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In recent quarters, financing conditions have been loosened significantly stateside so that there has been convergence. Still, easier access to mortgage financing through much of 2020 could have played a part in Canada's housing market outperformance. Home price and sales metrics show that while the U.S. market is hot, Canada's is hotter. For example, existing home sales, which make up the majority of overall sales in both countries, is well above historical averages in both countries, but Canadian home sales have outperformed .
Speaking from experience in the Corporate Finance/Accounting world, salaries are definitely higher in the US. It’s common for workers even in small to medium sized U.S. cities to earn more than workers in big Canadian cities. They don’t realize Millennials are the first generation to have less than the previous generation, and are required to spend more to print the wealth. Then they would ned the same predatory attitude towards the next generations if they want the same.
Pre-construction a risky gambit, real estate broker says
Perhaps you don’t realize how good you have it because you’ve never traveled or lived abroad before. The median home price in America is anywhere from $350,000 – $400,000, depending on whose data you use. Let’s average the range out and say the median U.S. home price is $375,000.
Both countries saw a similar amount of disposable income growth. One expects the next generation of home buyers to devote much more of their income to supporting the wealth of previous generations. Now, well into January, the comparison continues to be dramatic. With the current market exchange rate, the average U.S. price is equal to approximately C$445,000, meaning Canada’s average home prices continue to hover a whole 40% over those in the states.
Are houses in Canada more expensive than the US?
But is one real estate market more affordable than the other? These elements can impact the cost of owning a semi-detached property in a rural community or a two-bedroom condominium in a major urban centre. ²It's worthwhile noting that in recent months, the gap between U.S. and Canadian mortgage rates has closed owing in part to stronger growth expectations pushing up longer-term yields. But the pickup in housing activity in Canada has been far stronger than that in the U.S. As shown in Charts 1 and 2, sales and prices have sprinted ahead, and the gap is widening.

This dynamic will not apply to most heartland cities. Their housing stock will remain a consumer commodity. Without a large global pool of potential buyers, their housing markets will be far less stable and far less liquid. Wow, I had no idea that Canadian real estate is so expensive. I’ve always thought the real estate market has been in a ‘bubble’ for a while but when you do an apples-to-apples comparison to another country, American real estate does definitely seem a lot cheaper. However, the Canadian housing market has clearly decoupled from fundamentals.
Stronger Bank Of Mom And Dad Culture
The Canadian housing market has proven to be consistently strong over the past 15 years even through a global economic down turn. A significant gap between the average price of a home in Canada and the United States has widened to record levels according to Bank of Montreal’s chief economist Doug Porter. The income gap or surplus for each city is calculated as the difference between the actual median income of each city and the income required to purchase a median home. In the first quarter of 2020, Canadian real estate prices advanced 29 times the rate of American home prices. This was attributed to the diverse array of fiscal and monetary policies employed by Ottawa since the Great Recession.

Everywhere I look around me, people are rich beyond my wildest dreams and making millions off equity grants. Long story short, we are starting to come to the conclusion that we will never be able to afford the East Bay house we want, and maybe we should move elsewhere. The thought is I can aero-commute into SF for client and team meetings as needed. In 2012, I left banking after negotiating a severance package worth over five years of living expenses. Today, I enjoy being a stay-at-home dad to two young children, playing tennis, and writing. With the growth of work from home and solid demographic trends to lower cost areas of the country, CrowdStreet’s offerings are positioned very well.
The Least Affordable North American Markets
The same is true for Canada, especially in provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia. The average price of homes in Canada is around USD550,723 compared to the US, where it’s USD308,220. But this doesn’t mean you won’t find houses in Canada that are cheaper than those in the US. Homes are costlier in Canada due to low-interest rates, demand, foreign investors, and immigration. Calgary real estatecan be considered the most affordable of all the studied markets, with a whopping surplus of $30,298 ($40,297 CAD), and a median household income of $73,183 ($97,334 CAD). Vancouver real estate, Canada’s most expensive housing market, places second overall in terms of unaffordability with an income gap of $74,825 ($99,517 CAD), compared to a median income of $49,118 ($65,327 CAD).
The indexed quarterly value of home prices from Q to Q4 2020. This factor is countered though, the report says, by partial mortgage deductibility for those in the U.S. This chart shows US and Canadian home prices from 1999 to 2010. Since August 2008, Canadian prices have been higher than US prices. Canada's fastest growing real estate blog, right to your inbox. It is unfortunate that govt and BOC are sitting quiet on this.
Despite these factors, the US and Canadian housing market were both red hot in 2020 – and real estate experts anticipate comparable growth in 2021. We calculate prices for Canada and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 153 and 2202 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information. There is absolutely no reason for housing prices to increase in an area just because it is currently cheap relative to local incomes. Thanks for these posts comparing US housing values to other countries.

Even though the price of homes in Canada varies across provinces and cities, the average cost of a home in the country as of September 2021 is CAD686,650, equivalent to USD550,723. At this rate, the Canadian national average home price is far above that of the US which is USD308,220. This clearly shows that homes in Canada are costlier than those in America by over 40%. Both countries expect the next generation to pay more for real estate.
Additional debt, taxes, insurance, heating, and other homeownership-related expenses were not included. Canadian dollar figures were then converted to U.S. dollars at an exchange rate of $1.33 CAD to $1.00 USD. For example, both nations have experienced a run up in land prices in their largest urban centres, fueled by record-low interest rates and a lack of supply, especially for the most affordable entry level housing. Overall, the US and Canadian real estate markets have been one of the bright spots in a year otherwise mired in destitution and despair. But let’s compare affordability and the broader performance of the hottest and coolest housing markets in Canada and the US.
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