Mahone Bay, South Shore
Nova Scotia housing market, May 2026
1,093 sales, a $498,955 average sale price and 4.6 months of inventory, with every NSAR region and the change from May 2025.
What happened in the Nova Scotia housing market in May 2026?
In May 2026, 1,093 homes sold through NSAR’s MLS System, down 5.0% from a year earlier, at an average sale price of $498,955, up 0.9%. Active listings were 4,999, and months of inventory 4.6 against 4. The largest regional move was Highland Region, up 12.9% to $328,761.
May 2026 in numbers
May 2026 on one card
Average residential sale price, Nova Scotia
- 1,093Residential sales-5.0% from May 2025
- 4.6 monthsMonths of inventoryAgainst 4 in May 2025
- 4,999Active listingsAt month end
- 2,021New listings-5.6% year over year
- Highest: Halifax-Dartmouth $629,270
- Lowest: Cape Breton $267,892
- Largest rise: Highland Region +12.9%
- Largest fall: Cape Breton -11.4%
Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® / CREA monthly statistics, May 2026 report; added to this site September 20, 2026. Year to date: 3,771 sales, -10.6%. NSAR publishes by region, not by town.
The seven regions
| Region | Sales | Year over year | Average price | Year over year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax-Dartmouth Halifax Regional Municipality | 547 | -5.9% | $629,270 | +0.4% |
| Annapolis Valley Kings, Annapolis and West Hants | 161 | -8.0% | $435,823 | +6.6% |
| Cape Breton Cape Breton Island | 80 | 0.0% | $267,892 | -11.4% |
| South Shore Lunenburg and Queens | 90 | -10.0% | $449,016 | +8.5% |
| Northern Nova Scotia Colchester, Cumberland and East Hants | 152 | -5.0% | $325,480 | +1.2% |
| Highland Region Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough | 38 | -11.6% | $328,761 | +12.9% |
| Yarmouth Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne | 25 | +108.3% | $286,831 | -10.9% |
- Average sale price $328,761
- 38 sales, -11.6%
- Covers Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough
- Average sale price $267,892
- 80 sales, 0.0%
- Covers Cape Breton Island
Average sale price against May 2025. The provincial average moved +0.9%; the regions ranged from -11.4% to +12.9%. Source: Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® / CREA monthly statistics.
What changed for borrowers
Against April 2026, the average sale price fell $16,891 (-3.3%) to $498,955. Sales rose from 822 to 1,093 (+33.0%). Active listings rose from 4,444 to 4,999, the 3rd consecutive monthly rise. Months of inventory moved from 5.4 to 4.6, above the 4 of May 2025: more supply relative to sales than a year earlier, which is the time a financing condition needs.
The policy rate on this site is the current one, 2.25% set September 2, 2026; for the rate in force in May 2026, see the Bank of Canada. Whatever it was, a federally regulated lender qualified buyers at the greater of the contract rate plus 2% and 5.25%.
Rule and program changes dated in May 2026:
- May 16, 2026, Nova Scotia: HRM tax certificate fee is $125. Halifax Regional Municipality By-law F-300, Schedule A, as amended by F-304: $125 per tax account. Every closing-cost figure on this site now uses $125 (previously $100). Source · The page this affects
Go deeper
The detail, if you want it
Year to date, January to May 2026
3,771 residential sales, down 10.6% on the same months of 2025, at a year-to-date average sale price of $485,566, up 2.2%. May 2026’s own average of $498,955 was above the running average by $13,389.
Every region, the last 3 months
| Region | March 2026 | April 2026 | May 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax-Dartmouth | $610,101 +1.3% | $657,061 +8.6% | $629,270 +0.4% |
| Annapolis Valley | $408,264 +3.1% | $408,838 +3.1% | $435,823 +6.6% |
| Cape Breton | $240,873 -21.8% | $234,704 -3.1% | $267,892 -11.4% |
| South Shore | $410,870 +10.2% | $439,984 +2.6% | $449,016 +8.5% |
| Northern Nova Scotia | $305,272 -0.6% | $346,191 +7.1% | $325,480 +1.2% |
| Highland Region | $301,910 -2.4% | $370,614 +15.8% | $328,761 +12.9% |
| Yarmouth | $363,075 +8.6% | $267,938 -3.5% | $286,831 -10.9% |
| Nova Scotia | $478,667 +0.2% | $515,846 +7.6% | $498,955 +0.9% |
Why a broker
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Questions people ask
What was the average house price in Nova Scotia in May 2026?
$498,955, up 0.9% from May 2025, across 1,093 residential sales. The MLS HPI benchmark, which tracks a typical home rather than the mix of what sold, was $441,400, up 0.9%. By NSAR region the average ran from $267,892 in Cape Breton to $629,270 in Halifax-Dartmouth.
How many homes sold in Nova Scotia in May 2026?
1,093 through the MLS System, down 5.0% from May 2025. 2,021 new listings came on (down 5.6%). Active listings at month end were 4,999, giving 4.6 months of inventory against 4 a year earlier. Year to date, 3,771 homes had sold, down 10.6%.
Which region of Nova Scotia moved most in May 2026?
Highland Region, where the average sale price was up 12.9% to $328,761 on 38 sales. At the other end, Cape Breton was down 11.4% to $267,892 on 80 sales. Regional averages on small sale counts swing more than the provincial figure; Highland Region’s 38 sales is a small base.
Where do these May 2026 figures come from?
From the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® / CREA monthly statistics, read from NSAR’s monthly PDF report and added to this site on September 20, 2026. NSAR publishes seven regions and no towns, so a town’s price on this site is its region’s average. Each report is published in the first week of the following month, and NSAR removes older reports, which is why the 8 months of 2026 are kept here.
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