Ottawa’s Most (and Least) Affordable Neighbourhoods of 2023

By Josh Sherman | 2 minute read

Ottawa’s roughly 100 neighbourhoods provide a mix of price points, including a few that are surprisingly affordable and some others that have jaw-dropping luxury homes.

Home prices in cities across North America have reached unprecedented levels in recent years, but despite being Canada’s fourth-largest city and the country’s capital, there are still relative bargains to be found.

For example, through an affordability study earlier this year, Wahi found that one pocket of Ottawa was more affordable than Windsor (or 50 other Ontario cities). Revisiting the topic of Ottawa housing affordability to round out the year, Wahi now looks at the most (and least) affordable neighbourhoods in the city for both condos and houses, including detached and semi-detached homes as well as townhomes. The following neighbourhoods were ranked by the median selling price of homes between the period of Dec. 1 and Nov. 15.

Ottawa’s Most (and Least) Expensive Neighbourhoods for Condos

Top 3 Most Expensive Ottawa Neighbourhoods for Condos

1. Hunt Club Woods – Quinterra – Revelstoke 

Median Price: $750,000

Named after the prestigious Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, Hunt Club Woods – Quinterra – Revelstoke is a pricey sliver of a community that hugs the Rideau Canal between Cedarvale in the south to Riverside Park in the north. The broader Hunt Club community has triple the amount of publicly accessible green space as the city-wide average, and many homebuyers are willing to pay a premium.

2. Old Ottawa East

    

Median Price: $703,250

You’ll also pay a premium for a centrally located condo, so it’s not surprising that Old Ottawa East — which is located within Capital Ward, just south of the downtown core — are the second- and third-most expensive neighbourhoods for Ottawa condo buyers in 2023.

3. Old Ottawa South

Median Price: $697,500

Likewise, Old Ottawa South, another pocket of the Capital Ward, rounds out the top three most expensive Ottawa condo ‘hoods.

Top 3 Least Expensive Ottawa Neighbourhoods for Condos

Unlike the most expensive condo neighbourhoods, the top three most affordable Ottawa neighbourhoods are strewn more widely across the city.

1. Beacon Hill South – Cardinal Heights

Median Price: $255,000

There’s some third-party evidence to back up the neighbourhood’s status as an affordable alcove. According to the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study, nearly 70% of Beacon Hill South – Cardinal Heights residents are homeowners, compared to the Ottawa-wide average of 65.7%.

2. Riverside Park

    

Median Price: $260,000

You don’t have to travel far from affluent Hunt Club Woods – Quinterra – Revelstoke to see prices dip. Bordering the community to the north is Riverside Park, which is a stone’s throw from Carleton University, and borders the iconic Rideau Canal.

3. Bells Corners West

Median Price: $280,000

A more suburban community not far from Kanata, Bells Corners West might not have the vibrancy of Ottawa’s more urban neighbourhoods, but then the tradeoff may be more affordable multi-family dwellings – and some peace and quiet.

Ottawa’s Most (and Least) Expensive Neighbourhoods for Houses

2. Rockcliffe – Manor Park

Median Price: $1,225,000

Another higher-income area, this community includes the Rockcliffe and Manor Park neighbourhoods, with the former the site of a Heritage Conservation District. As you can imagine, heritage homes — whether due to upkeep or desirability — don’t come cheap!

3. Woodroffe – Lincoln Heights

Median Price: $1,209,500

Woodroffe – Lincoln Heights is a narrow primarily residential swath of land overlooking the rushing Ottawa River that has a mix of luxury rentals and condos and, of course, big detached homes with even bigger price tags. 

Top 3 Least Expensive Ottawa Neighbourhoods for Houses

1. Ledbury – Heron Gate – Ridgemont

Median Price: $389,000 

It’s been called one of Ottawa’s “most richly diverse neighbourhoods.” Ledbury – Heron Gate – Ridgemont is home to many newcomers to Canada as well as the most affordable median house price anywhere in the city. If there’s a challenge, it’s that the neighbourhood has some of the lowest incomes in the city as well, meaning ownership may not be within reach for local renters. 

2. Hunt Club East – Western Community

Median Price: $420,000

Hunt Club East – Western Community began as a cluster of subdivisions in the 1970s, but as the city has grown, it’s shed its status of bedroom community and is a proper — and affordable — Ottawa neighbourhood. 

3. Cummings 

Median Price: $425,000

An L-shaped neighbourhood to the east of the downtown core, Cummings, also known as Cyrville, is conveniently connected to Ottawa’s core via Highway 417. That’s good news for homebuyers who may be sacrificing their ideal location for the below-average median price found here.