Ottawa one of the least expensive capital cities for homebuyers, report suggests

Ottawa is one of the least expensive capital cities for homebuyers, according to numbers crunched by a UK-based insurance company.
The CIA Landlords Insurance study, published Jan. 3, 2023, ranked average house sizes in 30 of the UK's most populous cities and compared the figures globally.
Using price per square metre data from Numbeo.com, a crowd-sourced data aggregator, the agency reported that Ottawa has one of the lowest prices per square metre compared to 22 other global capitals.
Ottawa ranked third for price per square metre to buy a house in the city core at 4,227 GBP, or just under $7,000 CAD (around $650 per square foot). The cheapest homes, of the cities listed in the report, are found in Athens, Greece, which come in at just over $3,700 CAD per sq. m. Brussels, Belgium was second at around $5,600 CAD per sq. m.
London, UK, by comparison, costs nearly $20,000 CAD per sq. m., according to the cited data, while Washington, D.C.'s price came in at around $10,600 per sq. m.
The Numbeo figure used for the report is cited on the page as "price per square meter to buy an apartment in city centre" and is based on the higher end of a range between $4,700 and $8,300. It says data compiled for Ottawa was based on 228 entries from 43 contributors in the past 18 months and was last updated this month.
Canadian homes are also some of the largest, CIA Landlords Insurance claimed.
Using data on Canadian home sizes from ShrinkMyFootprint.com (which itself cites the Canadian Home Builders' Association as a source), the CIA Landlords UK report said the average home in Ottawa is around 181 sq. m., or 1,948 sq. ft., more than double the size of the average London, UK home at just 72 sq. m. (around 775 sq. ft.).
Canadian homes ranked fourth among global capitals for home size, behind Australia at 214 sq. m. (2,303 sq. ft.), New Zealand at 202 sq. m. (2,174 sq. ft.) and the U.S. at 201 sq. m. (2,163 sq. ft.)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. President Joe Biden to meet Trudeau, address Parliament today
After two years in office, U.S. President Joe Biden has made it to Canada, and is waking up to a full day of events in the capital.

Ontario crypto king kidnapped, tortured in an attempt to get millions in ransom, documents say
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Restaurants and bars brace for biggest alcohol tax jump in 40 years
Canada's restaurant industry is bracing for the biggest jump in the country's alcohol excise duty in more than 40 years, spurring warnings the tax hike could force some bars and restaurants out of business.
Utah bans kids from accessing social media during evening hours, without parent consent
Children and teens in Utah would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don't have parental consent and face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the addictive platforms.
Hershey looking to remove lead, cadmium from chocolate
Hershey Co. is looking to reduce 'trace' amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals.
Protests continue in France; King Charles III visit postponed
Protesters angry at French President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms continued with scattered actions on Friday, as the unrest across the country led officials to postpone a planned state visit by King Charles III.
Make sure to check your grocery bill otherwise you may pay more: Survey
A majority of Canadians have seen a mistake on their grocery receipts in the last year, according to a new survey conducted by Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
Asteroid to hurtle past Earth closer than the moon this weekend
An asteroid discovered just last week will pass closer to the Earth than the orbit of the moon this weekend, an occurrence so rare it happens only once in a decade, according to NASA.
Eastern Ont. mayor wants more help from feds to manage influx of asylum seekers, supports STCA renegotiation
As the federal government looks to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S., an eastern Ontario mayor says his city needs more help from Ottawa to deal with the influx of asylum seekers arriving through irregular crossings like Roxham Road.