Photo: Abebenjoe · CC BY-SA 3.0Cape Breton adds housing slowly, at 5.3 new homes a year per 1,000 (Nova Scotia’s towns: 13.5)
A median of $160,000 and a mean of $183,600: that is how owners valued their homes in 2021. In 2023, 1,960 homes changed hands at a median price of $165,000, by Statistics Canada’s count. Assessors valued the median residential property at $114,000 for 2024.
Cape Breton’s homes, by three sources
Every figure here is compared within the province, against Nova Scotia’s towns, since each province assesses on its own terms. No sale stands behind these values: owners named them at the census of May 2021.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $184K
- Owners
- 30,045
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $250K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $182K
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 1.6×
- Buyers
- 1,960
- 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).
Cape Breton’s detached houses are assessed 18% below the median of Nova Scotia’s towns
Of Cape Breton’s 39,065 residential properties on the 2024 roll, 85% 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.
The homes of Cape Breton, by period and type
Of the 42,315 homes people lived in across Cape Breton at the 2021 census, 74% were single-detached houses. The older half dates from before 1981.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Nova Scotia’s towns
Homes by kind
| Cape Breton | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 1% | 1% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 9% | 9% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 4% | 2% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 8% | 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.
Permits in Cape Breton peaked in 2022: 287 new homes
Cape Breton issued permits for 1,326 new homes from 2018 to 2023, or about 221 a year. Houses dominate the permits, at 58% in single-unit buildings (Nova Scotia’s towns: 63%).
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.
Cape Breton against Nova Scotia’s towns: 36% under the $250,000 median
The census values of Nova Scotia’s towns, 90 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 Cape Breton: Victoria County, Subdivision A
The places around Cape Breton at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own. Distances here run 45–79 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Cape Breton.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton | $160K | $184K | 71% | |
| Victoria County, Subdivision B | $200K | $231K | 87% | 45.5 |
| Victoria County, Subdivision A | $150K | $220K | 91% | 61.9 |
| Richmond County, Subdivision B | $174K | $224K | 90% | 74.1 |
| Inverness County, Subdivision A | $174K | $209K | 85% | 78.7 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Cape Breton
Is Cape Breton expensive for Nova Scotia?
Below the norm for Nova Scotia’s towns, whose median home is worth $250,000; Cape Breton’s is worth less.
What is the average house price in Cape Breton?
Homes sold for an average $182,000 in 2023; the median buyer paid 1.6 times their household income.
How many households in Cape Breton are in core housing need?
8% of Cape Breton’s households, near the 8% of Nova Scotia’s towns, live in a home that is unaffordable, crowded or in poor repair and can’t afford a better one nearby.
Can I see individual sales or prices by street?
No. Canada has no open register of individual sales; Statistics Canada publishes medians and averages by town only.
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).