Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainExpensive homes pull Chester’s average 28% above the middle
Owners valued the median home at $250,000 at the 2021 census, and the average at $321,200. Self-assessed in May 2021, these values predate the rate rises that followed. In 2023, 445 homes changed hands at a median price of $260,000, by Statistics Canada’s count.
Three ways to price a home in Chester
Every figure here is compared within the province, against Nova Scotia’s towns, since each province assesses on its own terms.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $321K
- Owners
- 4,175
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $250K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $340K
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 1.6×
- Buyers
- 445
- 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 Chester carry assessments 51% over the middle of Nova Scotia’s towns
Of Chester’s 6,685 residential properties on the 2024 roll, 88% 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 Chester, by period and type
The 2021 census counted 5,030 occupied homes in Chester; 88% of them are single-detached houses. At least half predate 1981.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Nova Scotia’s towns
Homes by kind
| Chester | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 2% | 1% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 9% | 9% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 9% | 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 behind Nova Scotia’s towns: 10.3 new homes a year per 1,000 in Chester, against 13.5
Chester issued permits for 314 new homes from 2018 to 2023, or about 52 a year. Most were houses: 87% went into single-unit buildings, against 63% for Nova Scotia’s towns.
The busiest year: 2022, with 69 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.
Chester sits close to the $250,000 median of Nova Scotia’s towns
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.
Chester’s neighbours by home value
The places around Chester at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own. The nearest places to Chester with figures are 18–28 km away.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | $250K | $321K | 84% | |
| Mahone Bay | $400K | $436K | 68% | 18.5 |
| Lunenburg | $348K | $382K | 63% | 23.9 |
| Lunenburg | $250K | $293K | 90% | 28.5 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Chester
What is the average house price in Chester?
An average of $340,000 in 2023, with the median sale at 1.6 times the buyer’s income.
How many households in Chester are in core housing need?
About as many as elsewhere: 9% of households in Chester, where Nova Scotia’s towns sit at 8%.
Is Chester expensive for Nova Scotia?
About average: Chester’s census median is close to the $250,000 of Nova Scotia’s towns.
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).