Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domainOwners in Cornwall value their homes 60% below the median of Ontario’s towns
Owners valued the median home at $280,000 in 2021, where the median of Ontario’s towns was $695,000. Statistics Canada doesn’t publish sales in Ontario, so nothing here says what Cornwall’s homes actually sold for. On the 2024 assessment, the middle residential property is valued at $164,000. Ontario still assesses at 2016 values (MPAC’s 1 January 2016 base): a figure to set against other Ontario towns, not against prices.
What Cornwall’s homes are worth, two ways
Two sources, each set against Ontario’s towns only: provinces measure value differently, so they don’t line up across borders. The census asks owners what their home would sell for, so the values are estimates from May 2021.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $293K
- Owners
- 11,470
- Ontario’s towns
- $695K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
all residential, MPAC 2016 base
- Ontario’s towns
- $232K
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 Cornwall carry assessments 32% under the middle of Ontario’s towns
The 2024 assessment roll counts 15,860 homes in Cornwall: detached houses make 67% of them, condos 6%.
Median assessment by type, 2024 the tick is the median of Ontario’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 Ontario’s towns with their own figure; assessments compare within a province only.
An older stock than most: 37% of Cornwall’s homes go back before 1961 (Ontario’s towns: 22%)
21,390 occupied homes stood in Cornwall in 2021, and single-detached houses made up 49% of them.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Ontario’s towns
Homes by kind
| Cornwall | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 4% | 7% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 9% | 6% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 12% | 9% | 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.
Cornwall permitted 8.2 new homes a year per 1,000, below the 15 of Ontario’s towns
Cornwall issued permits for 1,027 new homes from 2018 to 2023, or about 171 a year. Single-unit buildings took 34%, the rest buildings of two or more, against 66% for Ontario’s towns.
Most in 2021: 286 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.
Cornwall is cheaper than most of Ontario’s towns: 60% under their $695,000 median
The census values of Ontario’s towns, 871 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.
Cornwall’s neighbours by home value
Next to Cornwall: 2021 census values and the share of owners.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | $280K | $293K | 54% | |
| Akwesasne (Part) 59 | – | – | – | 2.6 |
| Akwesasne | – | – | – | 14.1 |
| South Glengarry | $348K | $428K | 88% | 14.8 |
| Long Sault | $348K | $388K | 88% | 15.7 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Cornwall
Is Cornwall expensive for Ontario?
On census values, Cornwall sits among the cheaper of Ontario’s towns (median $695,000).
How many households in Cornwall are in core housing need?
In Cornwall, 12% of households are in core housing need, against 9% for Ontario’s towns: their home costs too much, is too small or needs major repairs, and nothing suitable nearby costs under 30% of their income.
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).