Moving to Alberta
Get an Alberta mortgage before you move
Edmonton's price-to-income ratio is about 4.3. Toronto's is 12.2, and Vancouver's is 14.2. Alberta charges no land transfer tax and no provincial sales tax. Here's what that means for your mortgage, and what to sort out before moving day.
No credit check, and no commitment.
Closing-day costs on a $500,000 home
- Edmonton, Alberta
- $1,000
- Land Titles registration fees only.
- Toronto, Ontario
- $12,950
- Provincial land transfer tax plus the municipal one.
Assumes a $500,000 purchase with a $400,000 mortgage, before any first-time buyer rebate. Alberta figures are calculated from the Land Titles Act fee schedule in force from 20 October 2024. The full math is further down this page.
We arrange mortgages on property located in Alberta. If you are moving to Alberta, we can help with your Alberta purchase; we cannot arrange financing on your current home outside Alberta, but we can refer you to someone who can.
Daniel De Sousa is licensed by the Real Estate Council of Alberta and holds no licence in any other province. If the property you’re financing is outside Alberta, tell us. We’ll connect you with a licensed Indi Mortgage agent there instead of taking the file, and if we receive a referral fee, we’ll tell you in writing.
Who this is for
Buying in Alberta from another province
Alberta has led Canada in net interprovincial migration for 17 consecutive quarters. You can get a rate quote, with its APR and conditions, before you’ve moved.
- You've been offered a job in Edmonton, Calgary or the Industrial Heartland, and you're working out what you can buy.
- You're selling in Ontario or BC and buying here, and you need the two closings to line up.
- You've never had an Alberta address, an Alberta driver's licence or an Alberta credit file.
- You're moving in stages. One of you starts here in March, and the family follows in July.
- You keep reading that Alberta has no land transfer tax, and you don't quite believe it.
The numbers
How Edmonton compares with Toronto and Vancouver
Every figure comes from a named public source, listed under the table.
| Measure | Edmonton | Toronto | Vancouver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price-to-income ratio | 4.3 | 12.2 | 14.2 |
| Qualifying income, average home | $110,000–$130,000 | $200,000–$210,000 | $215,000–$230,000 |
| Down payment, in years of income | About 2 months | About 4 years | About 4 years |
| Land transfer tax | None | Provincial LTT plus Toronto's municipal LTT | Property Transfer Tax |
| Provincial sales tax | None (5% GST only) | 13% HST | 7% PST + 5% GST |
| Average 2-bedroom rent | About $1,500 | About $2,046 | About $2,100 |
Price-to-income, qualifying income and down-payment figures: The Hub, April 2026. Average two-bedroom rents: CMHC Rental Market Report, 2025. Tax treatment: Alberta charges no land transfer tax and no provincial sales tax; Ontario and British Columbia figures are the published provincial rates. These figures describe markets, not your file. Use the calculator below to run your own numbers.
You’re in good company. Alberta has led the country in net interprovincial migration for 17 straight quarters, and Edmonton has recorded the largest net interprovincial gain of any Canadian metro 3 years running.
Statistics Canada, January 2026.
Move comparison
Compare your budget in Edmonton
Enter your current province, what your home is worth or what you pay in rent, and your household income. The tool shows your Edmonton purchasing power, the payment that goes with it, and the difference in closing costs between the province you’re leaving and Alberta.
It uses the same engine as every other calculator on this site. That means semi-annual compounding as the federal Interest Act requires, the current stress test, and Alberta’s Land Titles fee schedule, since Alberta has no land transfer tax.
What you'd pay here
The monthly payment on the same budget at today's published rates, with the stress test applied.
What you wouldn't pay here
No land transfer tax, no provincial sales tax, and no PST on the default insurance premium.
What changes about qualifying
Your credit file moves with you. Lenders will ask about your new job: your start date, any probation clause, and whether your income is base or variable.
What's different
What changes when you buy in Alberta
The mortgage rules are federal, so they follow you. What changes is everything around them.
- 1
No land transfer tax
This is the biggest cash difference. Ontario charges roughly $6,475 in provincial land transfer tax on a $500,000 purchase, or about $12,950 in Toronto with the municipal tax added. Alberta charges Land Titles registration fees instead: $50 plus $5 per $5,000, on the transfer and again on the mortgage. On the same purchase with a $400,000 mortgage, that's about $1,000. There's no rebate to apply for, because there's no tax.
- 2
No PST on the default insurance premium
If you put less than 20% down in Ontario, you pay provincial sales tax on the insurance premium in cash at closing. It can't be added to the mortgage. Alberta doesn't charge it at all.
- 3
Your credit history comes with you
Your Canadian credit history is national, so Equifax and TransUnion don't reset when you move to Alberta. Lenders will ask about your employment instead: your start date, any probation clause, whether the offer is permanent, and whether your income is base or variable.
- 4
Selling there and buying here
If you're selling in another province and buying here, the two closings rarely line up. Bridge financing is built for this, and it needs a firm sale on the home you're selling. It takes time to arrange, so start the conversation early.
- 5
Property tax and condo fees work differently
Budget about 1% of assessed value a year for Edmonton property tax, all in. Condo fees on older Edmonton buildings can look low next to what you're used to. Ask about the reserve fund study and any special assessment before you commit.
Land transfer tax
Edmonton has no land transfer tax
Alberta doesn’t charge one, and no Alberta municipality does either. Instead, you pay Land Titles Office registration fees: $50 plus $5 for every $5,000 of value, once on the property transfer and again on the mortgage registration.
On a $500,000 home with a $400,000 mortgage, that’s $550 + $450 = $1,000. The same purchase in Ontario carries $6,475 in provincial land transfer tax, and $12,950 in Toronto once the municipal tax is added.
| Where you buy | Land transfer tax | Registration fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton, Alberta | None | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Anywhere in Ontario | $6,475 | — | $6,475 |
| Toronto (provincial + municipal) | $12,950 | — | $12,950 |
The Alberta fees went up on October 20, 2024. They used to be $2 per $5,000 on a transfer and $1.50 on a mortgage, so plenty of calculators and blog posts still show the old numbers.
With no tax, there’s no first-time buyer rebate to apply for here. Alberta also doesn’t charge provincial sales tax on the default insurance premium. In Ontario, that tax has to be paid in cash at closing and can’t be added to the mortgage.
Alberta figures computed from the Land Titles Act ss. 64.1 and 102.1 fee schedule in force from October 20, 2024. Ontario and Toronto figures computed from the current provincial and municipal land transfer tax brackets, before any first-time buyer rebate. Estimates for comparison only. Your lawyer’s statement of adjustments governs.
Before you have an Alberta address
You can be pre-approved from out of province
A pre-approval done before you arrive turns a relocation from a scramble into a schedule. Here’s what a lender needs, and what it doesn’t.
A lender needs
- Verified income: a letter of employment and recent pay stubs, or 2 years of Notices of Assessment if you're self-employed.
- A down payment with a 90-day paper trail.
- Your credit file, from wherever in Canada you've lived.
A lender doesn't need
- An Alberta address.
- An Alberta driver's licence.
- Alberta credit history.
- You to have physically moved yet.
Tell us early. If you have an accepted offer on your current home, let us know, because a firm sale changes what a lender will do with the equity. If your new job has a probationary period, mention it on the first call. Some lenders won’t fund during probation and some will, and knowing which up front can save two weeks.
This form doesn't check your credit. If a lender needs to later, Daniel will explain it and ask first. No obligation.
Where people land
This is a view of the region by financing and carrying costs, not a realtor's neighbourhood guide. Edmonton itself suits you if you want the river valley and a 15-minute commute. Sherwood Park and Fort Saskatchewan make sense if your job is in the Industrial Heartland, and Leduc if it's at the airport or in Nisku. St. Albert has older, established neighbourhoods. Look at Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Beaumont if you want a new build. Calgary is the other option, about 3 hours south and roughly a third more expensive on benchmark.
- EdmontonOur office, and the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region
- Sherwood ParkEast of Edmonton, inside Strathcona County
- Fort SaskatchewanNortheast of Edmonton on Highway 15, in Alberta's Industrial Heartland
- LeducSouth of Edmonton on Highway 2, beside the international airport
- St. AlbertNorthwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River
- Spruce GroveWest of Edmonton on Highway 16A, at the edge of Parkland County
- Stony PlainWest of Edmonton on Highway 16A, in the Parkland County catchment
- BeaumontSoutheast of Edmonton, off Highway 625
- CalgaryThree hours south, and about a third above Edmonton on benchmark price
- All Alberta locationsOur licence covers all of Alberta.
Questions about moving to Alberta
What people moving from other provinces ask us most.
Can I get a mortgage in Alberta if I still live in Ontario or BC?
Yes, as long as the property you're buying is in Alberta. Daniel is licensed by RECA to arrange mortgages on Alberta property through Indi Mortgage, and where you live now doesn't change that.
If you're also buying in the province you're leaving, such as an investment property back home, you'll need a licensee there. We'll connect you with a licensed Indi Mortgage agent in that province, and if we receive a referral fee, we'll tell you in writing.
Do I need an Alberta job before I can get approved?
You need verifiable income, which usually means a signed employment letter and a start date. Many lenders will accept a signed offer letter for a job you haven't started yet.
Raise any probationary period early. Lender policy varies, and a two-minute question can save two weeks.
What happens to my mortgage on the house I'm selling?
You have 3 options, and the right one depends on your penalty.
You can port it to the new property if your lender allows porting across provinces (not all do). You can break it and pay the penalty, which is 3 months' interest on a variable, or the greater of 3 months' interest or the interest rate differential on a fixed. Or, if the timing is close, you can let it run to maturity and bridge the gap. We run all 3 numbers before you commit to any of them.
Is there really no land transfer tax in Alberta?
That's right. Alberta is one of a small number of provinces without one, and unlike Toronto, Edmonton doesn't charge a municipal one either.
Instead, you pay Land Titles registration fees, about $1,000 on a $500,000 purchase with a $400,000 mortgage. On a typical Toronto-to-Edmonton move, that's a five-figure difference on closing day.
We're moving in stages. I start in March and my family comes in July. Can we still buy?
Yes. It's common and workable. The questions become whose income the approval is built on, whether your current home is sold or rented in the meantime, and whether you need a rate hold that covers the gap.
Rate holds run up to 120 days, which is usually enough. The sequencing decides it, so bring us the dates before you sign anything.
Everyone says Alberta's market is cheaper. Is it also worse?
It's softer right now.
Edmonton inventory is up sharply year over year, sales are down by double digits, and detached prices are roughly flat, while townhouses and apartments have slipped on heavy new supply. If you're arriving with equity from a more expensive province, that gives you choice, time and room to negotiate, with no closing-day tax. It isn't a reason to hurry, and be wary of anyone who tells you it is.
Moving to Alberta
See what your budget buys in Edmonton
It takes about two minutes and there's no credit check. When you have questions, Daniel De Sousa, a licensed mortgage associate in Edmonton, will quote your rate.
No credit check, and no commitment.