Here are the most affordable places to buy a house in the GTA right now

We've somehow reached the point in the commodification of real estate that finding a home anywhere near Toronto for less than $1 million is a harrowing task, especially if you're looking for something other than a shoebox condo.

Even after months of market stagnation, home prices in and around the city have failed to let up to any significant degree — and experts have varying opinions on whether they're about to surge or depreciate.

Regardless of what the future holds, there are still some pockets of the GTA where you can nab a detached house for a reasonable (by Ontario standards) price, as outlined in a new report from RE/MAX.

Here's how much the average home in Ontario is expected to cost in 2025 https://t.co/SztfLAWku9

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 12, 2024

As places like Scucog and Toronto's west end (Islington, Eringate, Etobicoke-West Mall, etc.) experience gradual price gains, there are still some locales near enough to the city where you can score a deal — and also your own backyard.

Buyers in search of affordability, the firm says, should look west and north of the city proper, specifically to Durham, Dufferin County and York Region.

Based on figures from the first half of the year, topping the list of the cheapest places for a detached home in the Toronto or Vancouver areas is Brock, about an hour and a half out of T.O., directly north of Oshawa towards Lake Simcoe. The average price of a standalone house there is just $766,933, about the same as many condos in the city.

Up next is Oshawa itself, where RE/MAX says the average price of a house is now $897,818. Also mentioned are the Ontario towns of Orangeville and Georgina, where detached homes are now an average of $926,139 and $930,086, respectively.

I refuse to pay more than 450. Off to the US!

— Blindwillie (@Blindwillie4) May 23, 2024

The report notes that affordable housing options are, of course, perennially sought after in the region, especially for first-time home buyers — a demographic that has to be some 10x wealthier now than historically.

The company considers any place with average prices below the $1 million benchmark "affordable," which says a lot about our times.