Photo: Verne Equinox · CC BY-SA 3.0A home in St. Mary's sells for 66% less than in the middle of Nova Scotia’s towns
The middle home was worth $150,000 at the 2021 census, the average $172,000. The census asks owners what their home would sell for, so the values are estimates from May 2021. On the 2024 assessment, the middle residential property is valued at $62,900.
St. Mary's’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
- $172K
- Owners
- 945
- Nova Scotia’s towns
- $250K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
median sale price
- Average sale
- $101K
- ÷ buyers’ income
- 0.9×
- Buyers
- 70
- 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 St. Mary's is assessed 44% lower than across Nova Scotia’s towns
The 2024 assessment roll counts 1,735 homes in St. Mary's, detached houses 89% of them.
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.
Major repairs needed: 14% of the homes in St. Mary's, where Nova Scotia’s towns have 9%
The 2021 census counted 1,050 occupied homes in St. Mary's; 90% of them are single-detached houses. Half went up before 1981.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Nova Scotia’s towns
Homes by kind
| St. Mary's | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | under 1% | 1% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 14% | 9% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 1% | 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.
St. Mary's permitted 14.1 new homes a year per 1,000, close to the 13.5 of Nova Scotia’s towns
Building permits added 85 homes in St. Mary's between 2018 and 2023: some 14 a year. Most were houses: 99% went into single-unit buildings, against 63% for Nova Scotia’s towns.
A peak in 2020: 18 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.
St. Mary's is 40% below the $250,000 median of Nova Scotia’s towns
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 St. Mary's: Guysborough
The places around St. Mary's at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own. Distances here run 45–69 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from St. Mary's.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's | $150K | $172K | 90% | |
| Guysborough | $120K | $164K | 87% | 45 |
| Antigonish County, Subdivision B | $180K | $209K | 92% | 53.7 |
| Antigonish | $250K | $253K | 43% | 55.9 |
| Antigonish County, Subdivision A | $250K | $290K | 80% | 56.7 |
| Port Hawkesbury | $166K | $190K | 61% | 69 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in St. Mary's
What is the average house price in St. Mary's?
Buyers paid $101,000 on average in 2023, or 0.9 years of their income at the median.
Is St. Mary's expensive for Nova Scotia?
Below the norm for Nova Scotia’s towns, whose median home is worth $250,000; St. Mary's’s is worth less.
How many households in St. Mary's are in core housing need?
In St. Mary's, 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?
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).