How big is a typical Canadian home? It depends on where you live, what kind of home it is and when it was built. This page sets out typical sizes of new detached homes by province, condo sizes by city, sizes by property type and how new-home sizes have changed decade by decade. It is part of our guide to property types in Canada. The figures are typical ranges rather than official statistics, and a listing’s square footage depends on how it was measured: our guide on how to calculate the square footage of a home explains what counts and why a condo and a house are measured differently.
Average home size by province
New single-detached homes
| Province | Typical new detached home (sq ft) |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | 2,000 to 2,200 |
| Alberta | 2,200 to 2,400 |
| Saskatchewan | 2,100 to 2,300 |
| Manitoba | 1,900 to 2,100 |
| Ontario | 1,900 to 2,200 |
| Quebec | 1,700 to 1,900 |
| New Brunswick | 1,700 to 1,900 |
| Nova Scotia | 1,800 to 2,000 |
| Prince Edward Island | 1,600 to 1,800 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1,700 to 1,900 |
| National | About 1,900 to 2,100 |
Lot sizes explain much of the spread. Where land is expensive and lots are narrow, as in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area, new houses tend to be smaller for the price; where larger lots are available, as around Calgary and Edmonton, builders have more room.
Average condo sizes by city
| City | Typical new condo (sq ft) | Studio | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | 650 to 700 | 400 to 475 | 500 to 600 | 700 to 850 |
| Vancouver | 650 to 750 | 400 to 500 | 550 to 650 | 750 to 900 |
| Calgary | 800 to 900 | 450 to 550 | 600 to 750 | 850 to 1,050 |
| Ottawa | 800 to 900 | 450 to 550 | 650 to 750 | 900 to 1,100 |
| Montreal | 750 to 850 | 400 to 500 | 550 to 700 | 800 to 1,000 |
| Edmonton | 800 to 900 | 450 to 550 | 600 to 750 | 850 to 1,050 |
| Halifax | 750 to 850 | 450 to 550 | 600 to 700 | 850 to 1,000 |
A condo’s size is normally measured inside the unit’s walls, so it reads smaller than a house of the same footprint measured from the outside. For what a condo costs to own beyond the purchase price, see our guide to buying a condo in Canada.
Average home size by property type
| Property type | Typical size (sq ft) | Range (sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-detached | 1,800 to 2,100 | 1,200 to 4,000+ |
| Semi-detached | 1,400 to 1,700 | 1,000 to 2,200 |
| Freehold townhouse | 1,300 to 1,700 | 900 to 2,500 |
| Condo townhouse | 1,100 to 1,500 | 800 to 2,000 |
| Condo apartment | 700 to 900 | 350 to 1,500+ |
| Duplex (per unit) | 900 to 1,300 | 700 to 1,800 |
| Mobile or manufactured home | 900 to 1,400 | 600 to 2,000 |
Our guide to what a townhouse is explains the freehold and condo versions, and the types of houses in Canada page compares every kind of home side by side.
Home sizes by decade
New home sizes over time
| Year | Typical new detached (sq ft) | Typical new condo (sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | About 1,100 | Few condos built |
| 1985 | About 1,400 | About 900 |
| 1995 | About 1,700 | About 850 |
| 2005 | About 2,200 | About 850 |
| 2010 | About 2,300 | About 800 |
| 2015 | About 2,100 | About 750 |
| 2020 | About 2,000 | About 700 |
| 2025 | About 1,950 | About 680 |
On these figures, new detached homes grew from the 1970s to a peak around 2005 to 2010 and have been somewhat smaller since, while new condo units have been getting smaller since the 1980s.
What drives the change in size
| Factor | Effect on size |
|---|---|
| Land costs | Builders use smaller lots to keep prices within reach |
| Construction costs | Lumber, labour and materials cost more, and a smaller home costs less to build (see the cost to build a house in Canada) |
| Zoning and density | Municipal plans favour higher density, so townhouses and condos replace some detached homes |
| Smaller households | Fewer people per household than in past decades means less space per home is needed |
| Mortgage affordability | The size a buyer can afford at a given income depends on prices and borrowing costs |
| Investor and rental demand | Developers build smaller units that sell at lower total prices |
| Working from home | Some buyers have looked for more space since 2020, partly offsetting the trend |
Small condos
| Issue | Details |
|---|---|
| Liveability | Units under 500 sq ft are hard to live in long term, especially for families |
| Resale | Very small units appeal to a narrower group of buyers |
| Storage | Micro-condos have little storage; a storage locker is often sold separately |
| Working from home | Units under about 600 sq ft leave little room for a home office |
Where a city sets a minimum unit size, it is in the municipal zoning bylaw or the city’s design guidelines, so the rules differ from one city to the next.
How much space households use
| Household | Typical home size (sq ft) | Space per person (sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Single person | 600 to 900 | 600 to 900 |
| Couple | 800 to 1,200 | 400 to 600 |
| Couple with 1 child | 1,200 to 1,600 | 400 to 530 |
| Couple with 2 children | 1,500 to 2,200 | 375 to 550 |
| Couple with 3 or more children | 2,000 to 3,000 | 400 to 500 |
| Multigenerational | 2,500 to 4,000+ | Depends on the layout |
Home size and price
A larger home costs more in total, but price per square foot often runs the other way: a condo can cost more per square foot than a detached house in the same city, because the land under a house is spread over more floor area. Our guide on how to calculate square footage has price per square foot by city and shows how to use it to compare listings. Size is also one input among many in estimating what a home is worth.