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July 24, 2026BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PRICE INDEX, Q2 2026 Halifax's residential building construction prices increased by 5.8% from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026. Across Canada, residential building construction costs were up by 2.3%. Among the 15 major urban centres reported, Regina, Montréal and Québec City reported the fastest rise in building construction prices. Calgary reported the only decrease in residential building construction costs due to declining single-detached, low-rise apartment and townhouse construction costs.
In the last quarter of data, Halifax's year-over-year construction costs growth accelerated for each category of residential structure. Building construction costs growth was fastest for single-detached dwellings (+5.8%), closely followed by that for high-rise apartments (5.7%).
Overall non-residential building costs were up 4.9% in Halifax from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026. Across the 15 major Census Metropolitan Areas, overall non-residential building construction costs grew 3.5%. London and Québec City reported the fastest year-over-year growth in non-residential building construction costs while Vancouver and Victoria reported the slowest growth.
In Halifax, the pace of building cost inflation accelerated for all categories of non-residential construction. Growth was fastest for bus depot/repair (+5.5%), shopping centres (+5.4%) and factory (+4.9%).
Among components of building costs, residential construction inflation is highest for demolition, finishes, and concrete.
Non-residential building construction costs grew most rapidly for structural steel framing, followed by openings.
Fire suppression construction costs were down for non-residential projects in Halifax - the only cost element with a decrease.
Statistics Canada Notes on the Building Construction Price Index: The building construction price indexes are quarterly series that measure the change over time in the prices that contractors charge to construct a range of commercial, institutional, industrial and residential buildings in 15 census metropolitan areas: St. John's, Halifax, Moncton, Québec City, Montréal, Ottawa–Gatineau (Ontario part), Toronto, London, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.
These buildings include six non-residential structures: an office building, a warehouse, a shopping centre, a factory, a school, and a bus depot with maintenance and repair facilities. In addition, indexes are produced for five residential structures: a bungalow, a two-storey house, a townhouse, a high-rise apartment building (five storeys or more) and a low-rise apartment building (fewer than five storeys).
The contractor's price reflects the value of all materials, labour, equipment, overhead and profit to construct a new building. It excludes value-added taxes and any costs for land, land assembly, building design, land development and real estate fees.
With each release, data for the previous quarter may have been revised. The index is not seasonally adjusted.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 18-10-0289-01 Building construction price indexes, by type of building and division
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