Data on resident buyers who are persons that purchased a residential property in a market sale and filed their T1 tax return form: number of and incomes of residential property buyers, sale price, price-to-income ratio by the number of buyers as part of a sale, age groups, first-time home buyer status, buyer characteristics (sex, family type, immigration status, period of immigration, admission category).

The average mortgage payment in the large and mid-sized cities in Canada ranged between 1,300 Canadian dollars and 2,600 Canadian dollars. In the fourth quarter of the year, Vancouver topped the ranking, with homebuyers paying, on average, ***** Canadian dollars monthly. In Toronto, the average monthly scheduled mortgage payment was ***** Canadian dollars. Canada’s housing market House prices in Canada vary widely across the country. In 2023, the average sales price of detached single-family homes in Vancouver was nearly three times as expensive as the national average. Vancouver is undoubtedly considered the least affordable housing market: In 2023, the cost of buying a home with a **-year mortgage in Canada was approximately ** percent of the median household income, whereas in Vancouver, it was nearly *** percent. Development of house prices The development of house prices depends on multiple factors, such as availability on the market and demand. Since 2005, house prices in Canada have been continuously growing. According to the MSL composite house price index, 2021 measured the highest house price increase.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.