Compare
Toronto vs Markham: where to buy
Markham sits directly north of Toronto across Steeles Avenue. Its August 2026 median of $1,095,000 was above Toronto's $770,000, but the two cities sell very different mixes of homes and only one of them charges a municipal land transfer tax.
Side by side, August 2026
| TRREB, August 2026 | City of Toronto | Markham |
|---|---|---|
| Sales, all property types | 1,767 | 282 |
| Median price, all property types | $770,000 | $1,095,000 |
| Average price, all property types | $979,684 | $1,208,692 |
| Detached sales | 550 | 137 |
| Average detached price | $1,525,749 | $1,611,773 |
| Condo apartment sales | 885 | 57 |
| Average condo apartment price | $651,648 | $638,332 |
| Land transfer tax at Markham's median | $36,750 | $18,375 |
| Toronto municipal land transfer tax | Yes | No |
A single month is a snapshot. Small categories in particular swing from one month to the next, so read these alongside our Toronto market reports, which follow the figures over time.
Why the headline medians mislead
Condo apartments made up 50% of the 1,767 City of Toronto sales TRREB recorded in August 2026 and 20% of Markham's 282. A median built mostly from condos lands lower than one built mostly from houses, whatever the houses cost.
Set type against type instead. The average detached sale was $1,525,749 in Toronto and $1,611,773 in Markham, so Toronto was the less expensive place to buy a detached house that month on average. Condo apartments averaged $651,648 in Toronto and $638,332 in Markham, close to level.
Prices by property type, August 2026
TRREB's Market Watch splits every month's sales into five main home types. Medians are the fairer guide here because a handful of very large sales can pull an average up. The median detached house sold for $1,488,000 in Markham and $1,170,000 in the City of Toronto. The median condo apartment was $563,800 in Markham and $550,000 in Toronto, within a few per cent of each other.
Townhouses fall between the two. A freehold townhouse had a median of $995,000 in Markham against $962,000 in Toronto. Condo townhouses came in at $750,000 and $661,650. Semi-detached houses are a much larger part of Toronto's market: 159 sold in the city that month against 15 in Markham.
| Median price, August 2026 | City of Toronto | Markham |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | $1,170,000 (550 sales) | $1,488,000 (137 sales) |
| Semi-detached | $981,000 (159 sales) | $945,000 (15 sales) |
| Freehold townhouse | $962,000 (45 sales) | $995,000 (39 sales) |
| Condo townhouse | $661,650 (120 sales) | $750,000 (28 sales) |
| Condo apartment | $550,000 (885 sales) | $563,800 (57 sales) |
Source: TRREB Market Watch, August 2026, tables by home type. A category with only a few dozen sales in a month is a thin sample, so read its median as a rough guide.
What the 2021 Census counted
Sales show what changed hands in one month. The 2021 Census shows what stands on the ground. Statistics Canada counted 110,865 occupied private dwellings in Markham. 56% were single-detached houses and 16% were apartments in buildings of five or more storeys. In the City of Toronto the balance tips the other way: 23% single-detached and 47% in buildings of five or more storeys.
That mix explains much of what a search turns up. In Markham the single-detached house is the most common kind of home. In Toronto the most common is an apartment in a building of five or more storeys.
| 2021 Census, occupied private dwellings | City of Toronto | Markham |
|---|---|---|
| Total dwellings | 1,160,890 | 110,865 |
| Single-detached houses | 23% | 56% |
| Apartments, five or more storeys | 47% | 16% |
The tax difference on the same price
Buying in Toronto means paying Ontario land transfer tax and the City of Toronto's municipal land transfer tax. The municipal tax applies to property in the City of Toronto, so a purchase in Markham carries the Ontario tax only. At Markham's August 2026 median of $1,095,000, that is $18,375 in Markham and $36,750 for the same price in Toronto, before any first-time buyer refunds.
The gap widens with the price. At Markham's median detached price of $1,488,000 the Ontario tax is $26,235. The same price inside Toronto carries $52,470, a difference of $26,235 that is due on closing.
Our land transfer tax calculator runs any price through both.
Property tax: 2026 rates
Markham's 2026 residential tax rate is 0.722889%. It combines the City of Markham, York Region and the provincial education rate. Toronto's is 0.767311%, which includes the City Building Fund levy. On the same $800,000 assessment that is $5,783 a year in Markham and $6,138 in Toronto, so Markham has the lower bill when the assessments match.
The rate applies to the value the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) puts on a home, not the price paid. Assessments for 2026 are still based on January 1, 2016 values, so two homes that sell for the same price today can carry quite different assessments. Check the actual tax on a listing before you compare.
| Residential property tax, 2026 | City of Toronto | Markham |
|---|---|---|
| Total tax rate | 0.767311% | 0.722889% |
| Annual tax on an $800,000 assessment | $6,138 | $5,783 |
Getting between the two
The GO Stouffville line links them by rail. Its Markham stations are Mount Joy, Markham, Centennial and Unionville. Inside Toronto it stops at Milliken, Agincourt and Kennedy on the way to Union Station. Kennedy GO is where the line meets the TTC.
Metrolinx is extending TTC Line 1 about eight kilometres north from Finch Station to Richmond Hill. The Yonge North Subway Extension has five stations and will serve Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill. Metrolinx says it will go into service after the Ontario Line is complete.
For a Toronto owner thinking about a move north, the practical questions are which Markham station is closest to the home and how the drive to it compares with the subway ride they have today.
Which homes and costs fit which purchase
For a detached house, Markham has the higher share of them: 56% of its homes are single-detached. Its August 2026 detached median of $1,488,000 was above Toronto's $1,170,000. The purchase avoids the municipal land transfer tax. On a matching assessment the annual property tax is also lower than in Toronto.
For a condo apartment near a subway station, Toronto has far more choice: 885 condo apartment sales in August 2026 against 57 in Markham. On Toronto's median condo price of $550,000 the municipal land transfer tax adds $7,475.
For a townhouse, the freehold medians were $33,000 apart in August 2026. Here the deciding costs tend to be the tax difference and any condo fees on a condo townhouse.
Toronto neighbourhoods near Markham
The Toronto side of Steeles has its own range of homes. Our guides to Willowdale, Bayview Village and Don Mills cover condos and houses in North York. You can browse homes for sale in both cities or compare Toronto house prices neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
Weighing the move itself? The Kirby Chan & Co. Markham neighbourhood guides cover Markham's own neighbourhoods and prices.
Choosing within Toronto
Toronto is not one market. A condo near the waterfront, a semi in Riverdale and a detached house in Lawrence Park answer very different questions. Our Toronto neighbourhood guides set out the prices, housing and transit for eighteen of them and the relocating to Toronto guide covers a move into the city.
Check the numbers on a real home
Put a specific price through the land transfer tax calculator and the mortgage calculator. You can also ask us to set two homes you are considering side by side.
Other comparisons
Toronto vs Markham questions
Is Markham cheaper than Toronto?
Not on the headline median in August 2026: $1,095,000 in Markham against $770,000 in the City of Toronto (TRREB). That gap mostly reflects Toronto's high share of condo sales. Detached houses averaged more in Markham than in Toronto that month.
Do Markham buyers pay Toronto's municipal land transfer tax?
No. Toronto's municipal land transfer tax applies to property in the City of Toronto, so a Markham purchase carries the Ontario land transfer tax only.
How much more land transfer tax does a Toronto purchase cost?
At $1,095,000, $18,375 more: $36,750 in Toronto against $18,375 in Markham, before first-time buyer refunds.
Which GO line connects Toronto and Markham?
The Stouffville line, with Markham stations at Mount Joy, Markham, Centennial and Unionville and Toronto stations at Milliken, Agincourt and Kennedy before Union.
What is Markham's 2026 property tax rate?
0.722889% for residential property, against 0.767311% in Toronto. On an $800,000 assessment that is $5,783 a year in Markham and $6,138 in Toronto.
Are most Markham homes houses or condos?
Houses. In the 2021 Census 56% of Markham's occupied dwellings were single-detached houses and 16% were apartments in buildings of five or more storeys. In Toronto the figures were 23% and 47%.
Will the subway reach Markham?
Metrolinx is building the Yonge North Subway Extension, which takes TTC Line 1 about eight kilometres north from Finch with five stations serving Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill. Metrolinx says it will open after the Ontario Line is complete.
What is the median home price in the City of Toronto?
TRREB recorded a median of $770,000 across all property types in the City of Toronto in August 2026, from 1,767 sales.
Sources
- TRREB Market Watch, August 2026
- Ontario Ministry of Finance, Calculating land transfer tax
- City of Toronto, Municipal land transfer tax rates and fees
- GO Transit, Stouffville line timetable and map (Table 71)
- Metrolinx, Yonge North Subway Extension
- City of Toronto, Property tax rates and fees (2026)
- City of Markham, 2026 final tax brochure
- Statistics Canada, Census Profile 2021, Toronto (C)
- Statistics Canada, Census Profile 2021, Markham (CY)