Best Cities for First-Time Home Buyers in Ontario

Ontario cities offering the best combination of affordability and available inventory for first-time buyers.

#	City	Region	Median Price	Avg DOM	Active	Sold (12 mo)
1	Toronto	Greater Toronto Area	$825K	33 days	10,209	23,309
2	Timmins	Northern Ontario	$310K	37 days	86	606
3	Chatham-Kent	Southwestern Ontario	$350K	40 days	109	123
4	Sault Ste. Marie	Northern Ontario	$343K	28 days	17	12
5	Pembroke	Eastern Ontario	$365K	39 days	51	207
6	Smiths Falls	Eastern Ontario	$380K	58 days	72	149
7	London	Southwestern Ontario	$555K	39 days	2,219	4,511
8	Thunder Bay	Northern Ontario	$408K	25 days	224	363
9	Cornwall	Eastern Ontario	$406K	46 days	186	666
10	Sarnia	Southwestern Ontario	$400K	33 days	47	76
11	Brockville	Eastern Ontario	$425K	50 days	144	335
12	Kenora	Northern Ontario	$421K	42 days	81	76
13	North Bay	Northern Ontario	$429K	28 days	152	675
14	Windsor	Southwestern Ontario	$475K	47 days	81	73
15	Parry Sound	Muskoka	$472K	52 days	32	100

Methodology

Composite score: 60% affordability (inverse of median price relative to provincial max) + 40% inventory availability (active listings relative to max). Higher inventory gives first-time buyers more options and negotiating power. Cities must have 5+ active listings and 10+ sales.

Data source: MLS listing data aggregated by REintel. Updated every 30 minutes via ISR. Rankings are recalculated hourly.