

CMHC mortgage insurance

Buyers with less than 20% down payment must purchase mortgage default insurance through CMHC, Sagen, or Canada Guaranty. Insurance premiums range from 2.8% to 4.0% of the mortgage amount depending on the down payment size. Use our mortgage insurance calculator to estimate your premiums.

Provincial policies

Individual provinces levy their own property transfer taxes and have additional regulations. Notable examples include British Columbia’s foreign buyer tax (20%) and speculation tax, Ontario’s non-resident speculation tax, and Quebec’s welcome tax (droits de mutation). See our land transfer tax calculator for province-specific calculations.

Useful housing calculators

Planning to enter the Canadian housing market? These tools can help you prepare:

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