Single-family median price, Quebec City CMA
$463,500As of Q3 2026.Source
Condominium median price, Quebec City CMA
$334,900As of Q3 2026.Source
Active listings, Quebec City CMA
2,597 (up about 38%)As of October 2026.Source
Population of Quebec City
549,459As of 2021 Census.Source
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Quebec City has the opposite problem from most large markets: too few homes, not too many. That has pushed prices up through a period when sales elsewhere in the province are slipping.

Quebec City’s quarter, read for equity

QPAREB’s October 2026 release counted 866 sales in the Quebec City metropolitan area, down 16% from a record October, though still about 18% above the ten-year average. Active listings numbered 2,597, up nearly 38% on the year and the eighth straight monthly increase, but still well below the 2016 to 2025 average. Median prices rose 4% for single-family homes, 8% for condominiums and 3% for plexes, and single-family homes sold in an average of 23 days.

The third-quarter release put the metropolitan medians at $463,500 for a house, $334,900 for a condo and $600,000 for a plex, and said one in five transactions drew multiple offers, half the share of a year earlier. Centris reports a Q3 median of $464,000 for a single-family home in the agglomeration (the City, L’Ancienne-Lorette and Saint-Augustin), and $380,000 for a condo in La Cité-Limoilou. The 2021 Census recorded 549,459 residents in Quebec City.

Room to borrow on a Quebec City house and condo

Second hypothec (deuxième hypothèque) is the Quebec name for a second mortgage. Per the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the usual ceiling is 80% of the appraised value minus the mortgage balance, and a Quebec lender may differ. In the house example, a $300,000 first hypothec leaves $71,200 of room and $26,200 after a $45,000 loan. In the condo example, $90,000 of equity becomes $14,000 of room, and a $20,000 loan overshoots by $6,000.

Low supply helps your equity grow. It does not widen the ceiling. Use the calculator with your own balance.

Costs: the welcome tax, bracket by bracket

The Ville de Quebec’s welcome tax applies to transfers of property. For 2026 its brackets are 0.5% up to $62,900, 1% to $315,000, 1.5% to $500,000, 2.5% to $750,000 and 3% above, and the comparative factor for the assessment is 1.08. On a $464,000 purchase, the agglomeration’s median house, the tax by our arithmetic is $314.50 plus $2,521.00 plus $2,235.00, a total of $5,070.50. The City allows payment in three equal interest-free instalments.

A second hypothec on a home you keep is not a transfer, and we found no Quebec City duty on it. You pay the notary instead, who prepares the deed of hypothec and publishes it at the land register, as CMHC’s instructions to notaries for a second-ranking hypothec show. Add an appraisal and any lender fee, and ask for each in writing.

Why a lender may ask about the exit

A second hypothec has a short term and a payment you must plan for. QPAREB says Quebec City’s market is “very unaffordable” on the North and South Shores, and that population growth has slowed sharply. Lender caution on a house in a tight market is rarely about whether it will sell. It is about whether you can repay when the term ends. Have a real plan: a sale, a refinance, or repayment from savings.

If you are an older owner, a payment-free alternative may exist. Read reverse mortgages. If you are moving, compare a bridge loan with a second hypothec, and see home equity loans for how they differ.

Three Quebec City numbers that do not agree

Quebec City publishes more than one “median”, and they differ. The metropolitan single-family median for Q3 2026 was $463,500, up 2%. The Centris figure for the agglomeration was $464,000, down 1%. Over the last four quarters, the agglomeration median was $476,326. None of these is wrong. They cover different areas and periods, and they move at different speeds in a market where supply is short.

The condo figures show the same pattern. The metropolitan median was $334,900, the agglomeration’s was $345,000 (up 8%) and La Cité-Limoilou’s was $380,000 (up 11%). A condo owner in the old city is in a different market from one in a suburb.

Choose the figure that matches your sector, then ask a lender which one it will use.

Keep the deed copy and your latest hypothec statement ready, since the notary will need both. If the home is a condo, ask for the building’s most recent financial statements too, because a lender may want to see them.

Licences and questions in Quebec City

Before you share documents, read what the Quebec page says about who licenses mortgage professionals and what to ask. When you want a professional to review your Quebec City figures, compare your options.

A Quebec City agglomeration house at the Q3 2026 single-family median

The $464,000 value is the Centris Q3 2026 median single-family price for the Quebec City agglomeration, used as a stand-in for an appraised value. The $300,000 first hypothec and the $45,000 loan are made up. The 80% ceiling is the one the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada gives for a second mortgage; a Quebec lender may use another figure.

Home value used
$464,000
80% of the property value
$371,200

$464,000 x 0.80

Room under the ceiling before any loan
$71,200

$371,200 minus $300,000

Combined loan-to-value with a $45,000 loan
74.4%

$345,000 / $464,000

Room left under the ceiling after the loan
$26,200

A first hypothec of $300,000 leaves a comfortable cushion for a $45,000 loan. If the first hypothec were larger, the room would shrink dollar for dollar.

Illustration only. The figures are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not a quote, a rate or an offer.

A La Cité-Limoilou condo at the Q3 2026 condominium median

The $380,000 value is the Centris Q3 2026 median condominium price for La Cité-Limoilou, used as a stand-in for an appraised value. The $290,000 first hypothec and the $20,000 loan are made up.

Home value used
$380,000
80% of the property value
$304,000

$380,000 x 0.80

Room under the ceiling before any loan
$14,000

$304,000 minus $290,000

Combined loan-to-value with a $20,000 loan
81.6%

$310,000 / $380,000

Amount a $20,000 loan overshoots the ceiling by
$6,000

Equity of $90,000 sounds ample, yet the room is $14,000. A smaller loan or a smaller first hypothec would be needed.

Illustration only. The figures are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not a quote, a rate or an offer.

Questions people ask

What keeps Quebec City values rising while sales slow?

Supply is the reason in the QPAREB data. October 2026 listings were up about 38% on the year, yet still well below the 2016 to 2025 average, and the association says the shortage is far from over. Few homes for sale supports prices even when sales ease.

How is the Ville de Quebec welcome tax worked out?

For 2026 the City applies 0.5% to $62,900, 1% to $315,000, 1.5% to $500,000, 2.5% to $750,000 and 3% above that, on a base that can use a comparative factor of 1.08 on the assessment. Your notary confirms the exact figure for a purchase.

Instalments: can the Quebec City welcome tax be paid that way?

The City says the bill can be paid in three equal, interest-free instalments, due 30, 90 and 150 days after the invoice, unless the bill is $300 or less, which is due within 30 days. That applies to purchases, not to a second hypothec on a home you keep.

Are Quebec City condos different from houses?

Yes. The Q3 2026 condo median was $334,900, up 6%, and in La Cité-Limoilou the Centris condo median was $380,000, up 11%. Condo values are lower, so the dollar room under a ceiling is smaller than for a house.

For an older Quebec City owner, is a reverse mortgage an alternative?

It may be, depending on age, and it works differently from a second hypothec because interest builds up instead of monthly payments. Read our reverse mortgage page for the costs and the effect on what your heirs receive.

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Sources