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It’s hard to scan a Canadian newspaper these days without coming across an article about the country’s lofty real estate prices. And it’s also hard for parents to tell their kids the “I used to walk to school barefoot” stories. Or is it? Is it really that much more expensive to own a home these days than it was 30 years ago?

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Thinking of buying a home in West Vancouver? Your income better be at least $320,932. To buy a house in Trois-Rivières though, your salary would need to be just $39,379





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Let’s focus on the particulars for the country’s largest city and one of the two crown jewels of the real estate market – Toronto (the other being Vancouver, of course).

In 1985, the average home price was $109,094 according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. Currently, the average home in Toronto will set you back by $566,696. Prices have therefore risen by 5.65% annualized over the past 30 years. During that time, prices rose quickly from 1985 to 1989, fell through 1996 and have since been on a near straight line upwards.