British Columbia’s benchmark price is shown here beside Greater Vancouver’s, with the income each needs under the stress test.
Income needed for a typical home
| Area | Price measure | Price | Income needed, minimum down | Income needed, 20% down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | MLS HPI benchmark | $874,600 | $193,500 | $169,300 |
| British Columbia | Average sale price | $924,826 | $204,000 | $178,700 |
| Greater Vancouver | MLS HPI benchmark | $1,081,900 | $237,000 | $208,300 |
Prices: provincial REALTOR association figures on CREA Stats (August 2026); Greater Vancouver: Greater Vancouver REALTORS (August 2026). Incomes: this site's calculation, with the assumptions on the calculator page.
Greater Vancouver
Greater Vancouver’s benchmark home cost $1,081,900 in August 2026. With 20% down ($216,380) the income needed is about $208,300; the minimum down payment of $83,190 raises it to $237,000. Details on the Greater Vancouver housing market page.
Closing costs
Closing costs are on top of the down payment: see closing costs in British Columbia.
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: creastats.crea.ca
- 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
- 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
9 more sources
- gvrealtors.ca: www.gvrealtors.ca
- members.gvrealtors.ca: GVR Stats Package August 2026
- 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 andβ¦
- OSFI: Loan-to-income limits for uninsured mortgage portfolios
- wowa.ca: Vancouver Housing Market: Sep. 3rd, 2026 Update | Regional Map Breakdown - WOWA.ca
- wowa.ca: Canadian Housing Market Report Sep. 15th, 2026 | Interactive Map - WOWA.ca