Cottage prices · Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean · 2016-2026
The median price of cottages sold on Centris in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean every year since 2016, the number of sales, the 2020-2021 wave and what followed, the house alongside. Centris aggregates, Recreational zoning, nothing estimated.
In the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the median cottage sold on Centris was worth $330,000 in 2026 (Jan. to Sept.), against $125,000 in 2016 and $197,000 in 2021: +164% in ten years, +68% since 2021. Between 2019 and 2021, the two pandemic years, the price did +34% and sales went from 86 to 80 (-7%); the sales peak is 2020 (130). In 2025, 86 cottages sold (+7% versus 2021). The median house of the region's tracked cities is worth $366,000: the cottage costs 10% less. It is in line with the 12 regions tracked (median +162%). Source: Centris (Matrix), compiled October 10, 2026.
The short answer
In the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the median cottage sold on Centris was worth $330,000 in 2026 (Jan. to Sept.), against $125,000 in 2016 and $197,000 in 2021: +164% in ten years, +68% since 2021. Between 2019 and 2021, the two pandemic years, the price did +34% and sales went from 86 to 80 (-7%); the sales peak is 2020 (130). In 2025, 86 cottages sold (+7% versus 2021). The median house of the region's tracked cities is worth $366,000: the cottage costs 10% less. It is in line with the 12 regions tracked (median +162%).
Median price and cottage sales by year
| Year | Median cottage | Cottages sold |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $125,000 | 41 |
| 2017 | $145,000 | 61 |
| 2018 | $160,000 | 83 |
| 2019 | $147,500 | 86 |
| 2020 | $162,500 | 130 |
| 2021 | $197,000 | 80 |
| 2022 | $190,000 | 67 |
| 2023 | $260,000 | 59 |
| 2024 | $249,500 | 94 |
| 2025 | $292,000 | 86 |
| 2026 (Jan. to Sept.) | $330,000 | 77 |
Single-family category, Recreational zoning, all municipalities of the region, median sale price and number of sales by year, Centris (Matrix), October 9-10, 2026 harvest. 2026: January to September.
What ten years of cottage sales say in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
- Ten years: +164% (10.2% a year); 2019 to 2021: +34%; 2021 to 2026: +68%. The peak is 2026 ($330,000); down in 2019, 2022, 2024.
- Sales: 41 in 2016, 86 in 2019, 80 in 2021, 86 in 2025 (+110% in nine years), 77 from January to September 2026; 864 cottages sold in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean since 2016.
- Cottage versus house: the cottage rose +164% in ten years, the median house of the region's tracked cities (Saguenay) +114%. In 2026, the cottage is worth 10% less than that house.
- Across the 12 regions tracked, the median cottage went from $158,875 in 2016 to $247,250 in 2021 and $350,125 in 2026 (+162%, including +62% between 2019 and 2021); sales went from 765 in 2016 to 1,180 in 2021 and 1,200 in 2025. The sales peak is 2021 in 1 regions and 2020 in 7; the cottage doubled in 9; it is at its peak in 2026 in 7 and at least 3% below its peak in 4.
- The cottage, here, is a single-family house whose Centris listing carries the Recreational zoning: a second or primary residence in a recreational zone, by a lake, in the mountains or in the woods, sold through a broker. Cottages in ordinary residential zones and sales without a broker are not included.
What it changes for buying or selling a cottage in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
In the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the cottage followed the general movement, +164% in ten years, with the same sales peak in 2020 and the same calm after. The median of $330,000 mixes two markets: the four-season cottage on a large lake, which sells at the price of a house, and the summer camp on leased land or without water access, worth a fraction. A buyer therefore compares the cottage they are eyeing with sales from the same lake and the same type of access; a seller does the same before listing, and sells in spring when buyers visit. Land prices in the region, often the first step toward a cottage, are in land prices in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
How to read these figures
The median splits the year's sales in two: half the cottages sold for less, half for more. It moves with the mix: a year when four-season cottages dominate sales goes up, a year of summer camps goes down. The sales beside it tell how solid the figure is: 86 sales in 2025 give a reliable median; under 20 sales, a few transactions move it. The cottage, here, is a single-family house whose Centris listing carries the Recreational zoning: a second or primary residence in a recreational zone, by a lake, in the mountains or in the woods, sold through a broker. Cottages in ordinary residential zones and sales without a broker are not included.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a cottage in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean in 2026?
$330,000 in median in 2026 (January to September, 77 sales), against $125,000 in 2016 and $197,000 in 2021. Recreational zone, sold through a broker, all municipalities of the region.
Have cottages risen a lot in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean?
The median cottage rose +164% in ten years in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, including +34% between 2019 and 2021, the two years when remote work sent city households to the lakes: 80 sales in 2021 against 86 in 2019. Since 2021, +68%.
Does a cottage cost more than a house in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean?
The median cottage ($330,000) is worth 10% less than the median house of the region's tracked cities ($366,000) in 2026. Across the 12 regions tracked, the cottage sells below the house in 2 regions out of 12 where the comparison exists.
Sources: Centris (Matrix), Statistics module, October 9 and 10, 2026 query, Single-family category, Recreational zoning, administrative region Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (all municipalities), median sale price and number of sales by year; median single-family price of the tracked cities, September 16, 2026 query; compiled by the Loaa & Manseur team, aggregates only, current year partial. The cottage prices in 12 regions hub compares the 12 regions.
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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.