The best residential markets for single-income households

by Ephraim Vecina Mar 2018 MBN

While Canadian residential property prices have trended upward in recent years, home ownership on a single income is still very much within the realm of possibility, according to the latest report from real estate portal Zoocasa.

In its most recent study, Zoocasa calculated the home-price-to-income ratio – that is, the indicator of how long it would take an owner to fully pay off their home if they contributed 100% of their annual income to shelter costs – in Canada’s major markets.

Data was culled from February numbers provided by the Canadian Real Estate Board and the median household income from Statistics Canada. A higher ratio means a longer payment timeline.

Read more: Canadians’ debt-to-income ratio edges down – StatsCan

The 5 Most Affordable Home Markets

• Rank 5: Saguenay Home-price-to-income ratio: 6 Average home price: $161,587 Median one-person income: $29,125

• Rank 4: Fredericton Home-price-to-income ratio: 5 Average home price: $179,981 Median one-person income: $34,724

• Rank 3: Trois Riviers Home-price-to-income ratio: 4 Average home price: $153,591 Median one-person income: $34,745

• Rank 2: Greater Moncton Home-price-to-income ratio: 4 Average home price: $174,800 Median one-person income: $39,456

• Rank 1: Saint John Home-price-to-income ratio: 4 Average home price: $171,596 Median one-person income: $39,163

The 5 Least Affordable Home Markets

• Rank 5: Victoria Home-price-to-income ratio: 17 Average home price: $5642,800 Median one-person income: $37,793

• Rank 4: Okanagan Mainline Home-price-to-income ratio: 18 Average home price: $509,545 Median one-person income: $28,900

• Rank 3: Greater Toronto Home-price-to-income ratio: 19 Average home price: $751,700 Median one-person income: $39,560

• Rank 2: Fraser Valley Home-price-to-income ratio: 25 Average home price: $795,100 Median one-person income: $31,568

• Rank 1: Greater Vancouver Home-price-to-income ratio: 28 Average home price: $1,071,800 Median one-person income: $38,164