Photo: Doug Hay derivative work: MrPanyGoff · CC BY 2.0Duncan sits 44% below British Columbia’s towns on home values
At the 2021 census the median home was worth $400,000, where British Columbia’s towns sit at $720,000. The values date from May 2021 and are what owners thought their homes were worth, not sale prices. Sales are published too: 125 buyers in 2023, at a median $510,000.
What Duncan’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
- $423K
- Owners
- 1,410
- British Columbia’s towns
- $720K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $500K
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 4.2×
- Buyers
- 125
- 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).
Duncan’s detached houses are assessed 26% below the median of British Columbia’s towns
In 2024, Duncan had 1,945 residential properties on the roll, detached houses 50% of them and condos 31%.
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.
Apartments are 44% of Duncan’s homes, against 12% for British Columbia’s towns
At the 2021 census, Duncan had 2,455 homes with someone living in them. The older half dates from before 1981.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of British Columbia’s towns
Homes by kind
| Duncan | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 24% | 10% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 17% | 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.
Duncan permitted 30 new homes a year per 1,000, above the 18.1 of British Columbia’s towns
Duncan issued permits for 369 new homes from 2018 to 2023, or about 62 a year. Multi-unit buildings took most: single-unit ones were just 1%, where British Columbia’s towns built 27%.
Most in 2023: 174 new homes
New homes a year per 1,000 homes
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.
Duncan is cheaper than most of British Columbia’s towns: 44% under 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.
Home values around Duncan
Next to Duncan: 2021 census values and the share of owners.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan | $400K | $423K | 58% | |
| Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley | $650K | $736K | 80% | 1.5 |
| Cowichan | – | – | 41% | 1.5 |
| North Cowichan | $600K | $641K | 77% | 3.6 |
| Cowichan Bay | $695K | $708K | 85% | 7.8 |
| Cobble Hill | $750K | $776K | 89% | 13.2 |
| Shawnigan | $700K | $787K | 87% | 14.7 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Duncan
Is Duncan expensive for British Columbia?
Less than most: British Columbia’s towns have a median of $720,000, and Duncan sits below it.
How many households in Duncan are in core housing need?
Statistics Canada puts 17% of Duncan’s households in core housing need, a higher share than the 10% of British Columbia’s towns.
What is the average house price in Duncan?
Buyers paid $500,000 on average in 2023, or 4.2 years of their income at the median.
Can I see individual sales or prices by street?
Not here: individual sales sit with provincial registries and aren’t open, so the published figures are town medians and averages.
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).