Investing · Condo or plex · Quebec City · 2026
A rental condo or a plex in Quebec City? Same rent, same rate, same 20% down: the median condo against the 2026 median duplex and triplex, line by line, with the entry ticket and the resale time. Labelled assumptions, nothing guessed.
The triplex: in Quebec City, at the January to September 2026 median price, the median rent of $1,800 per unit, 20% down and a loan at 4.24% over 25 years, the condo ($335,000) loses $4 a month, the duplex ($543,000) clears $344 a month, the triplex ($635,164) clears $1,592 a month, before tax. Per $100,000 of down payment, that is −$6 for the condo, +$317 for the duplex and +$1,253 for the triplex. The entry ticket: $67,000 for the condo against $127,033 for the triplex (1.9 times more). On resale, the plex sold in 6 days in 2026 against 8 days for the condo. Labelled assumptions, reproducible math. Source: Centris (Matrix) and the site's rent and condo-fee pages, team assumptions, compiled October 13, 2026.
The assumptions, before the numbers
Same rent, same rate, same down payment: the only honest way to compare. Condo: the median price of a condo in Quebec City for January to September 2026 (Centris, Matrix), $335,000 on 1,830 sales; the median rent of broker-signed leases, $1,800 (184 leases, median rent in Quebec City); median condo fees of $354 a month (city-wide fees); taxes, insurance and maintenance not counted, as on our page investing in a rental condo in Quebec City, which uses the 2026 contracted rate of 4.14%: at the 4.24% used here to compare on equal terms, the condo's cash flow moves by −$20 a month. Plex: the median price of the duplex ($543,000) and the triplex ($635,164) for January to September 2026, the same median rent applied to each unit, 2% of the price in expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance), the math of our page is a plex profitable in Quebec City. Financing: 20% down, 4.24% over 25 years, compounded monthly. No vacancy, no work: optimistic on both sides.
The head-to-head, line by line
| At the 2026 median price, 20% down, loan at 4.24% | Condo | Duplex | Triplex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median price (sales) | $335,000 (1,830) | $543,000 (277) | $635,164 (142) |
| 20% down payment | $67,000 | $108,600 | $127,033 |
| Gross rents per year ($1,800 per unit) | $21,600 | $43,200 | $64,800 |
| Expenses per year (condo: condo fees; plex: 2% of price) | $4,248 | $10,860 | $12,703 |
| Net operating income | $17,352 | $32,340 | $52,097 |
| Gross yield (rents ÷ price) | 6.4% | 8.0% | 10.2% |
| Cap rate (net income ÷ price) | 5.2% | 6.0% | 8.2% |
| Debt service per year | $17,400 | $28,211 | $32,999 |
| Cash flow per month, before tax | −$4 | +$344 | +$1,592 |
| Cash flow per $100,000 of down payment, per month | −$6 | +$317 | +$1,253 |
| Cash-on-cash return (cash flow ÷ down payment) | −0.1% | +4% | +15% |
| Median days on market in 2026 | 8 days | 6 days | 6 days |
On cash flow, the triplex wins in Quebec City: +$1,592 a month against −$4 for the condo and +$344 for the duplex. The reason is one line of the table: the plex has 3 rents to carry its price and its cap rate (8.2%) exceeds the condo's (5.2%), while the condo carries a single rent, fixed condo fees and a price per unit of $335,000 against $211,721 for the triplex. The condo is not a loser in itself: it is close to break-even in Quebec City, and it takes $60,033 less to get in.
The entry ticket
The condo is the entry door: $67,000 down at 20% in Quebec City, against $108,600 for the duplex and $127,033 for the triplex. A triplex takes 1.9 times a condo's down payment; with a triplex's down payment you buy almost two condos in the same city, which together bring in −$8 a month against +$1,592 for the triplex. The triplex still comes out ahead: three rents under one roof, one tax bill, one insurance policy, and principal repaid faster. For the occupant the rule changes: 5% down on an owner-occupied duplex, 10% on an owner-occupied triplex, 20% on any unit you do not live in, condo included.
Liquidity: which resells faster
The plex resells faster than the condo in Quebec City: 6 days against 8 days in median in 2026, and 5 days for the house. In 2016 it was 120 days for the condo and 64 days for the plex. A plex finds its buyer among investors, who run the numbers before offering, and among families who want a unit paid for by the neighbours; the condo finds its buyer among first-time buyers, more numerous but more rate-sensitive. Across the 13 cities tracked, the plex sells before the condo in 11 of 13 cities (13 days against 25 in median). Details are in plex days on market in Quebec City and house and condo days on market in Quebec City.
Quebec City among the 13 cities
- Quebec City ranks 3rd of 13 cities on the cash-flow gap between the triplex and the condo (+$1,596 a month, median of the cities +$1,002); the largest gap is Lévis (+$2,150), the smallest Mirabel (−$106).
- The triplex beats the condo on cash flow in 11 of 13 cities, the duplex in 8 of 13; the condo is the best of the three in 2 cities. Cash-flow positive: the condo in 3 cities, the duplex in 7, the triplex in 11.
- Median monthly cash flow across the cities: condo −$119, duplex +$42, triplex +$785; per $100,000 down: condo −$169, duplex +$46, triplex +$689. Median gross yield: condo 5.7%, triplex 8.8%.
- Median entry ticket at 20%: condo $67,000, duplex $108,600, triplex $127,033; in Quebec City, $67,000, $108,600 and $127,033.
What is not in the table
- The condo's taxes. The condo math counts condo fees but not taxes or insurance; the plex math counts everything in its 2%. If you add 1% of the price per year in taxes and insurance to the condo ($279 a month), its cash flow drops to −$283 and the gap with the triplex becomes +$1,875: the verdict does not change.
- The leases in place. The $1,800 median rent is that of leases just signed; a plex is bought with its existing leases, often lower, and they rise at the pace set by the Tribunal administratif du logement. A condo re-rents at market price at each tenant change: that is its hidden advantage.
- Principal and appreciation. The triplex repays $11,679 of principal in the first year, the condo about $6,037: the bigger the debt, the more of it the tenants repay. Appreciation depends on the building; ten years of plex prices in Quebec City and ten years of condo prices in Quebec City give the past pace, which does not guarantee the future.
- Time and risk. A plex is 3 tenants, 3 leases, a roof and brickwork that are yours; a condo is one tenant, a syndicate that manages the envelope and a possible special assessment. The plex concentrates risk on one address, the condo on one tenant.
How to read these numbers
The median rent of broker-signed leases in Quebec City ($1,800) is applied to the median condo and to each unit of the median plex, which favours the plex (its units are often smaller and older than the median condo) and penalizes the new condo. Condo fees are the city median, the plex's 2% a rule of thumb. The math is deliberately simple so it can be redone on any listing: price, rent, fees or expenses, debt.
Frequently asked questions
Condo or plex to invest in Quebec City in 2026?
The triplex has the best cash flow in Quebec City at the 2026 median price and median rent: condo −$4 a month, duplex +$344 a month, triplex +$1,592 a month, with 20% down and a loan at 4.24%. The condo takes $60,033 less to get in but resells more slowly (8 days against 6 days).
Which earns more per dollar invested in Quebec City?
Per $100,000 of down payment, the condo loses $6 a month, the duplex clears $317 a month, the triplex clears $1,253 a month. As cash-on-cash return (annual cash flow divided by the down payment), that is −0.1% for the condo and 15.0% for the triplex, before tax, before principal repaid and before appreciation. Across the 13 cities tracked, the triplex earns more per dollar invested than the condo in 13 cities.
Which resells faster in Quebec City?
The plex: 6 days in median in 2026 against 8 days for the condo in Quebec City. Across the 13 cities tracked, the plex sells before the condo in 11 of 13 cities; the plex sells to investors, fewer but present when the numbers hold, the condo to first-time buyers, more numerous and more rate-sensitive.
How much down payment for a condo or a plex in Quebec City?
At 20% down (the minimum for a unit you do not live in), $67,000 for the median condo ($335,000), $108,600 for the duplex ($543,000) and $127,033 for the triplex ($635,164) in Quebec City. If you live in the plex, the down payment falls to 5% on a duplex and 10% on a triplex, with a mortgage insurance premium on top; our page is a plex profitable in Quebec City does that math.
Source: Centris (Matrix), January to September 2026 median prices of the condo (Condominium) and the duplex and triplex (Income property) in Quebec City, median days on market 2026 and 2016; median rent of broker-signed leases and median condo fees published on our pages; assumptions on down payment (20%), rate (4.24%), amortization (25 years) and expenses set by the Loaa & Manseur team for illustration, compiled October 13, 2026. This calculation is not financial advice; have it redone on the property you are considering, with its documents. The hub condo or plex to invest, 13 cities compares the 13 cities.
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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 more than 220 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.
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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.