Best Communities

Best communities in Canada with affordable real estate 2019

These are some of the most ideal places to live in Canada with affordable homes

Salmon Arm, B.C. (Photograph by Kathleen Fisher)

Buying a home in Canada can be a challenge, especially in major cities where average Canadians with modest earnings are almost entirely priced out of the real estate market. Affording a home can be especially tough for single millennials, who can’t rely on the power of two incomes to qualify for a mortgage.

But if you’ve ever considered escaping the metropolitan rat race in search of a calmer, more affordable place, you’ll do no better than settling in Salmon Arm, B.C.. It’s a town of 18,000 east of Kamloops, and it also took the no. 6 spot in our overall ranking.

READ: This is the best community in Canada

Located on the shores of Shuswap Lake and surrounded by mountains, Salmon Arm provides beautiful trails for cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and hiking. The tourist hotspot also has a robust local economy with a healthy job market. All these factors have contributed to a population increase of 8.7 per cent over the last five years.

For anyone chasing the goal of homeownership but finding the prospect demoralizing, Salmon Arm’s housing prices are actually within reach of the average person. The average primary residence in the town is just $429,000. Salmon Arm is also in the top 25 per cent of all cities for lowest taxes, and if you enjoy close-knit community culture with lots of jobs in the arts and tourism sectors, Salmon Arm is also in the top 25 per cent in the culture and community category. It has a campus of Okanagan College that offers many programs in a wide range of fields.

READ: Why these small towns offer more than big cities

However, if Salmon Arm isn’t for you, consider the Eastern Ontario Township of Russell. Located south-east of Canada’s capital of Ottawa with the average home valued at around $420,000, this small community is in the top 25 per cent of all cities for safety, and it’s less than a 30-minute drive from the amenities of Ottawa.

Our ranking of the best affordable communities in Canada is based on the same 10 categories as the main ranking: Wealth and economy, affordability, population growth, taxes, commute, crime, weather, access to health care, amenities and culture. However, we eliminate any community with average housing prices over $500,000 from consideration. For more information, please see the methodology page.

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Rank City Province Average value of primary real estate Home price to income ratio Median household income Crime Severity Index 5-year average* Days per year above 0C
1 Salmon Arm BC $428,517 5.11 $76,048 53 214
2 Russell ON $419,917 3.21 $115,792 26 210
3 Tecumseh ON $426,474 3.62 $102,159 24 249
4 Terrace BC $257,965 2.77 $88,018 143 248
5 Weyburn SK $287,627 2.31 $85,357 80 169
6 Haldimand County ON $487,655 5.21 $84,225 42 245
7 LaSalle ON $407,888 3.52 $109,208 21 249
8 Kingston ON $427,733 4.66 $73,007 63 223
9 St. Albert AB $426,257 2.91 $123,659 50 177
10 Prince Rupert BC $303,883 3.22 $84,518 142 286
11 Nelson BC $400,943 5.25 $62,504 89 262
12 Clarence-Rockland ON $369,372 3.51 $97,551 31 200
13 Deux-Montagnes QC $285,786 3.35 $76,065 41 219
14 Norfolk County ON $435,509 5.04 $73,161 43 217
15 Blainville QC $434,311 3.87 $95,907 39 199
16 Cranbrook BC $330,011 3.49 $81,163 77 191
17 North Grenville ON $372,821 3.53 $100,412 31 202
18 St. Clair ON $327,983 2.84 $96,981 37 234
19 Carleton Place ON $349,851 3.74 $79,465 51 198
20 Prévost QC $300,891 3.01 $84,610 46 197
21 South Dundas ON $265,114 3.27 $70,924 34 209
22 Trois-Rivières QC $212,329 3.14 $53,768 58 197
23 Kamloops BC $474,829 4.99 $85,248 114 246
24 Niagara Falls ON $475,972 5.91 $66,801 53 241
25 Regina SK $402,703 3.79 $85,403 117 153
26 Tillsonburg ON $434,086 5.19 $63,811 45 217
27 West Nipissing ON $220,336 2.96 $60,211 54 190
28 Mirabel QC $389,970 4.48 $83,109 39 199
29 Essex ON $333,703 3.92 $76,800 26 243
30 Loyalist ON $414,598 3.94 $88,438 36 239
31 Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac QC $344,530 4.03 $87,112 41 219
32 Sherbrooke QC $273,958 4.01 $55,057 53 182
33 St. Thomas ON $285,748 3.56 $65,079 40 230
34 Victoriaville QC $195,773 2.92 $55,177 46 194
35 Fort Saskatchewan AB $423,422 3.38 $117,350 87 167
36 Saskatoon SK $405,333 3.88 $83,053 121 170
37 Edmonton AB $483,506 4.59 $88,797 109 185
38 Kingsville ON $388,239 4.28 $84,104 23 246
39 Magog QC $330,852 4.39 $55,784 51 198
40 Strathroy-Caradoc ON $350,604 3.95 $76,953 37 227
41 London ON $422,045 4.72 $66,821 76 223
42 Central Elgin ON $397,863 3.71 $97,205 29 230
43 St. Catharines ON $471,845 5.75 $64,260 53 238
44 Thorold ON $455,841 5.2 $70,861 53 240
45 Amherstburg ON $390,750 3.88 $93,324 21 243
46 Rimouski QC $214,078 2.93 $60,850 42 197
47 Rosemère QC $451,391 3.45 $109,680 51 202
48 Ingersoll ON $405,997 4.53 $81,201 43 223
49 Leamington ON $325,763 4.19 $68,120 48 246
50 Bécancour QC $209,663 2.72 $65,794 41 197
51 Lambton Shores ON $337,342 3.96 $74,721 37 229
52 Halifax NS $378,512 4.36 $73,213 65 234
53 Drummondville QC $239,637 3.63 $54,890 64 210
54 Greater Sudbury ON $350,107 3.58 $81,604 68 187
55 Quinte West ON $358,927 4.28 $72,963 39 217
56 Kenora ON $333,683 3.54 $82,455 89 186
57 Brantford ON $427,546 5.25 $68,639 86 218
58 Repentigny QC $330,976 3.67 $82,556 32 201
59 Mississippi Mills ON $428,574 3.78 $92,504 25 198
60 Boisbriand QC $313,662 3.49 $77,514 51 202
61 Welland ON $388,625 5.11 $61,753 53 227
62 North Dundas ON $322,050 3.53 $84,976 34 208
63 Chatham-Kent ON $259,647 3.33 $63,635 67 247
64 Petawawa ON $311,651 3.08 $96,831 25 181
65 L'Assomption QC $290,393 3.62 $77,990 44 211
66 Port Colborne ON $403,201 5.27 $61,742 53 245
67 Cornwall ON $214,068 3.18 $50,888 82 224
68 Quesnel BC $212,472 2.39 $68,037 191 188
69 Rothesay NB $402,809 2.99 $93,778 18 198
70 Vaudreuil-Dorion QC $411,735 4.58 $83,631 31 199
71 Windsor ON $291,007 3.95 $59,361 85 249
72 Terrebonne QC $336,938 3.72 $84,870 47 202
73 Lakeshore ON $442,988 4.08 $103,168 24 249
74 Penticton BC $445,998 5.71 $64,389 132 255
75 North Bay ON $310,890 3.69 $66,333 66 190
76 Belleville ON $377,571 4.65 $65,111 87 229
77 Saint-Eustache QC $279,160 3.34 $71,910 57 202
78 Estevan SK $399,026 3.31 $104,427 104 169
79 Sarnia ON $307,947 3.23 $72,612 79 233
80 Châteauguay QC $296,345 3.62 $71,260 42 218
81 Saint-Constant QC $341,236 3.5 $92,894 37 218
82 Woodstock ON $443,234 5.14 $75,864 72 217
83 Elizabethtown-Kitley ON $351,636 3.4 $83,981 38 227
84 Timmins ON $220,343 2.28 $81,431 90 159
85 Cantley QC $392,102 3.34 $119,037 36 203
86 Hanover MB $327,586 3.51 $83,173 41 166
87 The Nation ON $382,124 3.87 $94,433 36 200
88 Cobourg ON $464,476 5.3 $72,693 47 224
89 Brossard QC $445,786 4.45 $77,110 56 206
90 Prince George BC $299,550 3.11 $85,028 149 181
91 Lacombe AB $339,504 3.14 $94,054 77 156
92 Wasaga Beach ON $490,372 6.04 $68,698 35 204
93 Taché MB $363,480 3.36 $103,200 39 165
94 Mont-Saint-Hilaire QC $456,177 3.81 $98,119 37 288
95 Powell River BC $450,258 5.95 $64,414 64 323
96 Saint-Sauveur QC $397,661 4.41 $63,482 67 197
97 Mascouche QC $335,257 3.74 $84,514 47 205
98 Saint-Colomban QC $369,584 4.25 $87,035 39 197
99 Beloeil QC $341,477 3.65 $84,809 37 206
100 Steinbach MB $336,692 3.92 $68,936 80 166

 

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