Rent or buy · La Prairie · 2026
The median rent of the past twelve months in La Prairie, against the monthly cost of the median 2026 condo: mortgage with the minimum or 20% down, condo fees, interest and principal shares, and what the same rent would buy. Centris leases and sales, the rate actually charged, nothing estimated.
In La Prairie, the median rent of the 52 leases signed on Centris from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 is $1,750 a month (half between $1,500 and $2,000). Buying the median 2026 condo ($414,750, 162 sales) costs $2,505 a month with the minimum down payment ($20,738, 5.0%), the 5-year rate charged in 2026 (4.14%) and the median condo fees in La Prairie ($318): $755 more than the rent, 143% of it. But $785 of that payment is principal repaid in the first year; the owner's sunk cost, interest and fees, is $1,720 a month, $30 less than the rent. With 20% down ($82,950), the monthly cost drops to $2,089 a month, still $339 above the rent. The gap is in line with the 50 units tracked (median gap $728). Sources: Centris, Bank of Canada, compiled October 8, 2026.
The short answer
In La Prairie, the median rent of the 52 leases signed on Centris from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 is $1,750 a month (half between $1,500 and $2,000). Buying the median 2026 condo ($414,750, 162 sales) costs $2,505 a month with the minimum down payment ($20,738, 5.0%), the 5-year rate charged in 2026 (4.14%) and the median condo fees in La Prairie ($318): $755 more than the rent, 143% of it. But $785 of that payment is principal repaid in the first year; the owner's sunk cost, interest and fees, is $1,720 a month, $30 less than the rent. With 20% down ($82,950), the monthly cost drops to $2,089 a month, still $339 above the rent. The gap is in line with the 50 units tracked (median gap $728).
Renting versus buying in La Prairie, per month
| Measure in La Prairie, 2026 | Per month | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (12 months, 52 leases) | $1,750 | $1,500 to $2,000 |
| Median condo 2026 (162 sales) | $414,750 | minimum down payment $20,738 (5.0%), CMHC premium $15,760 |
| Mortgage, minimum down, 4.14%, 25 years | $2,187 | of which interest $1,402 and principal $785 in the first year |
| Median condo fees in La Prairie | $318 | past 12 months of sales |
| Owner's monthly cost (minimum down) | $2,505 | +755 $ versus rent (143%) |
| Owner's monthly cost (20% down, $82,950) | $2,089 | +339 $ versus rent (119%) |
| Owner's sunk cost (interest + fees, minimum down) | $1,720 | -30 $ versus rent |
| Condo price ÷ annual rent | 19.8 | gross rental yield 5.1% |
| 2 bedrooms: median rent versus median 2-bedroom condo ($435,000) | $1,800 versus $2,611 | +811 $ a month |
Rents: leases concluded on Centris in La Prairie from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026, median. Prices: condos sold in La Prairie, January to September 2026, median. Fees: median monthly condo fees of condos sold (Centris, 340). Mortgage: 2026 CMHC rules, 25 years, 5-year fixed rate charged 4.14% (Bank of Canada). Taxes, insurance, maintenance and opportunity cost excluded.
What the figures say in La Prairie
- The same rent would pay for a $272,000 condo in La Prairie (minimum down, fees included): the median condo costs $414,750, 52% more.
- Gross income: the median rent takes about $70,000 a year to stay under 30% of income; the median condo, $93,938 for the mortgage and fees to stay under 32%, taxes and heating not counted. At the banks' posted rate (6.09%), the stress-test rate, the mortgage alone would be $2,644 a month.
- What the tenant keeps: $755 a month and the $20,738 down payment. What the owner keeps: $785 a month of principal repaid in the first year, rising afterwards, and the condo's gain or loss in value, which nobody knows in advance (condo prices in La Prairie since 2016).
- At two bedrooms, the gap is +811 $ a month: median rent of $1,800 (29 leases) against $2,611 for the median 2-bedroom condo ($435,000), fees included.
- Across the 50 cities and boroughs tracked (11,638 leases, 22,080 sales), the median rent is $1,750 and the owner's cost $2,527 with the minimum down ($2,104 at 20%): renting costs less each month everywhere with the minimum down, in 44 units out of 50 at 20%. In sunk cost (interest and fees), buying is cheaper than renting in 30 units out of 50.
What it changes for you in La Prairie
In La Prairie, the answer depends on the down payment and the horizon. With the minimum down, the tenant keeps $755 a month; with 20%, the gap falls to $339. Over five years or more, the $785 a month of principal tips the balance toward buying if the condo holds its value; over two or three years, buying and selling costs eat that principal and renting wins. The right question is not "rent or buy" but "how long am I staying". Rent by unit size is in average rent in La Prairie; the detail of fees, in condo fees in La Prairie.
How to read these figures
One rent and one price for all of La Prairie, both medians: half the leases are signed above, half below, and the same for sales. The median condo and the median rental are not necessarily the same size: the "2 bedrooms" line compares comparable units. The rate used is the one banks actually charged in 2026 on 5-year fixed mortgages, on average; the posted rate, about two points higher, serves the stress test and appears in the bullets. Condo fees vary threefold from one building to the next (elevator, pool, age): the median is a benchmark, not a bill.
Frequently asked questions
What does a condo cost a month in La Prairie compared with rent?
$2,505 a month for the median condo of $414,750 with the minimum down ($20,738) and condo fees, against a median rent of $1,750: $755 more a month, of which $785 is principal repaid.
Is renting cheaper than buying in La Prairie in 2026?
In cash flow, yes, by $755 a month with the minimum down. In sunk cost, no: interest and fees come to $1,720, $30 less than the rent. The owner pays more each month but keeps part of it.
What down payment does a condo in La Prairie take?
$20,738 at minimum (5.0% of the median condo), plus about 1.5% of the price in closing costs and the welcome tax. At 20% ($82,950), no CMHC premium and a payment of $1,771 a month. The detail by city is in down payment in La Prairie.
Sources: Centris (Matrix), Rental module, leases concluded from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 for La Prairie, 52 leases, median and quartiles; Statistics module, median sale price of condos in 2026 and monthly condo fees of condos sold over twelve months; Bank of Canada and Statistics Canada (10-10-0006), 5-year fixed rate charged, January to July 2026 average; CMHC down payment rules and premiums in force in 2026; compiled by the Loaa & Manseur team, aggregates only. The rent or buy a condo in 50 cities and boroughs hub compares the 50 units.
Our other data series in La Prairie, from the same Centris listings:
Each series is recalculated from actual leases and sales, aggregates only.
Our proof, not our promises
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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.