This page sets out GVR's September 2026 area benchmarks for the cities multiplex buyers look at most, and the city-specific rules a buyer should know. GVR publishes no multiplex benchmark, and its townhouse figures exclude duplexes, so these numbers describe the market around a multiplex home and never the home itself.
The short version
- In September 2026, GVR's detached benchmark ranged from $1,356,900 in New Westminster to $2,916,100 in Vancouver West, across the areas on this page.
- The townhouse benchmark ranged from $854,200 in New Westminster to $1,298,500 in Vancouver West.
- The largest one-year change in a detached benchmark on this page was in New Westminster, down 10.4%.
- Vancouver charges its own Empty Homes Tax on homes left empty. The Province's speculation and vacancy tax applies in designated areas, including much of Greater Vancouver.
- GVR splits Vancouver into East and West and Burnaby into East, North and South, and each area has its own benchmark.
The benchmarks, area by area
GVR reports benchmarks for each area it covers, using the same method as its regional figures. The table gives the detached and townhouse benchmarks for September 2026, with the change over one year. GVR describes each benchmark as the estimated sale price of a typical property in that market.
Read the townhouse column as a guide to attached homes in each area. GVR's note says townhome figures exclude duplexes, and there is no index for triplex or fourplex homes, so a multiplex home can sit above or below the townhouse figure depending on its size, age and street.
| Area | Detached | 1 year | Townhouse | 1 year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver East | $1,630,500 | down 7.7% | $980,400 | down 7.9% |
| Vancouver West | $2,916,100 | down 8.7% | $1,298,500 | down 5.5% |
| Burnaby East | $1,694,900 | down 6.7% | $857,900 | down 1.7% |
| Burnaby North | $1,808,500 | down 9.2% | $880,400 | down 4.7% |
| Burnaby South | $1,894,600 | down 10.3% | $942,100 | down 4.9% |
| Coquitlam | $1,584,400 | down 6.6% | $976,600 | down 6.5% |
| New Westminster | $1,356,900 | down 10.4% | $854,200 | down 6.8% |
| Port Moody | $1,903,500 | down 8.4% | $940,900 | down 5.2% |
| Richmond | $1,871,100 | down 8.5% | $1,025,000 | down 2.3% |
Greater Vancouver REALTORS, MLS® HPI, September 2026, released October 2, 2026. Townhouse figures exclude duplexes. No multiplex benchmark is published.
Vancouver: East and West
GVR's September 2026 figures show the widest split inside one city. Vancouver West's detached benchmark was $2,916,100, against $1,630,500 in Vancouver East. The townhouse benchmarks were $1,298,500 and $980,400.
The City of Vancouver charges its own Empty Homes Tax on homes in the city left empty, on top of the Province's speculation and vacancy tax. The Province's list of taxable areas names every city in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, including Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Port Moody and Richmond. Our cost of owning guide explains both taxes and who they apply to.
In our view, Vancouver East gives multiplex buyers the most choice in the city, with many homes on residential streets near schools and SkyTrain lines. Our Vancouver neighbourhood guide goes through it area by area.
Burnaby: East, North and South
GVR splits Burnaby into three areas. In September 2026, the detached benchmarks were $1,694,900 in Burnaby East, $1,808,500 in Burnaby North and $1,894,600 in Burnaby South. The townhouse benchmarks were $857,900, $880,400 and $942,100.
Burnaby South's detached benchmark fell down 10.3% over the year, while Burnaby East's townhouse benchmark moved down 1.7%.
Our Burnaby guide covers the neighbourhoods where multiplex homes are for sale, with schools, parks and transit for each.
Coquitlam, New Westminster, Port Moody and Richmond
Coquitlam's September 2026 detached benchmark was $1,584,400, the second lowest on this page after New Westminster's $1,356,900. Coquitlam's townhouse benchmark was $976,600, close to Vancouver East's.
Port Moody's detached benchmark was $1,903,500 and Richmond's $1,871,100, both above Burnaby East. Richmond's townhouse benchmark, $1,025,000, was the second highest on this page after Vancouver West, and it moved down 2.3% over the year.
In our view, Coquitlam and New Westminster are where a multiplex budget stretches furthest among the cities with SkyTrain service, and where families starting out often find homes with more bedrooms for the price. Compare commute times as well as prices, because they change the daily cost of a cheaper home.
Ten years of change, and what it does not tell you
GVR also reports the change in each benchmark over ten years. Over the ten years to September 2026, the townhouse benchmark moved between up 22.6% in Vancouver West and up 72.1% in Port Moody. The detached benchmark moved between down 17.0% in Vancouver West and up 37.1% in Port Moody.
Those are past changes over one particular decade. They describe what happened to a typical townhouse or house in each area, and they do not predict the next ten years. We show them because a buyer comparing cities should know that the areas have moved differently, and that a high-priced area has not always been the one that rose the most.
| Area | Detached, 10 years | Townhouse, 10 years |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver East | up 8.8% | up 27.9% |
| Vancouver West | down 17.0% | up 22.6% |
| Burnaby East | up 26.0% | up 60.2% |
| Burnaby North | up 15.7% | up 58.9% |
| Burnaby South | up 6.2% | up 46.5% |
| Coquitlam | up 31.7% | up 64.7% |
| New Westminster | up 23.7% | up 60.2% |
| Port Moody | up 37.1% | up 72.1% |
| Richmond | up 3.2% | up 39.7% |
Greater Vancouver REALTORS, MLS® HPI, September 2026, "10 Year Change %" column. Past changes are not a forecast.
What you need up front, area by area
The federal minimum down payment follows the price, so it changes by area as well. The table applies the rule published by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to each area's townhouse benchmark: 5% of the first $500,000 and 10% of the part above it, up to $1.5 million.
Use it as a rough scale for attached homes in each area, never as the figure for a specific multiplex home. Lenders can require more, and a home priced above the benchmark needs more.
| Area | Townhouse benchmark | Minimum down payment |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver East | $980,400 | $73,040 |
| Vancouver West | $1,298,500 | $104,850 |
| Burnaby East | $857,900 | $60,790 |
| Burnaby North | $880,400 | $63,040 |
| Burnaby South | $942,100 | $69,210 |
| Coquitlam | $976,600 | $72,660 |
| New Westminster | $854,200 | $60,420 |
| Port Moody | $940,900 | $69,090 |
| Richmond | $1,025,000 | $77,500 |
Federal minimum rule from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, read 23 October 2026, applied to GVR benchmarks.
How GVR's benchmarks are built
Greater Vancouver REALTORS covers Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, South Delta, Squamish, the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver, West Vancouver and Whistler, according to the editor's note in its monthly report. The report's Lower Mainland figures also include areas served by the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, a separate board.
GVR's notes explain the method. A benchmark price is the estimated sale price of a benchmark property, which represents a typical property in each market. The price index estimates the change in price on typical, constant-quality properties over time, is based on past sales, and was set to 100 in January 2005. So the benchmark tells you how a typical home in an area has moved, and the homes for sale tell you what a specific one costs today.
The North Shore
North Vancouver and West Vancouver have their own GVR benchmarks, which our North Shore neighbourhood guides use. In September 2026, North Vancouver's detached benchmark was $2,042,000 and its townhouse benchmark $1,230,400. West Vancouver's detached benchmark was $2,822,900, and GVR's report had no West Vancouver townhouse row.
Our North Vancouver and West Vancouver pages go through each neighbourhood, with the homes for sale there today.
What else differs between cities
Prices are one difference. Property tax rates are set by each city every year, so the same assessed value pays a different bill in Burnaby and Vancouver. We do not state city tax rates here, because they change each spring and some city sites block automated reading. Check the city's own tax rate page for the current year.
School catchments, transit, parks and the number of multiplex homes for sale also differ, street by street. Those are best compared with the homes in front of you.
- Benchmarks: GVR's monthly report, by area.
- Property tax: each city's tax rate page, for the current year.
- Empty homes: Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax, and the Province's speculation and vacancy tax.
- Schools: the school district's catchment map for the address.
- Homes for sale: our search, filtered by city and home type.
Questions buyers ask
More in Compare Home Types
Also worth reading
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page comes from the body that issues it. Rules and rates change, so each entry says when we checked it.
- Greater Vancouver REALTORS monthly market report and MLS® Home Price Index, September 2026. Greater Vancouver REALTORS. Released October 2, 2026, accessed October 9, 2026.
- Empty Homes Tax. City of Vancouver. Accessed 29 August 2026.
- Speculation and vacancy tax, and its taxable areas. Province of British Columbia. Last updated December 8, 2025, accessed 23 October 2026.
General information only. The benchmark prices and down payment amounts on this page are illustrative and based on the published report and rules as of the dates noted. They are not financial or mortgage advice, and not a guarantee of qualification or any outcome. Benchmarks and down payment rules change. Always consult a licensed mortgage broker or your lender before making any purchase or financing decision.
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