Photo: Hameltion · CC BY-SA 4.0Bowen Island sits 74% above British Columbia’s towns on home values
The census median was $1,250,000 in 2021, against $720,000 for British Columbia’s towns. The values date from May 2021 and are what owners thought their homes were worth, not sale prices. The median sale in 2023 was $1,160,000, across 100 buyers.
What Bowen Island’s homes are worth, three ways
Three sources, each set against British Columbia’s towns only: provinces measure value differently, so they don’t line up across borders.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $1.44M
- Owners
- 1,450
- British Columbia’s towns
- $720K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $1.27M
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 5.7×
- Buyers
- 100
- British Columbia’s towns
- $682K
all residential
- British Columbia’s towns
- $671K
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada); Canadian Housing Statistics Program, tables 46-10-0099 and 46-10-0093; Québec rôle d’évaluation foncière 2026 (MAMH).
Bowen Island’s detached houses are assessed 87% above the median of British Columbia’s towns
Assessors listed 1,925 residential properties in Bowen Island for 2024, 87% of them detached houses.
Median assessment by type, 2024 the tick is the median of British Columbia’s towns
Canadian Housing Statistics Program, table 46-10-0093 (2024): residential properties on the assessment roll, vacant land left out. The ticks are the median of British Columbia’s towns with their own figure; assessments compare within a province only.
A town of houses: 89% of the homes in Bowen Island stand alone (British Columbia’s towns: 62%)
People lived in 1,725 homes in Bowen Island at the 2021 census. Half or more were standing by 2000.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of British Columbia’s towns
Homes by kind
| Bowen Island | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 3% | 10% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 10% | 10% | 7% |
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada): occupied private dwellings; core housing need as Statistics Canada defines it. Ticks and columns are medians of the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more.
Bowen Island permitted 21.2 new homes a year per 1,000, close to the 18.1 of British Columbia’s towns
From 2018 to 2023, permits in Bowen Island created 219 homes, about 37 a year. Single-unit buildings took 57% of them, where British Columbia’s towns built 27%.
The busiest year: 2020, with 54 new homes
New homes a year per 1,000 homes
26,358 new homes in the 12 months to August 2026, down 11% on the year before
The monthly permits numbers here cover the Vancouver metro area
Statistics Canada, tables 46-10-0087 (building permits by census subdivision, 2018–2023: dwelling units created, new construction and conversions) and 34-10-0292 (monthly, metro areas). Per 1,000: units a year over 2019–2023 against occupied homes in 2021.
Bowen Island is dearer than most of British Columbia’s towns: 74% above their $720,000 median
The census values of British Columbia’s towns, 254 of them with 2,500+ people, from dearest to cheapest.
Census 2021, owners’ estimates; towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, no city as a whole, no reserve.
Cheaper next to Bowen Island: Electoral Area F, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons and Electoral Area E, Sunshine Coast
The places around Bowen Island at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowen Island | $1.25M | $1.44M | 85% | |
| Electoral Area F, Sunshine Coast | $850K | $974K | 80% | 11.6 |
| Gibsons | $715K | $782K | 75% | 12 |
| West Vancouver | $2.5M | $3.13M | 71% | 12.8 |
| Lions Bay | $1.8M | $1.99M | 88% | 13.8 |
| Electoral Area E, Sunshine Coast | $800K | $848K | 82% | 13.9 |
| Electoral Area A, Metro Vancouver | $1.1M | $1.79M | 43% | 14.6 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Bowen Island
Is Bowen Island expensive for British Columbia?
More than most: British Columbia’s towns have a median of $720,000, and Bowen Island sits above it.
What is the average house price in Bowen Island?
Homes sold for an average $1,270,000 in 2023; the median buyer paid 5.7 times their household income.
How many households in Bowen Island are in core housing need?
In line with British Columbia’s towns (10%): 10% in Bowen Island, counting the households whose home falls short on cost, size or repair.
Can I see individual sales or prices by street?
No. Sales are published as town figures (median, average, buyers); street-level or single sales aren’t released.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · Statistics Canada, Canadian Housing Statistics Program · Statistics Canada, building permits (tables 46-10-0087 and 34-10-0292). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).