Photo: WayeMason · CC BY-SA 3.0Halifax’s median sale is 2.4 times that of Nova Scotia’s towns
In May 2021 the median owned home was worth $348,000 by its owner’s reckoning, the average one $403,600. The census figure is the owner’s own reckoning of value in May 2021; actual sale prices may differ. The 2024 property assessment puts the median residential property at $412,000.
Three ways to price a home in Halifax
Each source sits beside its own median for Nova Scotia’s towns; none compares across provinces, which value homes in their own ways.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $404K
- Owners
- 109,505
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $250K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $530K
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 3.3×
- Buyers
- 8,470
- 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).
On the assessment roll, Halifax’s houses sit at 2.4 times Nova Scotia’s towns
Assessors listed 131,695 residential properties in Halifax for 2024, 71% of them detached houses and 7% condos.
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.
More apartments than most: 36% of the homes in Halifax (Nova Scotia’s towns: 5%)
At the 2021 census, Halifax had 190,505 homes with someone living in them. The older half dates from before 2001.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Nova Scotia’s towns
Homes by kind
| Halifax | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 7% | 1% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 6% | 9% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 5% | 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 ahead of Nova Scotia’s towns: 24.4 new homes a year per 1,000 in Halifax, against 13.5
Building permits added 26,323 homes in Halifax between 2018 and 2023: some 4,387 a year. Apartments and other multi-unit buildings dominate: only 19% were single-unit, against 63% for Nova Scotia’s towns.
Most in 2023: 5,355 new homes
New homes a year per 1,000 homes
Slowing: 5,538 new homes in the 12 months to August 2026, 15% fewer
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. · Monthly permits: one figure for all of the Halifax metro area
Halifax against Nova Scotia’s towns: 39% over 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.
Lower values near Halifax: Manor Park and Woodlawn
Next to Halifax: 2021 census values and the share of owners.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | $348K | $404K | 58% | |
| Austinville | $360K | $402K | 29% | 1.4 |
| Windsor Park | $400K | $426K | 40% | 3.3 |
| North End | $500K | $531K | 24% | 3.6 |
| Manor Park | $300K | $329K | 49% | 3.9 |
| Fairview | $400K | $425K | 37% | 4.8 |
| Woodlawn | $300K | $349K | 78% | 4.9 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Halifax
What is the average house price in Halifax?
The average sale was $530,000 in 2023, and at the median, buyers paid 3.3 times their income.
Is Halifax expensive for Nova Scotia?
Dearer than the middle: Nova Scotia’s towns come to $250,000, Halifax to more.
How many households in Halifax are in core housing need?
In Halifax, 12% of households are in core housing need, against 8% for Nova Scotia’s towns: their home costs too much, is too small or needs major repairs, and nothing suitable nearby costs under 30% of their income.
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).