Buying · 50 cities · down payment 2026
One page per city, same calculation: buy now with the minimum down payment and the CMHC premium, or wait for 20%, for the median house and condo in 2026.
For the median house in the 49 cities where it stays under the $1.5M insurable limit ($605,000), going from the minimum down payment ($35,500) to 20% ($121,000) takes a median 5 years and 5 months of saving at $16,000 a year, the maximum FHSA pace for a couple, at stable prices. Buying now costs the CMHC premium, the QST on the premium and the interest on the premium: $38,332 in median. A price rise of about 1.15% a year during the wait is enough for waiting to cost more than the premium, without counting rent; at last year's pace, that is the case in 41 of 49 cities. For the median condo ($397,000), the wait is 3 years and 9 months and the premium costs $25,386. Source: Centris (Matrix) for prices, compiled on November 10, 2026.
The 50 cities, from the longest wait to the shortest
Saving time to go from the minimum down payment to 20% ($16,000 a year, stable prices), total cost of the CMHC premium if you buy now, and the yearly price growth that makes waiting cost more than the premium, for the median house.
| City | Median house | Wait for 20% | CMHC premium all in | Yearly growth threshold | Condo: wait for 20% | Condo: premium all in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Lambert | $1,120,000 | 8 years and 7 months | $69,531 | 0.71% | 4 years and 3 months | $28,455 |
| Beaconsfield | $1,031,000 | 8 years and 1 month | $64,139 | 0.75% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Kirkland | $955,000 | 7 years and 7 months | $59,535 | 0.81% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Candiac | $866,000 | 7 years | $54,144 | 0.88% | 4 years and 6 months | $30,437 |
| Rosemère | $845,000 | 6 years and 11 months | $52,872 | 0.89% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | $819,500 | 6 years and 9 months | $51,326 | 0.91% | 4 years and 8 months | $31,588 |
| Boucherville | $810,000 | 6 years and 8 months | $50,751 | 0.92% | 4 years and 10 months | $33,062 |
| Dollard-des-Ormeaux | $792,500 | 6 years and 7 months | $49,691 | 0.93% | 4 years and 4 months | $29,414 |
| Blainville | $760,000 | 6 years and 4 months | $47,722 | 0.97% | 4 years and 1 month | $27,432 |
| Montreal | $755,000 | 6 years and 4 months | $47,419 | 0.97% | 4 years and 6 months | $30,444 |
| La Prairie | $740,000 | 6 years and 3 months | $46,511 | 0.99% | 3 years and 11 months | $26,519 |
| Pointe-Claire | $745,500 | 6 years and 3 months | $46,843 | 0.98% | 5 years and 3 months | $37,045 |
| Brossard | $734,200 | 6 years and 2 months | $46,159 | 1.00% | 3 years and 10 months | $25,834 |
| Dorval | $712,500 | 6 years and 1 month | $44,844 | 1.01% | 4 years and 1 month | $27,816 |
| Chambly | $689,000 | 5 years and 11 months | $43,421 | 1.04% | 3 years and 11 months | $26,377 |
| Sainte-Julie | $667,400 | 5 years and 9 months | $42,112 | 1.07% | 4 years and 1 month | $27,496 |
| Mirabel | $650,000 | 5 years and 8 months | $41,059 | 1.09% | 4 years and 3 months | $28,768 |
| Sainte-Thérèse | $650,000 | 5 years and 8 months | $41,059 | 1.09% | 3 years and 6 months | $23,819 |
| Varennes | $631,000 | 5 years and 7 months | $39,907 | 1.11% | 3 years and 5 months | $22,892 |
| Beloeil | $630,000 | 5 years and 6 months | $39,847 | 1.13% | 4 years | $27,177 |
| Boisbriand | $630,000 | 5 years and 6 months | $39,847 | 1.13% | 5 years and 1 month | $35,425 |
| Laval | $630,000 | 5 years and 6 months | $39,847 | 1.13% | 4 years and 1 month | $27,496 |
| Saint-Constant | $620,000 | 5 years and 6 months | $39,241 | 1.13% | 3 years and 11 months | $26,505 |
| Mascouche | $615,000 | 5 years and 5 months | $38,939 | 1.14% | 3 years and 6 months | $23,659 |
| Vaudreuil-Dorion | $605,000 | 5 years and 5 months | $38,332 | 1.15% | 3 years and 8 months | $24,619 |
| Longueuil | $602,000 | 5 years and 4 months | $38,150 | 1.16% | 3 years and 8 months | $24,619 |
| Magog | $600,000 | 5 years and 4 months | $38,030 | 1.16% | 3 years and 2 months | $21,421 |
| Terrebonne | $599,000 | 5 years and 4 months | $37,969 | 1.16% | 3 years and 7 months | $24,426 |
| Repentigny | $588,000 | 5 years and 3 months | $37,303 | 1.18% | 3 years and 2 months | $21,165 |
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | $577,000 | 5 years and 3 months | $36,636 | 1.18% | 3 years and 7 months | $23,915 |
| L'Île-Perrot | $561,500 | 5 years and 1 month | $35,697 | 1.22% | 3 years and 10 months | $25,865 |
| Saint-Jérôme | $547,500 | 5 years | $34,849 | 1.25% | 3 years | $20,142 |
| Châteauguay | $520,000 | 4 years and 10 months | $33,184 | 1.29% | 3 years and 8 months | $24,938 |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | $507,500 | 4 years and 9 months | $32,426 | 1.32% | 3 years and 2 months | $21,421 |
| Gatineau | $490,000 | 4 years and 8 months | $31,333 | 1.34% | 2 years and 11 months | $19,422 |
| Quebec City | $480,000 | 4 years and 6 months | $30,693 | 1.39% | 3 years and 2 months | $21,421 |
| Granby | $462,543 | 4 years and 5 months | $29,577 | 1.42% | 3 years | $20,142 |
| Joliette | $460,000 | 4 years and 4 months | $29,414 | 1.45% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Sherbrooke | $458,500 | 4 years and 4 months | $29,318 | 1.45% | 3 years | $20,335 |
| Lévis | $440,000 | 4 years and 2 months | $28,135 | 1.50% | 2 years and 10 months | $19,215 |
| Drummondville | $429,900 | 4 years and 1 month | $27,489 | 1.53% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Trois-Rivières | $410,000 | 3 years and 11 months | $26,217 | 1.60% | 2 years and 11 months | $19,822 |
| Rimouski | $395,000 | 3 years and 9 months | $25,258 | 1.67% | 2 years and 8 months | $18,160 |
| Sorel-Tracy | $391,750 | 3 years and 9 months | $25,049 | 1.67% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Val-d'Or | $400,000 | 3 years and 9 months | $25,578 | 1.67% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Rouyn-Noranda | $370,000 | 3 years and 6 months | $23,659 | 1.79% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Saguenay | $366,000 | 3 years and 6 months | $23,404 | 1.79% | 2 years and 9 months | $18,352 |
| Victoriaville | $366,000 | 3 years and 6 months | $23,404 | 1.79% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Sept-Îles | $275,000 | 2 years and 7 months | $17,584 | 2.43% | no reliable median | n/a |
| Westmount | $2,272,500 | already 20% (over $1.5M) | $0 | n/a | 6 years and 10 months | $52,265 |
What the table says
The longest wait is in Saint-Lambert (8 years and 7 months), the shortest in Sept-Îles (2 years and 7 months). The pricier the house, the bigger the gap to 20%, and the more waiting exposes you to price increases. At last year's pace (2025 to 2026), the price increase during the wait exceeds the cost of the premium in 41 of 49 cities for the house and in 25 of 40 for the condo. House prices fell in 7 cities: there, waiting is paid mostly in rent.
Down payment rules
With less than 20% down, the mortgage must be insured (CMHC or another insurer): the premium, from 2.80% to 4.00% of the loan depending on the down payment, is added to the loan, and the 9% Québec sales tax on the premium is paid in cash at the notary. The minimum down payment is 5% up to $500,000 and 10% on the portion between $500,000 and $1.5M; from $1.5M, 20% is required.
How to read the table
Assumptions: Centris median price (January to September 2026) of single-family houses and condos; minimum down payment and CMHC premium per the 2026 schedule; interest on the premium = payment gap over 25 years at a 4.09% fixed rate; a couple saving at the maximum FHSA pace, $16,000 a year ($8,000 each), starting from the minimum down payment already saved; price growth = change in the city's Centris median price from 2025 to 2026, used as a scenario, not a forecast. The detailed cash is in how much cash to buy a house and how much cash to buy a condo; the time to save the minimum down payment in how long to save for a down payment.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to wait for 20%?
Rarely. In median, it takes 5 years and 5 months to get there on the median house, and the premium costs $38,332 all in. If prices rise more than about 1.15% a year in the meantime, waiting costs more, even without counting rent.
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.