The following blog post was written by Anne-Elise Cugliari Allegritti for Royal LePage – original blog here

Long weekends at the lake, early mornings on the dock, and evenings spent by the water are fast approaching, prompting many Canadians to consider whether 2026 is the right time to invest in a cottage or cabin.

While economic uncertainty continues to influence consumer decisions, demand for properties in Canada’s most desirable recreational regions remains steady. As more Canadians prioritize getaways closer to home, strong demand paired with limited inventory is expected to support price growth in cottage markets throughout the year.

According to the recently-released Royal LePage^® 2026 Spring Recreational Property Report, the median price of a single-family home in Canada’s recreational regions is forecast¹ to increase 4.0% in 2026 to $604,552, compared to 2025. Despite ongoing consumer caution amid economic and political tensions, constrained housing supply relative to buyer demand is expected to place modest upward pressure on recreational property prices in the year ahead.

“Concerns about the state of global affairs are certainly on the minds of many Canadians right now, including recreational property buyers, and are tempering demand in parts of the country. At the same time, limited supply is supporting price gains in many markets,” said Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage. “New developments in these regions remain relatively rare, and many properties are tightly held by families for generations. This scarcity preserves the exclusivity of these markets and provides price stability, even when buyers are feeling cautious.”

In 2025, the weighted median price² of a single-family home in Canada’s recreational property regions increased 4.3% year over year to $581,300. When broken out by housing type, the weighted median price of a single-family waterfront property decreased 5.2% year over year to $717,600 in 2025, while the weighted median price of a standard condominium increased 2.1% to $418,600 during the same period. 

“Several years have now passed since the gold-rush pandemic era that saw recreational property prices rise at a record pace. Today, the market has moderated, with low single-digit price appreciation becoming the norm in most regions,” said Soper. “While sales and prices among waterfront properties softened modestly in Ontario and BC, this category of land is structurally limited, and the number of homes that can be built along these shorelines is finite. This inherent scarcity continues to support property prices in this segment.”

According to a survey of Royal LePage recreational real estate market professionals across the country, more than half (52%) reported similar demand from buyers for recreational homes compared to the same time last year, while 26% reported less demand. Meanwhile, 61% of respondents reported that the average days on market has increased in their region compared to the year prior. Forty-eight per cent of respondents reported similar inventory compared to last year, while 28% reported lower levels of supply. 

“Buy Canadian” mindset strengthens market demand

Amid ongoing economic and political tensions with the United States, many Canadians continue to respond to tariffs and “51st state” rhetoric with their wallets, shifting their spending toward domestic products, services and vacation spots. Canadian travel to the U.S. continues to decline – according to Statistics Canada, return trips to the U.S. were down 14.5% in February 2026, compared to the same month in 2025.³

Many Canadians have increasingly turned their recreational retreat plans north of the border, favouring domestic destinations where they can avoid exchange-rate fluctuations and geopolitical stressors.

In 2026, 40% of recreational property experts reported that the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement has led to an increase in inquiries from domestic buyers of recreational real estate in their area. Similarly, 13% of experts reported an increase in inter-provincial buyers in their region compared to the same time last year; 54% reported approximately the same amount compared to a year ago. 

“Canadians are continuing to swap traditional cross-border getaways for at-home alternatives, trading Florida oceanfronts for Ontario lakes, or Arizona deserts for British Columbia forests. Research we conducted in mid-2025 indicated that 54% of Canadians who own property in the U.S. plan to sell, with many intending to reinvest those proceeds back into Canadian real estate. This could provide a meaningful lift to the market for cottages, cabins and chalets,” said Soper.

Canada’s recreational destinations continue to attract interest internationally. 

One third (33%) of recreational property experts reported an increase in the number of American buyers inquiring about recreational real estate in their area over the past year.

Highlights from the release:

35% of Royal LePage recreational property experts reported an increase in the number of full-time residents moving back to urban centres over the past year.

Canada’s recreational markets are expected to see an increase in single-family home prices in 2026, with Manitoba and Saskatchewan forecast to see the highest level of price appreciation at 5.5%.

Single-family homes in Atlantic Canada recorded the highest year-over-year price appreciation in 2025, rising 11.8%.