Vancouver is one of the 'toughest' places in Canada to buy a home
In a list of 44 real estate markets, Vancouver ranks as one of the worst places to buy a home across the country.
MoneySense and Zoocasa recently published a report, where they say they “reveal the best places to buy property in Canada.” They based their findings on average home prices, price growth over time, and neighbourhood economics data. The top three best places to buy a home are Fredericton, St John’s, and Edmonton, according to MoneySense.
Not only did Vancouver rank poorly, but B.C. as a whole didn’t crack into the top 10.
In fact, Vancouver Island, the B.C. market highest on the list, is in 15th place. Victoria, which is its own region, is the second highest, at 32.
Meanwhile, Vancouver comes in at 40 out of 44, with a rating of 1.93 out of five stars.
“Notably, Vancouver, one of the toughest markets to break into, ranks among the lowest on our list for buying conditions. It reflects ongoing affordability challenges, with homes priced well above the Canada average,” said Natasha Macmillan, head of Moneysense.ca, in a statement.
The average home price in the Greater Vancouver area was $1,155,575, with negative growth of three per cent expected in the next three years and positive growth of 24 per cent in the next five.
If a home is worth $1.5 million or more, the minimum down payment is 20 per cent of the full price. If you pay less than that, you need to pay for mortgage default insurance, where the insurance premium is often added to the mortgage principal.
In Vancouver, with the average detached home costing $1,835,900 and home-buyers needing to pay at least 20 per cent of that upfront, a minimum down payment for a detached house is about $367,180.
Brittany Kostov, an industry relations officer at Zoocasa, said in a statement that affordability is one of the biggest barriers for Canadians entering the housing market, after years of rising costs.
“It’s reshaping where people choose to invest. In 2025, more buyers expanded their search beyond major urban centres in favour of markets offering a strong sense of community and excellent access to nature,” she said in a statement.
If we compare Vancouver to MoneySense’s number one ranking, Fredericton, the numbers are stark. The average price in 2025 was $344,467 ($800,000 cheaper than Vancouver). MoneySense also predicts that Fredericton real estate will see a 10 per cent growth in price within one year, 21 per cent within three years, and 74 per cent growth in five years.
The two other B.C. markets on the list are Chilliwack at 41st and the Fraser Valley, which takes the bottom spot at 44.