Break-even point by city in Quebec
In each of the 8 Quebec cities tracked by Immobascule, how many years does it take before a buyer's net worth overtakes that of a renter who invests the difference? Here is the answer, computed under strictly identical assumptions.
- The median break-even point is 3 years — from 2 years in Trois-Rivières to 5 years in Laval.
- In all 8 cities, buying eventually overtakes renting — but not forever.
- In 3 of the 8 cities (Longueuil, Montréal and Laval), the renter moves back ahead before the end of the horizon — what we call the reversal point.
The full table
Prices and rents are the calculator's reference values for each city. The cash required includes the down payment, the welcome tax, the notary and the inspection.
| City | Price | Rent | Price / rent | Cash required | Break-even | Reversal | Gap at 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trois-Rivières | $305,000 | $1,300 | 19.6 | $66,236 | yr 2 | — | +$32,094 |
| Sherbrooke | $355,000 | $1,450 | 20.4 | $76,936 | yr 2 | — | +$36,883 |
| Gatineau | $430,000 | $1,650 | 21.7 | $93,061 | yr 2 | — | +$30,962 |
| Québec City | $390,000 | $1,500 | 21.7 | $84,461 | yr 3 | — | +$20,444 |
| Brossard | $650,000 | $2,400 | 22.6 | $142,611 | yr 3 | — | +$38,493 |
| Longueuil | $490,000 | $1,800 | 22.7 | $105,961 | yr 4 | yr 23 | +$11,221 |
| Montréal | $600,000 | $2,100 | 23.8 | $129,849 | yr 4 | yr 26 | +$17,658 |
| Laval | $560,000 | $1,950 | 23.9 | $121,911 | yr 5 | yr 17 | +$5,868 |
“Break-even” = the year the buyer overtakes the renter. “Reversal” = the year the renter moves back ahead, “—” if that never happens. “Gap at 10 yrs” = the buyer's net worth minus the renter's, after 10 years.
The break-even point does not tell you who wins in the long run
This is the most counterintuitive finding of this edition. In Laval, the buyer overtakes the renter as early as year 5 — but the gap then narrows, and by the end of the 35-year horizon the renter is ahead by $198,382.
The mechanics are straightforward: the renter's portfolio compounds at 6%/yr while the property appreciates at 3%/yr. As long as the buyer is paying down the mortgage, the equity they build more than makes up for that difference. Once the mortgage is well advanced, the return gap eventually wins out — and the higher the purchase price relative to the local rent, the sooner it does.
Hence reading the results through the price-to-rent ratio — the purchase price divided by one year of rent. In this edition, the buyer's advantage holds for the whole horizon up to a ratio of 22.6 (Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke, Gatineau, Québec City and Brossard), and flips from 22.7 upward (Longueuil, Montréal and Laval). The boundary therefore sits around 23 years of rent — a useful marker, but one specific to this edition and these assumptions.
What this means in practice
- Short horizon (under 5 years) — the break-even point is the right indicator. Within that horizon, in almost every city, renting leaves you wealthier.
- Medium horizon (5 to 15 years) — buying comes out ahead everywhere in our sample, including in the most expensive cities.
- Long horizon (over 20 years) — the city's price-to-rent ratio becomes decisive again, and the gap can flip.
Before drawing any conclusion for your own situation, two things are worth checking: your real borrowing power, and the cash buying requires in your city — the table above shows it can easily double from one place to another.
Methodology
The figures are produced by the engine of the Buy or rent calculator itself, not by a parallel model: a script replays the production engine on every city and publishes the raw result. The full methodology sets out the formulas, the sources and the limits of the model.
- 20% down payment (no CMHC premium), 25-year amortization
- 4.5% mortgage rate, compounded semi-annually as is standard in Canada
- 3%/yr property appreciation, 3%/yr rent growth
- 6%/yr return on the renter's portfolio, 2.1% inflation
- Maintenance of 1%/yr of the property value, taxes growing at 2.5%/yr
- Both scenarios start with the cash that buying requires locally
What this report does not do: it does not forecast prices. It answers a conditional question — “if the assumptions above hold, from what point does buying come out ahead in this city?”. The reference prices and rents are market orders of magnitude, not an appraisal of your property. To test your own numbers, use the calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the break-even point?
It is the year a buyer's net worth overtakes that of a renter who invests the difference. Before that year, renting leaves you wealthier; after it, buying pulls ahead — until the reversal point, the year the renter moves back in front, if there is one.
Which Quebec city has the fastest break-even point in Q3 2026?
Trois-Rivières, where buying pulls ahead as early as year 2. In Laval, the slowest of the eight cities studied, you have to wait until year 5. The median across the eight cities is 3 years.
Does a fast break-even point mean you should buy?
No, and that is the most counterintuitive finding in this report. In 3 of the 8 cities studied, the renter moves back ahead of the buyer later on: that is the reversal point. The renter's portfolio compounds faster (6%/yr) than the property appreciates (3%/yr), so in cities where prices are high relative to rents, the buyer's advantage eventually erodes and then flips.
What assumptions does this report use?
The same ones for every city, so that the local market is the only thing that varies: a 20% down payment, a 4.5% mortgage rate compounded semi-annually, a 25-year amortization, 3%/yr property appreciation, a 6%/yr portfolio return and 3%/yr rent growth. Only the price, the rent, the municipal and school taxes and the transfer-duty schedule change from one city to the next.
Why does the starting capital change from one city to another?
Because both scenarios start with exactly the amount buying requires locally: down payment, welcome tax, notary and inspection. Using the same starting capital everywhere would mechanically favour the renter in cheaper cities, and the gap we measure would no longer tell you anything about the local market.
This data is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence: you may quote, reproduce and republish it, including commercially, provided you credit Immobascule and link back to this page.
Q3 2026 report, produced with Immobascule's calculation engine. General information for educational purposes — this is not financial, tax or real-estate advice. The results depend entirely on the assumptions set out above.