New Housing Price Index, July 2021
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Released: 2021-08-20
July 2021
0.4% 
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.1%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.7%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.0%
(monthly change)
July 2021
1.0%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.5%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.4%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.3%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.8%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.4%
(monthly change)
July 2021
0.5%
(monthly change)
New home prices in Canada (composite of 27 census metropolitan areas) grew at their slowest pace since December 2020.
Chart 1
New Housing Price Index
Nationally, new home prices were up 0.4% in July. Prices in Toronto (+0.2%) and Vancouver (+0.3%), Canada's most expensive cities, grew at a slower pace than the national average.
Prices were up in 19 of the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) surveyed, led by Oshawa (+4.3%). Oshawa enjoys proximity to the neighbouring Toronto region, and thus has seen new home prices rise on account of telework and a need for larger homes, and because it is a cheaper alternative for those who commute to Toronto. The Durham Region Association of Realtors reported that all home types listed in Oshawa took an average of only 11 days to sell.
One of the more affordable areas in Ontario, Greater Sudbury, saw new home prices rise 1.9% in July. Continuing low supply contributed to the price increase. Inventory levels were down to 1.1 months, below their historical average of 5.1 months, while active listings were down to 319 units, the lowest number in more than thirty years for the month of July according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.
New Housing Price Index, 12-month change
Nationally, new home prices were up 11.9% year over year in July, with the house structure (+14.1%) rising more than the land (+6.7%). According to the Building Construction Price Index, construction prices were up year over year by almost a quarter for single-detached houses (+23.9%) and townhouses (+24.4%) in the second quarter of 2021.
New home prices were up in all of the CMAs surveyed across the country, with the largest increases in Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (+27.7%) and Ottawa (+25.3%). Housing demand has been strong in Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo due to the desire for larger homes as well as interest from Toronto buyers on account of relatively cheaper homes.
The price increase in Ottawa may be attributable to its large share of federal government and high-tech workers who have adapted to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and may be seeking larger homes to accommodate home offices. Many Ottawa builders have been selling homes with different arrangements, such as a den or a guest suite to allow for multi-generational living or a rental income.
Chart 2
New house prices rise 0.4% at the national level
Note to readers
The New Housing Price Index (NHPI) measures changes over time in the selling prices of new residential houses. The prices are those agreed upon between the contractor and the buyer at the time the contract is signed. The detailed specifications for each new house remain the same between two consecutive periods.
The prices collected from builders and included in the index are market selling prices less value-added taxes, such as the federal goods and services tax and the provincial harmonized sales tax.
The survey covers the following dwelling types: new single homes, semi-detached homes and townhomes (row or garden homes). The index is available at the national and provincial levels and for 27 census metropolitan areas (CMAs).
The index is not subject to revision and is not seasonally adjusted.
In addition to this monthly release, the NHPI has also been integrated into the Residential Property Price Index (see Methodology of the Residential Property Price Index (RPPI)). The RPPI is a quarterly series that measures changes over time in the prices of residential properties for Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria. An aggregate for these six CMAs is also available. The RPPI provides a price index for all components of the housing real estate market—new and resale—in addition to a breakdown between houses and condominium apartments.
Products
The article "The resilience and strength of the new housing market during the pandemic" examines the changes in new home prices in Canada for the 27 surveyed CMAs captured in the NHPI and compares the ranking of cities based on prices six months into the pandemic (August 2020 compared with February 2020).
The article "Price trends and outlook in key Canadian housing markets" looks at where the housing market was at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, sheds light on what has happened since then, and explores the challenges of the Canadian market going forward.
The infographic "The impact of COVID-19 on Key Housing Markets," part of the series Statistics Canada — Infographics (11-627-M), is available. It provides an outlook on the housing market before, during and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The "New Housing Price Index: Interactive Dashboard," which allows users to visualize statistics on new housing prices, is available.
The "Housing Market Indicators" dashboard, which provides access to key housing market indicators for Canada, by province and by CMA, is also available.
For more information on the topic of housing, visit the Housing Statistics Portal.
The video "Producer Price Indexes" is available on the Statistics Canada Training Institute web page. It provides an introduction to Statistics Canada's Producer Price Indexes—what they are, how they are compiled, and what they are used for.
Statistics Canada launched the Producer Price Indexes Portal as part of a suite of portals for prices and price indexes. It provides users with a single point of access to a wide variety of statistics and measures related to producer prices.
Next release
The New Housing Price Index for August will be released on September 21, 2021.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
- Date modified: