Buying · Quebec City · QPAREB Q2 2026 figures
Fifteen days to sell and eight boroughs that do not look alike: here is how to buy a house in Quebec City in 2026 without overpaying or missing the right street.
Buying a house in Quebec City in 2026 means buying in the fastest urban market in Quebec: a $485,000 median in the agglomeration (+8% year over year, +63% in five years), 15 days on the market, 643 houses active for 1,032 sales in the quarter, and a seller's market in every price range. The budget starts around $400,000 for a 1960s to 1980s bungalow in Charlesbourg, Beauport or Loretteville (about $1,933 a month with the minimum down payment, household income of about $88,000), passes $500,000 for a cottage in Lebourgneuf or Val-Bélair ($2,417, $109,000) and reaches $640,000 in Sainte-Foy, Sillery, Cap-Rouge or Saint-Augustin ($3,058, $137,000). At 10 days in Les Rivières and 11 days in Cap-Rouge, method makes the difference: a pre-approval before the first viewing, the borough chosen on closed sales, an offer the first weekend documented with the street's last three sales. Here are the budget, the sectors, the steps and the pitfalls.
The Quebec City agglomeration sold its median house for $485,000 in the second quarter of 2026, +8% year over year and +63% in five years, in 15 days, with 643 houses active for 1,032 sales in the quarter: under two months of inventory, a seller's market in every range. The gap between boroughs is the main fact for a buyer: $379,250 in Haute-Ville (mostly older townhouses, -3%), $467,000 in Beauport, $470,500 in Charlesbourg, $500,000 in Les Rivières (10 days), $625,000 in Saint-Augustin and Cap-Rouge, $640,000 in Sainte-Foy and Sillery. Around the city, the northern periphery (Stoneham, Lac-Beauport, Sainte-Brigitte) sells at $539,500 in 24 days and the South Shore (Lévis) at $438,000 in 22 days. The monthly picture is on the Quebec City market in August 2026.
| Sector (QPAREB, Q2 2026) | House, median | 1 year | 5 years | Days | Houses active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Foy, Sillery | $640,000 | +2% | +46% | 25 days | 74 |
| Saint-Augustin, Cap-Rouge | $625,000 | +4% | +58% | 11 days | 47 |
| Les Rivières (Lebourgneuf, Vanier, Duberger) | $500,000 | +7% | +75% | 10 days | 52 |
| Charlesbourg | $470,500 | +9% | +68% | 14 days | 102 |
| Beauport | $467,000 | +10% | +64% | 19 days | 152 |
| Val-Bélair, L'Ancienne-Lorette | $460,000 | +2% | +67% | 11 days | 82 |
| Haute-Saint-Charles (Loretteville, Lac-Saint-Charles) | $448,950 | +7% | +70% | 17 days | 101 |
| Haute-Ville (Montcalm, Saint-Sacrement, Old Quebec) | $379,250 | -3% | +45% | 35 days | 202 |
| Quebec City agglomeration, overall | $485,000 | +8% | +63% | 15 days | 643 |
| Range | Months of inventory | Market |
|---|---|---|
| < 240K | 2.0 months | Seller |
| 240K - 360K | 1.7 months | Seller |
| 360K - 600K | 1.6 months | Seller |
| 600K - 720K | 1.2 months | Seller |
| >= 720K | 2.6 months | Seller |
Under 4 months of inventory, the seller leads and a fairly priced house goes in three weeks; above 8 months, the buyer leads and the delay is counted in months.
| Purchase price | Minimum down payment | Monthly payment at 4.24 %, 30 years (CMHC premium included) | Gross household income required (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $20,000 | $1,933 | $88,000 |
| $480,000 | $24,000 | $2,320 | $105,000 |
| $550,000 | $30,000 | $2,646 | $119,000 |
| $640,000 | $39,000 | $3,058 | $137,000 |
| $750,000 | $50,000 | $3,561 | $159,000 |
Assumptions: 4.24 % five-year fixed rate, stress test at 6.24 %, 5 % down up to $500,000 and 10 % on the portion above, CMHC premium added to the loan, municipal and school taxes at 0.9 % of the price, $1,800 a year in heating, 39 % gross debt service ratio. Your file may give a different result.
Les Rivières (Lebourgneuf, Neufchâtel, Duberger, Vanier) sells the fastest in the agglomeration, 10 days, with 1970s to 2000s bungalows and cottages near the Galeries de la Capitale and the Robert-Bourassa expressway: it is the sector of the first-time buyer in a hurry. Charlesbourg (Trait-Carré, Notre-Dame-des-Laurentides) and Beauport (Montmorency Falls, Courville) sell family bungalows between $450,000 and $500,000 in two to three weeks. Haute-Saint-Charles (Loretteville, Lac-Saint-Charles, Saint-Émile) and Val-Bélair offer the larger lots under $460,000. Sainte-Foy and Sillery (Université Laval, Laurier boulevard, the Samuel-De Champlain promenade) are the urban high end at $640,000, with Cap-Rouge and Saint-Augustin at $625,000, in 11 days. Haute-Ville (Montcalm, Saint-Sacrement) sells few single-family houses, mostly older townhouses: the $379,250 median does not describe a bungalow. Our pages on Beauport, Les Rivières, Charlesbourg and Cap-Rouge detail each borough.
The delay: at 10 or 15 days, a fairly priced house sells the first weekend, and a buyer without a written pre-approval cannot make an acceptable offer. Iron ochre in parts of Beauport, Charlesbourg and Haute-Saint-Charles: check the French drain and the sump, and ask for the seller's declaration on water infiltration. Radon, present in the region: a 90-day test costs little. The City of Quebec's 2025-2027 three-year assessment roll is not market value, in either direction. Outside the urban perimeter (northern periphery), the well and the septic system are documented before conditions are lifted. And Quebec City's welcome tax, 2.5% from $500,000 to $750,000 then 3%: on a $640,000 house, count $9,110.50, of which $5,875 is refundable to a first-time buyer.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts 221 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
For the budget, first-time buyer in Quebec City; for the tax, the welcome tax in Quebec City; to sell before buying, selling a house in Quebec City; for the team, real estate broker in Quebec City.
About $88,000 of gross household income for a $400,000 house with the $20,000 minimum down payment, $105,000 for $480,000 (close to the median) and $137,000 for $640,000 in Sainte-Foy, with a 30-year amortization and the stress test at 6.24%.
Often, yes, under $600,000: the agglomeration has under two months of inventory and Les Rivières sells in 10 days; a house priced at its street's value gets several offers the first weekend. Above $700,000 in Sainte-Foy or Sillery, the buyer has more time. In both cases, the offer is documented on the street's closed sales, not on the other offers.
Published forecasts (Desjardins, QPAREB, CMHC) expect stable to moderately rising prices in 2027 and a policy rate around 2.75 %; waiting does not lower the price. The right time is when your budget, your pre-approval and your sector are ready; in a seller's market, the ready buyer beats the buyer who waits.
Generally nothing: the buyer's broker's compensation is provided for in the seller's brokerage contract and paid at the sale. The purchase brokerage contract states what happens if the seller provides none; we explain it before signing. See our fees (in French).
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.