The average resale house price in Canada was forecast to reach nearly 836,000 Canadian dollars in 2026, according to a January forecast. In 2024, house prices increased after falling for the first time since 2019. One of the reasons for the price correction was the notable drop in transaction activity. Housing transactions picked up in 2024 and are expected to continue to grow until 2026. British Columbia, which is the most expensive province for housing, is projected to see the average house price reach 1.2 million Canadian dollars in 2026. Affordability in Vancouver Vancouver is the most populous city in British Columbia and is also infamously expensive for housing. In 2023, the city topped the ranking for least affordable housing market in Canada, with the average homeownership cost outweighing the average household income. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but most residents believe that foreigners investing in the market cause the high housing prices. Victoria housing market The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, where housing prices are also very high. The price of a single family home in Victoria's most expensive suburb, Oak Bay was 1.9 million Canadian dollars in 2024.

The number of home sales in the United States peaked in 2021 at almost seven million after steadily rising since 2018. Nevertheless, the market contracted in the following year, with transaction volumes falling to 4.8 million. Home sales remained muted in 2024, with a mild increase expected in 2025 and 2026. A major factor driving this trend is the unprecedented increase in mortgage interest rates due to high inflation. How have U.S. home prices developed over time? The average sales price of new homes has also been rising since 2011. Buyer confidence seems to have recovered after the property crash, which has increased demand for homes and also the prices sellers are demanding for homes. At the same time, the affordability of U.S. homes has decreased. Both the number of existing and newly built homes sold has declined since the housing market boom during the coronavirus pandemic. Challenges in housing supply The number of housing units in the U.S. rose steadily between 1975 and 2005 but has remained fairly stable since then. Construction increased notably in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the number of construction starts steadily rising, before plummeting amid the infamous housing market crash. Housing starts slowly started to pick up in 2011, mirroring the economic recovery. In 2022, the supply of newly built homes plummeted again, as supply chain challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and tariffs on essential construction materials such as steel and lumber led to prices soaring.

The U.S. housing market continues to evolve, with the median home price forecast to reach 426,000 U.S. dollars by the second quarter of 2026. This projection comes after a period of significant growth and recent fluctuations, reflecting the complex interplay of economic factors affecting the real estate sector. The rising costs have not only impacted home prices, but also down payments, with the median down payment more than doubling since 2012. Regional variations in housing costs Home prices and down payments vary dramatically across the United States. While the national median down payment stood at approximately 26,700 U.S. dollars in early 2024, homebuyers in states like California, Massachusetts, and Hawaii faced down payments exceeding 74,000 U.S. dollars. This disparity highlights the challenges of homeownership in high-cost markets and underscores the importance of location in determining housing affordability. Market dynamics and future outlook The housing market has shown signs of cooling after years of rapid growth, with more modest price increases of 4.8 percent in 2022 and 6.5 percent in 2023. This slowdown can be attributed in part to rising mortgage rates, which have tempered demand. Despite these challenges, most states continued to see year-over-year price growth in the fourth quarter of 2023, with Rhode Island and Vermont leading the pack at over 13 percent appreciation. As the market adjusts to new economic realities, potential homebuyers and investors alike will be watching closely for signs of stabilization or renewed growth in the coming years.

The number of U.S. home sales in the United States declined in 2023, after soaring in 2021. A total of four million transactions of existing homes, including single-family, condo, and co-ops, were completed in 2023, down from 6.12 million in 2021. According to the forecast, the housing market is forecast to head for recovery in 2025, despite transaction volumes are expected to remain below the long-term average. Why have home sales declined? The housing boom during the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that being a homeowner is still an integral part of the American dream. Nevertheless, sentiment declined in the second half of 2022 and Americans across all generations agreed that the time was not right to buy a home. A combination of factors has led to house prices rocketing and making homeownership unaffordable for the average buyer. A survey among owners and renters found that the high home prices and unfavorable economic conditions were the two main barriers to making a home purchase. People who would like to purchase their own home need to save up a deposit, have a good credit score, and a steady and sufficient income to be approved for a mortgage. In 2022, mortgage rates experienced the most aggressive increase in history, making the total cost of homeownership substantially higher. Only 15 percent of U.S. renters could afford to become homeowners and in metros with highly competitive housing markets such as Los Angeles, CA, and Urban Honolulu, HI, this share was below five percent. Are U.S. home prices expected to fall? The median sales price of existing homes stood at 387,000 U.S. dollars in 2023 and was forecast to increase slightly until 2025. The development of the S&P/Case Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index shows that home prices experienced seven consecutive months of decline between June 2022 and January 2023, but this trend reversed in the following months. Despite mild fluctuations throughout the year, home prices in many metros are forecast to continue to grow, albeit at a much slower rate.

The average Canadian house price declined slightly in 2023, after four years of consecutive growth. The average house price stood at 678,282 Canadian dollars in 2023 and was forecast to reach 746,379 Canadian dollars by 2026. Home sales on the rise The number of housing units sold is also set to increase over the two-year period. From 443,511 units sold, the annual number of home sales in the country is expected to rise to 453,704 in 2025. British Columbia and Ontario have traditionally been housing markets with prices above the Canadian average, and both are set to witness an increase in sales in 2025. How did Canadians feel about the future development of house prices? When it comes to consumer confidence in the performance of the real estate market in the next six months, Canadian consumers in 2024 mostly expected that the market would go up. A slightly lower share of the respondents believed real estate prices would remain the same.

House prices in Trondheim, Norway, rose year-on-year since 2019, except for 2021, when they declined by 1.6 percent. In March 2026, house prices rose 0.5 percent.

The average house price in Saskatchewan was about 320,912 Canadian dollars in 2024, and according to the forecast, is set to increase in the next two years. However, house price growth in the province is expected to be slower than the national average. In terms of home prices, Saskatchewan is one of the most affordable provinces for housing. Saskatchewan: key factsSaskatchewan is a province located between Alberta and Manitoba north of the Canada-United States border. In 2023, the population of Saskatchewan was over one million, which placed it as the sixth most populous Canada province. However, the population has been on the rise since 2006, so this may change in the future. Future of the housing marketThe number of housing starts in the province has been falling since 2012, which suggests that either supply is outstripping demand or that it’s simply not profitable enough for property developers. Some real estate experts in the region believe that the falling price of oil is causing the housing market slowdown because there are fewer jobs in the region as a result. However, they expect that the market will pick up again in the near future.

The average house price in Nova Scotia in 2024 stood at approximately 447,800 Canadian dollars. In the next year, house prices are forecast to further increase by about five percent. Compared to other provinces, Nova Scotia ranked below the national average in terms of house prices. However, the average price of a house in Nova Scotia was twice lower than in Ontario or British Columbia. Exploding population growth in recent yearsNova Scotia is the second-smallest province after Prince Edward Island, and had a population of just under one million in 2018. The population of this province was relatively steady between 2000 and 2015, but has taken off since then. This sudden growth may be a factor in the increasing house prices, as demand also increases due to the greater number of residents looking for homes. The future of housing affordability in Nova ScotiaHalifax, the provincial capital, had an affordable housing market as of 2018, with mortgage payments only constituting about 30 percent of average household incomes. The number of housing starts in the region has increased in the past few years, which also suggests an increase in demand. Only time will tell whether this will ensure a sufficient supply of homes for the region in response to its growing population.

Just as in many other countries, the housing market in the UK grew substantially during the coronavirus pandemic, fueled by robust demand and low borrowing costs. Nevertheless, high inflation and the increase in mortgage rates has led to house price growth slowing down. According to the forecast, 2024 is expected to see house prices decrease by three percent. Between 2024 and 2028, the average house price growth is projected at 2.7 percent. A contraction after a period of continuous growth In June 2022, the UK's house price index exceeded 150 index points, meaning that since 2015 which was the base year for the index, house prices had increased by 50 percent. In just two years, between 2020 and 2022, the index surged by 30 index points. As the market stood in December 2023, the average price for a home stood at approximately 284,691 British pounds. Rents are expected to continue to grow According to another forecast, the prime residential market is also expected to see rental prices grow in the next years. Growth is forecast to be stronger in 2024 and slow down in the period between 2025 and 2028. The rental market in London is expected to follow a similar trend, with Central London slightly outperforming Greater London.

The average house price in British Columbia in 2024 stood at about 982,100 Canadian dollars and, according to the forecast, is set to increase by two percent, reaching 1,001,871 Canadian dollars in the following year. The average house price in Canada is forecast to grow in the next two years.

The house price for Ontario is forecast to increase slightly in 2024, after declining by six percent in 2023. From roughly 872,312 Canadian dollars, the average house price in Canada's second most expensive province for housing is expected to rise to 876,410 Canadian dollars in 2024. After British Columbia, Ontario is Canada's most expensive province for housing. Ontario Ontario is the most populated province in Canada, located on the eastern-central side of the country. It is an English speaking province. To the south, it borders American states Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Its provincial capital and largest city is Toronto. It is also home to Canada’s national capital, Ottawa. Furthermore, a large part of Ontario’s economy comes from manufacturing, as it is the leading manufacturing province in Canada. The population of Ontario has been steadily increasing since 2000. The population in 2018 was an estimated 14.3 million people. The median total family income in 2021 came to 100,000 Canadian dollars. Ontario housing market The number of housing units sold in Ontario is projected to rise until 2024. Additionally, the average home prices in Ontario have significantly increased since 2007.

The average house price in Alberta, Canada in 2024 was approximately 494,097 Canadian dollars. By 2025, this figure is forecast to reach 534,861 Canadian dollars. The number of home sales in the province surged in 2021, and in 2025, the annual number of housing transactions is expected to exceed 85,000. Compared to other provinces, Alberta ranked below the national average, but housing was still more expensive than in New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

After surging in 2021, sales activity in the Canadian housing market slowed down in the next two years. According to the forecast, the number of home sales in 2026 is expected to reach almost 556,660. The Canadian residential housing market is going through a period of change because the skyrocketing home prices are being tempered by various governmental interventions. One of the measures is such as a two-year ban on foreign purchases. Additionally, the government introduced a tax on vacant foreign-owned housing and a tax on assignment sales - resales of homes that have not been constructed or lived in before the time of the sale.

Residential apartments were, on average, more expensive in Sheikh Zayed City. As of 2023, a unit there costs 61,852 Egyptian pounds per square meter (almost 1,998.45 U.S. dollars). The price trend was expected to continue to rise reaching 108,815 three years later. The 6th of October City and New Cairo followed, expected to jump to 83,495 and 74,854 Egyptian pounds per square meter (around 2697 and 2419 U.S. dollars), respectively.

The U.S. mortgage market has declined notably since 2020 and 2021, mostly due to the effect of higher borrowing costs on refinance mortgages. The value of refinancing mortgage originations, amounted to 86 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2024, down from a peak of 851 billion U.S. dollars in the fourth quarter of 2020. The value of mortgage loans for the purchase of a property recorded milder fluctuations, with a value of 291 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2024, and a market peak of 477 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2022. According to the forecast, mortgage lending is expected to slightly increase until the end of 2025. The cost of mortgage borrowing in the U.S. Mortgage interest rates in the U.S. rose dramatically in 2022 and continued to increase in 2023. In 2020, a homebuyer could lock in a 30-year fixed interest rate of under three percent, whereas in 2023, the average rate for the same mortgage type exceeded seven percent. That has led to a decline in homebuyer sentiment, and an increasing share of the population pessimistic about buying a home in the current market. The effect of a slower housing market on property prices and rents According to the S&P/Case Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, housing prices experienced a slight correction in early 2023, as property transactions declined. Nevertheless, the index continued to grow in the following months. On the other hand, residential rents have increased steadily since 2000.

Although the value of development land in the United Kingdom (UK) is forecasted to continue growing between 2022 and 2026, the growth rate is expected to slow down. According to the forecast, land values are expected to increase by 3.5 percent in 2022 and by three percent in 2023. In recent years, house prices have increased considerably across the UK due to the especially high demand, limited availability and rising construction costs. With the housing market cooling down, it can be expected that land values will also be affected. It is expected that by 2026, the annual development land value growth rate will decrease to 1.5 percent.

A total of 490,000 home resales took place in Canada in 2024, and by 2026, this figure is set to increase by more than 71,000. Among the different provinces, Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec were the most active markets for existing housing. In Ontario alone, the number of home resales totaled almost 181,000 in 2024. Nevertheless, British Columbia was the province with the highest average resale house price.

Retail properties had the highest capitalization rates in the United States in 2023, followed by offices. The cap rate for office real estate was 6.54 percent in the fourth quarter of the year and was forecast to rise further to 7.39 percent in 2024. Cap rates measure the expected rate of return on investment, and show the net operating income of a property as a percentage share of the current asset value. While a higher cap rate indicates a higher rate of return, it also suggests a higher risk. Why have cap rates increased? The increase in cap rates is a consequence of a repricing in the commercial real estate sector. According to the National NCREIF Property Return Index, prices for commercial real estate declined across all property types in 2023. Rental growth was slow during the same period, resulting in a negative annual return. The increase in cap rates reflects the increased risk in the investment environment. Pricing uncertainty in the commercial real estate sector Between 2014 and 2021, commercial property prices in the U.S. enjoyed steady growth. Access to credit with low interest rates facilitated economic growth and real estate investment. As inflation surged in the following two years, lending policy tightened. That had a significant effect on the sector. First, it worsened sentiment among occupiers. Second, it led to a decline in demand for commercial spaces and commercial real estate investment volumes. Uncertainty about the future development of interest rates and occupier demand further contributed to the repricing of real estate assets.

In 2023, the U.S. Consumer Price Index was 309.42, and is projected to increase to 352.27 by 2029. The base period was 1982-84. The monthly CPI for all urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. After a time of high inflation, the U.S. inflation rateis projected fall to two percent by 2027. United States Consumer Price Index ForecastIt is projected that the CPI will continue to rise year over year, reaching 325.6 in 2027. The Consumer Price Index of all urban consumers in previous years was lower, and has risen every year since 1992, except in 2009, when the CPI went from 215.30 in 2008 to 214.54 in 2009. The monthly unadjusted Consumer Price Index was 296.17 for the month of August in 2022. The U.S. CPI measures changes in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households and is thought to reflect inflation in the U.S. as well as the health of the economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the CPI and defines it as, "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services." The BLS records the price of thousands of goods and services month by month. They consider goods and services within eight main categories: food and beverage, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, and other goods and services. They aggregate the data collected in order to compare how much it would cost a consumer to buy the same market basket of goods and services within one month or one year compared with the previous month or year. Given that the CPI is used to calculate U.S. inflation, the CPI influences the annual adjustments of many financial institutions in the United States, both private and public. Wages, social security payments, and pensions are all affected by the CPI.

The statistic shows the average inflation rate in Canada from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. The inflation rate is calculated using the price increase of a defined product basket. This product basket contains products and services, on which the average consumer spends money throughout the year. They include expenses for groceries, clothes, rent, power, telecommunications, recreational activities and raw materials (e.g. gas, oil), as well as federal fees and taxes. In 2022, the average inflation rate in Canada was approximately 6.8 percent compared to the previous year. For comparison, inflation in India amounted to 5.56 percent that same year.

Inflation in Canada

In general, the inflation rate in Canada follows a global trend of decreasing inflation rates since 2011, with the lowest slump expected to occur during 2015, but forecasts show an increase over the following few years. Additionally, Canada's inflation rate is in quite good shape compared to the rest of the world. While oil and gas prices have dropped in Canada much like they have around the world, food and housing prices in Canada have been increasing. This has helped to offset some of the impact of dropping oil and gas prices and the effect this has had on Canada´s inflation rate.

The annual consumer price index of food and non-alcoholic beverages in Canada has been steadily increasing over the last decade. The same is true for housing and other price indexes for the country. In general there is some confidence that the inflation rate will not stay this low for long, it is expected to return to a comfortable 2 percent by 2017 if estimates are correct.