Photo: Azure /Mark Seymour · CC BY-SA 3.0Amherst sits 44% below Nova Scotia’s towns on home values
At the 2021 census the median home was worth $139,000, where Nova Scotia’s towns sit at $250,000. An owner’s figure, not a sale: the census of May 2021 asked what each home would fetch. In 2023, 170 homes changed hands at a median price of $195,000, by Statistics Canada’s count.
Amherst’s homes, by three sources
Three sources, each set against Nova Scotia’s towns only: provinces measure value differently, so they don’t line up across borders.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $161K
- Owners
- 2,565
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $250K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $210K
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 2.1×
- Buyers
- 170
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $205K
all residential
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $157K
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada); Canadian Housing Statistics Program, tables 46-10-0099 and 46-10-0093; Québec rôle d’évaluation foncière 2026 (MAMH).
Houses in Amherst carry assessments 21% under the middle of Nova Scotia’s towns
Of Amherst’s 2,865 residential properties on the 2024 roll, 79% are detached houses.
Median assessment by type, 2024 the tick is the median of Nova Scotia’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 Nova Scotia’s towns with their own figure; assessments compare within a province only.
12% of Amherst’s households are in core housing need, against 8% for Nova Scotia’s towns
Of the 4,480 homes people lived in across Amherst at the 2021 census, 49% were single-detached houses. Half or more were standing by 1980.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Nova Scotia’s towns
Homes by kind
| Amherst | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 4% | 1% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 12% | 9% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 4% | 2% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 12% | 8% | 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.
Building at the pace of Nova Scotia’s towns: 13.4 new homes a year per 1,000 in Amherst, against 13.5
Some 54 homes a year: 321 in all were permitted in Amherst from 2018 to 2023. Very few were houses: 10% in single-unit buildings (Nova Scotia’s towns: 63%).
Most in 2022: 121 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.
Amherst against Nova Scotia’s towns: 44% under the $250,000 median
90 of Nova Scotia’s towns (2,500 people or more), by median value at the 2021 census, dearest first.
Census 2021, owners’ estimates; towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, no city as a whole, no reserve.
Home values around Amherst
The places around Amherst at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | $139K | $161K | 57% | |
| Cumberland County, Subdivision C | $200K | $234K | 88% | 9.1 |
| Sackville | $196K | $210K | 66% | 15.1 |
| Sackville | $180K | $194K | 95% | 17.8 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Amherst
Is Amherst expensive for Nova Scotia?
On census values, Amherst sits among the cheaper of Nova Scotia’s towns (median $250,000).
What is the average house price in Amherst?
An average of $210,000 in 2023, with the median sale at 2.1 times the buyer’s income.
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).