OTTAWA REAL ESTATE
Ottawa House Prices History: Average Sale Price by Year
Last updated: November 2026. Annual figures are from the Ottawa Real Estate Board. Sources for each period are listed below the tables.
The average Ottawa home sold for $700,349 in 2025, up from $13,351 in 1956, according to Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) data. Over those seven decades, Ottawa prices fell in only a handful of years. The largest annual gains came in 1973 (+25.3%), 2021 (+22.0%) and 1983 (+21.3%). The steepest decline came in 2023 (-5.5%).
Ottawa’s history is mostly one of steady, unspectacular growth, interrupted by a few sharp booms and long flat stretches. That pattern is worth knowing whether you’re buying, selling or trying to make sense of today’s flat market. It shows how Ottawa has behaved through rate shocks, federal job cuts, a tech bust and a pandemic.
Ottawa Average Home Price by Year (2000–2025)
| Year | Average sale price | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $159,511 | +6.6% |
| 2001 | $175,971 | +10.3% |
| 2002 | $200,711 | +14.1% |
| 2003 | $218,692 | +9.0% |
| 2004 | $235,678 | +7.8% |
| 2005 | $244,531 | +3.8% |
| 2006 | $255,889 | +4.6% |
| 2007 | $272,618 | +6.5% |
| 2008 | $289,766 | +6.3% |
| 2009 | $303,888 | +4.9% |
| 2010 | $327,225 | +7.7% |
| 2011 | $343,701 | +5.0% |
| 2012 | $351,792 | +2.4% |
| 2013 | $357,346 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | $361,707 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | $367,629 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | $371,897 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | $392,474 | +5.5% |
| 2018 | $407,571 | +3.8% |
| 2019 | $441,693 | +8.4% |
| 2020 | $529,675 | +19.9% |
| 2021 | $645,976 | +22.0% |
| 2022 | See note | Residential +7%; condo +8% |
| 2023 | $667,794 | -5.5% |
| 2024 | $679,067 | +1.3% |
| 2025 | $700,349 | +2.8% |
Sources: 2000–2021 from OREB’s historical average sale price table, 1956–2021 (residential sales including condominiums). 2022 from OREB’s 2022 year-end release. 2023 from OREB’s 2023 year-end release. 2024 from OREB’s 2024 year-end release. 2025 from OREB’s December 2025 market report (full-year figures; OREB’s +2.8% change reflects its revised 2024 base).
A note on 2022. In 2022, OREB reported residential and condominium sales separately rather than as one combined average. The full-year residential-class average was $769,623 (up 7%) and the condominium-class average was $453,770 (up 8%). From 2023, OREB reported a single average across all home types. Its 2023 figure of $667,794 was 5.5% below 2022 on that combined basis, which implies a combined 2022 average of roughly $706,700.
Ottawa Home Prices by Decade (1956–2025)
| Year | Average sale price | Change over the period |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | $13,351 | — |
| 1960 | $16,791 | +25.8% since 1956 |
| 1970 | $26,532 | +58.0% over the decade |
| 1980 | $62,748 | +136.5% over the decade |
| 1990 | $141,438 | +125.4% over the decade |
| 2000 | $159,511 | +12.8% over the decade |
| 2010 | $327,225 | +105.1% over the decade |
| 2020 | $529,675 | +61.9% over the decade |
| 2025 | $700,349 | +32.2% since 2020 |
Source: OREB annual averages as above; period changes calculated from those figures.
Three things jump out. The 1970s and 1980s were Ottawa’s fastest decades, when high inflation pushed every price up, homes included. The 1990s were almost flat: the average price rose just 12.8% over ten years. And the 2000s doubled prices, despite the tech bust that hit Ottawa early in the decade.
The Eras That Shaped Ottawa Home Prices
1956–1972: Slow, steady growth
For its first 16 years of data, Ottawa’s average price rose modestly, usually a few percent a year. There were even small declines in 1961 (-4.3%) and 1962 (-0.7%). A growing federal government, steady incomes and plenty of land for new suburbs kept prices moving gradually higher.
1973–1974: The inflation boom
Prices jumped 25.3% in 1973 and 21.8% in 1974, still the largest two-year run in Ottawa’s recorded history (the 2020–2021 surge came close). This was a national story driven by high inflation, not something specific to Ottawa. In those two years, the average Ottawa home went from $30,576 to $46,661.
1983–1984: The post-recession surge
After the early-1980s recession and record interest rates, Ottawa prices surged 21.3% in 1983 and 18.4% in 1984. The average crossed $100,000 for the first time in 1984.
1990–1999: Ottawa’s flat decade
This is the stretch most relevant to today. The average price peaked at $148,129 in 1993, then fell three years in a row, to $140,513 in 1996, a decline of 5.1% from the peak. It didn’t pass its 1993 level again until 1999.
The cause was largely local. Between 1994 and 1999, the federal government reduced its workforce by more than 42,000 positions during the Program Review. High interest rates early in the decade added to the pressure. Ottawa’s market didn’t collapse, but it went sideways for most of a decade.
2000–2010: Tech boom, bust and a doubling
Ottawa’s tech sector boomed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and prices followed: up 10.3% in 2001 and 14.1% in 2002. The tech bust that followed hit Kanata hard, yet Ottawa’s average price kept rising every single year of the decade. Even 2008 and 2009, the years of the global financial crisis, brought gains of 6.3% and 4.9%. By 2010, the average had more than doubled from 2000.
2011–2016: The slow years
From 2011 to 2016, Ottawa prices rose by about 1.6% a year on average, roughly in line with inflation. While Toronto and Vancouver boomed, Ottawa’s market stayed balanced. Many owners who bought in this period saw little real gain until 2017.
2017–2021: Acceleration, then the pandemic surge
Growth picked up from 2017 and then exploded. The average price rose 19.9% in 2020 and 22.0% in 2021, driven by record-low interest rates, remote work and a rush for space. From 2019 to 2021, the average Ottawa price rose 46.2%, from $441,693 to $645,976.
2022–2023: The rate shock
When the Bank of Canada raised rates rapidly in 2022, the market turned. Annual averages still rose in 2022 because of the strong first months of the year, but prices fell from the spring peak. In 2023, the average dropped 5.5% to $667,794, Ottawa’s largest annual decline in the data.
2024–2026: Stabilization
Prices recovered slightly in 2024 (+1.3%) and 2025 (+2.8%). In 2026, the market has been flat: the average sale price in September 2026 was $685,640, down 1.0% from a year earlier. For the current picture, see Ottawa home prices and the monthly Ottawa housing market update.
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What Ottawa’s Price History Tells Us About Today
History doesn’t predict the future, but it does show how this particular market tends to behave. Four lessons stand out.
1. Ottawa corrections have been shallow
In nearly 70 years of OREB data, Ottawa’s average price has rarely fallen more than a few percent in a year. The deepest annual drop was 5.5% in 2023. The longest decline, 1994 to 1996, took the average down about 5% from its peak. Ottawa hasn’t seen the 20% to 30% declines some Canadian markets have experienced.
2. But flat periods can last years
The flip side is that Ottawa can go sideways for a long time. Prices took six years to regain their 1993 peak, and the 2011–2016 period delivered little real growth. Today’s flat market isn’t unusual by Ottawa’s standards.
3. Federal job cuts slow the market rather than break it
The 1990s Program Review is the closest parallel to the federal reductions planned through 2029. Then, prices dipped and stalled for several years, but didn’t crash. Today’s market also has a broader employment base, with tech, health care and defence far larger than they were in the 1990s. For how today’s cuts compare, see Ottawa real estate market trends.
4. Booms are followed by catch-up periods
After the big gains of 1973–74 and 1983–84, growth slowed for years. After the 2020–21 surge, the same thing is happening now. The composite benchmark is up just 4.0% over five years to September 2026, according to OREB’s latest report. In real terms, that’s a decline, because general inflation as measured by Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index rose about 19% over the same five years.
For a look at what forecasters expect next, see the Ottawa housing market forecast.
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Average Price vs Benchmark Price: Reading the History Correctly
The figures on this page are average sale prices: the total value of homes sold in a year divided by the number of sales. That’s the only measure that goes back to 1956, which makes it ideal for long-term history. It has limits, though.
The average moves with the mix of homes sold. A year with more detached sales, or more sales in high-priced neighbourhoods, pushes the average up even if individual homes didn’t gain value. Averages also include condos, so a shift in how many condos sell changes the number.
For current value changes, the MLS® Home Price Index is the better tool. It tracks a “typical” home with consistent features over time, so it isn’t distorted by the mix. OREB has published MLS® HPI benchmarks for Ottawa since 2005 and reports them by property type each month on its newsroom.
OREB itself notes that average sale prices “show trends over time” and should not be taken as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The history on this page is the market’s story, not your home’s.
Ottawa home prices by property type over time
The long-run averages hide very different paths for each home type. Over the five years to September 2026, OREB’s benchmarks show:
| Property type | Benchmark (Sept 2026) | 3-year change | 5-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composite (all types) | $623,500 | +1.1% | +4.0% |
| Detached | $705,100 | +1.9% | +5.0% |
| Townhouse | $546,500 | -3.1% | -0.1% |
| Condo apartment | $380,800 | -11.0% | -7.5% |
Detached owners have kept their gains from the pandemic years. Condo owners who bought near the 2022 peak have given some back. See the Ottawa condo market for the condo picture.
Ottawa Price History by Neighbourhood
OREB doesn’t publish an official year-by-year price history for individual neighbourhoods. Small areas have few sales each year, so their averages swing too much to be reliable as an official series.
The best way to see how prices have moved on your street is to look at actual sales of similar homes over time. That’s the work I do for clients in Kanata, Stittsville, Barrhaven and across the west end. For Kanata, see the average home price in Kanata, year by year and Kanata home prices. To see recent results across the city, browse recently sold homes in Ottawa.
How to Use Ottawa’s Price History
If you’re selling, history tells you whether your expectations are realistic. If you bought in 2021 or early 2022, your home’s value today may be close to or below what you paid, especially if it’s a condo. A comparative market analysis gives you the real number. Your MPAC assessment won’t, because Ontario assessments are still based on 2016 values. See MPAC assessed value vs market value.
If you’re buying, history is a reminder that Ottawa rewards patience more than timing. Owners who bought in flat periods like the mid-1990s or the early 2010s did well over the long run. The right home in the right location, held for years, has historically mattered more than buying at the exact bottom.
If you’re moving up, history shows that different home types can move very differently for years at a time. Plan your move around today’s actual values for both homes, not the gains you remember from 2021. See selling and buying a home at the same time.
Why Ottawa’s Market Has Been So Stable
Several features of Ottawa’s economy explain its unusually steady price history.
A large, stable employer base. The federal government has anchored Ottawa’s economy for decades. Public service jobs have generally been secure and well paid, which supports steady demand even when other sectors struggle. That’s also why federal cuts, as in the 1990s, are among the few things that have stalled the market.
A diversified economy. Tech in Kanata, health care, universities and defence give Ottawa more economic legs than its “government town” reputation suggests. When the tech bust hit in the early 2000s, government employment cushioned it. See Ottawa’s job market and major employers.
Room to grow. Ottawa has historically had land for new suburbs, from Kanata and Barrhaven to Riverside South and Stittsville. New supply has kept prices from running away the way they did in land-constrained cities.
A less speculative market. Ottawa has seen less investor-driven speculation than Toronto or Vancouver, which helps explain why its booms have been more muted and its corrections shallower.
The City of Ottawa and CMHC both publish longer-term data on population, housing starts and rental supply for readers who want to dig deeper.
Get Today’s Value for Your Home From Jason Polonski
I’m Jason Polonski, a full-time REALTOR® with Right at Home Realty and more than 15 years in Ottawa real estate. I’ve worked through Ottawa’s flat years and its boom years, and I’ve helped hundreds of buyers and sellers make sense of what the market’s history means for their own move.
My Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Finance from Concordia University means I read market data carefully: benchmark first, then the comparables, then the long-run context. My background in construction and the electrical trades means I can also tell you what your home’s condition and systems are worth to today’s buyers.
My work has been recognized with Right at Home Realty’s Chairman’s Club (2025 and 2021) and Best in Ottawa Top REALTOR® for seven years running. Read what clients say on my Google Business Profile.
Sellers can list with me at a 1% Listing Commission, charged on the final sold price (details). Buyers can receive up to $3,000 cash back at closing.
See What Your Home Is Worth Today
History tells the market’s story. A current comparative market analysis tells yours. Request your home value, or call or text Jason at (613) 601-9333.
Ottawa House Prices History: Frequently Asked Questions
The average Ottawa home sold for $700,349 in 2025, up 2.8% from 2024, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board’s December 2025 report.
The average Ottawa home sold for $645,976 in 2021, up 22.0% from 2020, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board. It was the largest annual gain since 1973.
Yes, but rarely and not by much. Ottawa’s average price fell in 1961, 1962, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2023. The steepest annual decline was 5.5% in 2023.
Ottawa’s average sale price rose from $367,629 in 2015 to $700,349 in 2025, an increase of about 90%, based on Ottawa Real Estate Board annual averages.
Ottawa prices peaked in early 2022, before the Bank of Canada began raising rates. On an annual basis, 2022’s implied combined average of about $706,700 remains the high point, slightly above the 2025 average of $700,349.
They went sideways. The average price peaked at $148,129 in 1993 and fell to $140,513 by 1996, during the federal Program Review cuts and a period of high interest rates. It didn’t pass its 1993 level again until 1999.
OREB doesn’t publish an official neighbourhood price history. The most reliable view comes from comparable sales of similar homes nearby over time, which a local REALTOR® can pull for you.
