ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Analysis: The income you need to buy a house in these major Canadian cities

Share

A homebuyer would need less income now to qualify for an average-priced home in a major Canadian city when compared to how much it was costing in the summer, according to new data from mortgage brokerage Ratehub.ca.

The brokerage analyzed 10 cities across Canada using October 2022 real estate data and compared data from June and August.

Homes across the country "are becoming more affordable," said in a report released on Nov. 16, 2022.

“With the Bank of Canada signalling that the worst of the rate hikes may be behind usâ€, the report noted, there was a reason to be “cautiously optimistic†about home affordability in Canada.

Ratehub.ca looks at the minimum annual income required to buy an average-priced home in Canada’s 10 major cities. The analysis keeps into account the changes in mortgage rates, stress test rates, and real estate prices.

Can't see the graphs below? Click here

RateHub.ca Co-CEO James Laird on Wednesday that it is likely that June 2022 was the low point for affordability since mortgage rates were up and home prices had not yet softened significantly.

The data collected from Ratehub.ca showed that Victoria had the highest drop in income and average-priced homes in October. The average price of a home in Victoria last month was $915,300, with a stress test rate of 7.44 per cent and a mortgage rate of 5.44 per cent.

Homebuyers would need to earn an annual income of at least $178,890 a year in October to qualify for a mortgage for an average-priced home, with a 20 per cent down payment.

Vancouver remained the most expensive city in Canada to buy an average-price home. One would need an income of $220,700 in order to be able to afford an average home worth $1,148,900. Toronto follows a close second, with a required income of $211,650.

The report noted that despite Vancouver being the most expensive city in Canada for buying a house, it is also where the prices have “declined the most substantially over the last few months.â€

"As affordability continues to improve, we will likely see homebuyers resume their search in the new year. We will have to see if sellers are interested in listing their homes at values that are significantly lower than their peak,†Laird said.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

The University of Ottawa's special advisor on antisemitism says he has resigned following posts he made on social media celebrating the pager explosions in Lebanon this week.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

Local Spotlight

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

If you take a look to the right of Hilda Duddridge’s 100th birthday cake, you’ll see a sculpture of a smiling girl extending her arms forward.

Stay Connected