This page compares the income needed for a typical home across Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton.
Income needed for a typical home
| Area | Price measure | Price | Income needed, minimum down | Income needed, 20% down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | MLS HPI benchmark | $511,500 | $117,200 | $100,900 |
| Alberta | Average sale price | $524,545 | $119,900 | $103,400 |
| Calgary | MLS HPI benchmark | $569,800 | $129,400 | $111,900 |
| Edmonton | MLS HPI benchmark | $426,900 | $98,700 | $85,000 |
Prices: provincial REALTOR association figures on CREA Stats (August 2026); Calgary: Calgary Real Estate Board (August 2026); Edmonton: REALTORS Association of Edmonton (August 2026). Incomes: this site's calculation, with the assumptions on the calculator page.
Calgary
Calgary’s benchmark price, $569,800 in August 2026, takes about $129,400 of income with the minimum down payment and $111,900 with 20%. The Calgary housing market page has the trend.
Edmonton
For Edmonton’s benchmark home ($426,900, August 2026), plan on about $98,700 of income with the minimum $21,345 down, or $85,000 with 20% down. See the Edmonton housing market page.
Closing costs
Closing costs are on top of the down payment: see closing costs in Alberta.
Related pages
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026. How we check facts.
- Bank of Canada: Data table
- CMHC: Calculating GDS / TDS
- CMHC: CMHC Purchase
- CMHC: Home Start
- CMHC: CMHC Improvement
- CREA: Edmo
- CREA: creastats.crea.ca
- creb.com: CREB® | Real Estate Resources For Calgary
- creb.com: CREB® | Housing Statistics
- creb.com: 08 2026 Calgary Monthly Stats Package
- Department of Finance Canada: Technical backgrounder mortgage insurance rules income proposals revised october 14 2016
- Department of Finance Canada: Government announces boldest mortgage reforms in decades to unlock homeownership for more canadians
11 more sources
- Department of Finance Canada: Straight switches and portfolio insurance
- Department of Finance Canada: Boldest mortgage reforms in decades come into force today
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Down payment
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Buying home
- OSFI: Minimum qualifying rate for uninsured mortgages
- OSFI: Final Revised Guideline B-20: Residential Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures
- OSFI: Amendments to the minimum qualifying rate for uninsured mortgages
- OSFI: OSFI exempts uninsured mortgage straight switches from the prescribed MQR and…
- OSFI: Loan-to-income limits for uninsured mortgage portfolios
- realtorsofedmonton.com: The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton (RAE)
- wowa.ca: Canadian Housing Market Report Sep. 15th, 2026 | Interactive Map - WOWA.ca