How long to save for a down payment in Québec in 2026: house, condo and plex in 50 cities, alone or as a couple, at the FHSA pace (Centris)

Buying · 50 cities · saving 2026

One page per city, same calculation: how long it takes to gather all the cash for a house, condo or duplex in 2026, alone or as a couple, at the FHSA's maximum pace.

At the FHSA's maximum pace ($8,000 a year per person), it takes a median 6 years and 4 months alone and 3 years and 2 months as a couple across the 50 cities tracked to gather all the cash for the median house (about $50,127: minimum down payment, welcome tax, tax on the CMHC premium, notary, inspection, appraisal). The median condo (40 cities, about $28,323) takes 3 years and 7 months alone and 1 year and 10 months as a couple; the median owner-occupied duplex (23 cities, about $35,870), 4 years and 6 months and 2 years and 3 months. As a couple, the condo is two years of saving away or less in 32 of 40 cities, the house four years or less in 36 of 50. Two full FHSAs cover all the cash for the median house in 44 cities. In 2016, the down payment, premium tax and welcome tax on the median house took 2 years and 1 month of saving at this pace; in 2026, 5 years and 10 months. Source: Centris (Matrix) for prices, compiled October 30, 2026.

The 50 cities, from longest to shortest

Cash at the middle of the range for the median house and median condo, then saving time alone / as a couple at the FHSA's maximum pace ($8,000 a year per person), for the house, condo and owner-occupied median duplex.

What the table says

The condo is the fastest way in: as a couple, it is two years of saving away or less in 32 of 40 cities, and five years or less alone in 37. The house takes a median 3 years and 2 months as a couple; two full FHSAs cover it in 44 of 50 cities, a single one in 17. The longest is Westmount (64 years and 8 months alone for the house), the shortest Sept-Îles (2 years and 8 months). In 2016, the calculated part of the house cash took 2 years and 1 month of saving; in 2026, 5 years and 10 months: the sooner you start, the sooner you buy.

How to read the table

Assumptions: total cash at the middle of the range (minimum down payment, Québec's 9% tax on the CMHC premium, welcome tax on the city's 2026 grid, notary, inspection, appraisal) on the Centris median price (January to September 2026) of single-family houses, condos and duplexes (lived in by the buyer); saving at the FHSA's maximum pace, $8,000 per year per person ($16,000 as a couple), lifetime limit $40,000 per person; time rounded up to the next month, with no investment return or tax refund. The FHSA's return and tax refund shorten these times. The detailed cash is in how much cash to buy a house, how much cash to buy a condo and how much cash to buy a plex.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to save for a down payment in Québec?

At the median, at the FHSA's maximum pace: 3 years and 7 months alone and 1 year and 10 months as a couple for the median condo, 6 years and 4 months alone and 3 years and 2 months as a couple for the median house.

My city is not listed?

We publish the 50 cities where enough properties sell each year for a reliable median price. A team broker can run the same calculation for any area.

Our proof, not our promises

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.

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.