Photo: William M. Monroe · Public domainA home in Pictou is worth 40% less than the middle of Nova Scotia’s towns
At the 2021 census the median home was worth $150,000, where Nova Scotia’s towns sit at $250,000. Census values are owners’ own estimates, taken in May 2021, before the rise in interest rates. In 2023, 90 homes changed hands at a median price of $145,000, by Statistics Canada’s count.
Pictou’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
- $165K
- Owners
- 955
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $250K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $180K
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 1.7×
- Buyers
- 90
- 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).
A detached house in Pictou is assessed 28% lower than across Nova Scotia’s towns
Of Pictou’s 1,325 residential properties on the 2024 roll, 86% 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.
An older stock than most: 49% of Pictou’s homes go back before 1961 (Nova Scotia’s towns: 28%)
At the 2021 census, 71% of Pictou’s 1,450 occupied homes were single-detached houses.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Nova Scotia’s towns
Homes by kind
| Pictou | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 1% | 1% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 10% | 9% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 5% | 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: 7.7 new homes a year per 1,000 in Pictou, against 13.5
Pictou issued permits for 57 new homes from 2018 to 2023, or about 10 a year. The mix: 23% in single-unit buildings, beside 63% for Nova Scotia’s towns.
The busiest year: 2023, with 22 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.
Pictou against Nova Scotia’s towns: 40% 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 Pictou: Trenton and Westville
The places around Pictou at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pictou | $150K | $165K | 66% | |
| Trenton | $120K | $129K | 74% | 9.3 |
| New Glasgow | $174K | $195K | 56% | 10.7 |
| Pictou County, Subdivision A | $200K | $226K | 90% | 12.6 |
| Westville | $130K | $150K | 72% | 13.5 |
| Stellarton | $150K | $168K | 62% | 13.6 |
| Pictou County, Subdivision C | $180K | $219K | 88% | 15.6 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Pictou
Is Pictou expensive for Nova Scotia?
Below the norm for Nova Scotia’s towns, whose median home is worth $250,000; Pictou’s is worth less.
How many households in Pictou are in core housing need?
In Pictou, 5% of households are in core housing need, against 8% for Nova Scotia’s towns: those whose home costs too much, is too small or needs major repairs, with nothing suitable nearby under 30% of their income.
What is the average house price in Pictou?
The average sale was $180,000 in 2023, and at the median, buyers paid 1.7 times their income.
Can I see individual sales or prices by street?
Only in total: Statistics Canada releases each town’s median and average sale and its number of buyers, never a single sale.
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).