KARAKTER Blog · Market analysis
What Ten Years of CREB Data Tell Us About Calgary in 2026
Key takeaways
- From 2021 to 2025 Calgary's detached benchmark rose 36.9% and the apartment benchmark 28.7%. From 2016 to 2020 detached slipped 3.8% and apartments fell 10.6% (CREB).
- The benchmark rose in every year with under 2 months of supply (2022, 2023, 2024) and slipped in every year above 3 months (2017 to 2020, and 2025).
- The citywide benchmark sat between $417,158 and $438,567 from 2016 through 2020, then rose 25.7% from 2021 to 2024.
Three lessons from the data
1. Detached has held value better than apartments
CREB rebuilt its benchmark model in 2022, so the ten years split into two runs that can each be compared with themselves. From 2016 to 2020, on the earlier model, the detached benchmark slipped 3.8%, from $501,725 to $482,583. The apartment benchmark fell 10.6%, from $274,358 to $245,300. From 2021 to 2025, on the current model, detached rose 36.9%, from $549,800 to $752,767, and apartments rose 28.7%, from $250,267 to $322,167.
Detached lost less in the slow run and gained more in the fast one. The gap is still open: in September 2026 the detached benchmark was 0.95% below a year earlier and the apartment benchmark was 8.28% below.
2. Supply sets the direction
Months of supply is the number of homes for sale divided by a month of sales. In 2022, 2023 and 2024 Calgary averaged 1.68, 1.35 and 1.59 months, and the citywide benchmark rose 12.44%, 5.77% and 7.43%. From 2017 to 2020 supply ran between 3.64 and 5.22 months and the benchmark slipped every year, by between 0.07% and 3.39%. In 2025 supply climbed back to 3.03 months and the benchmark fell 2.38%.
September 2026 sat at 3.93 months citywide. That one number hides a spread: 3.31 months for detached homes and 5.29 for apartments.
3. Long flat stretches, short fast moves
The citywide benchmark sat between $417,158 and $438,567 for five straight years, 2016 through 2020. Then sales went from 16,149 in 2020 to 27,685 in 2021, and on CREB's current model the benchmark climbed 25.7% in three years, from $470,750 in 2021 to $591,567 in 2024. In 2025 sales dropped back to 22,751.
How to apply this in 2026
For a buyer planning to hold a detached home for five years or more, the record argues for buying the right home when it comes up. The flat stretch lasted five years and most of the decade's gain arrived in three.
For a condo buyer, 5.29 months of supply means room to negotiate, and a reason to read the building's documents closely. Apartments were the weaker segment in both runs.
For a seller, the figure to watch is months of supply for the seller's own property type, because the citywide number hides the spread between them. Ryan can pull it for a specific district.
Where to see the data
Every figure in this post is on KARAKTER's market dashboard at /market-dashboard, which charts CREB's full-year numbers and its most recent months.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the data come from?
Why are prices compared in two separate runs?
Can I download the data?
Educational. Specific Calgary real estate outcomes depend on the property and current market segment. Always verify Alberta legal, tax, and lender details with the appropriate professional.
