Even with home prices falling, buy vs rent in Windsor comes out in favour of renting. In our October 2026 comparison, owning a typical single-family home costs about $1,945 a month more than renting a two-bedroom, before you’ve paid down a dollar of principal. Buying doesn’t catch up with renting within the 25 years our calculator searches, and below you’ll find the numbers, the Ontario rules behind them, and what they mean for renters, buyers, and landlords.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Windsor right now?
Right now, in October 2026, renting is cheaper. A typical Windsor two-bedroom costs less than owning a typical single-family home every month, and over every stretch our calculator tests, up to 25 years. That’s with 20% down and RBC’s five-year fixed rate of 5.14% (listed October 19, 2026), and it holds even though Windsor home prices have been falling. The modelled figures below all come from that same October 2026 comparison.
We started from the September 2026 MLS Home Price Index (HPI) single-family price of $618,900 for the Windsor-Essex County Association of REALTORS (WECAR), published by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Renting a two-bedroom, by comparison, costs $1,850 a month at Statistics Canada’s second-quarter 2026 asking rent. That puts owning at about $3,795 a month before principal and $4,616 once principal is included, against $1,850 for renting. If you buy, closing day would also take about $141,916 in cash.
The one number that matters
The number to remember is the monthly gap before principal: about $1,945 in the first month, using October 2026 prices and rates. That gap is what interest, property tax, insurance, and maintenance add to a Windsor owner’s monthly costs over renting. General information, not financial or legal advice.
What does it cost to buy in Windsor?
Buying the typical single-family home in Windsor means about $618,900 for the home and about $141,916 in cash on closing day, based on September 2026 CREA data and October 2026 mortgage rates. The remaining $495,120 becomes a mortgage payment of about $2,919 a month at the 5.14% five-year fixed rate RBC listed on October 19, 2026. That’s before property tax, insurance, or maintenance, and it’s a big up-front cost.
WECAR’s September 2026 figures, published on CREA’s board statistics page, show 417 sales (down 10.1% from September 2025). Inventory was 5.3 months, against 4.9 months a year earlier and a long-run average of 3.1 months for September. The HPI single-family price fell 2.1% from a year earlier, the composite price was $570,000 (down 2.4%), and the average sale price was $544,184 (down 4.6%). We use the single-family price because we’re pricing a house; WECAR’s September 2026 HPI price for an apartment was $368,500 and for a townhouse $422,600.
| Cost to buy | Amount | Basis and date |
| Home price (single-family MLS HPI) | $618,900 | WECAR via CREA, September 2026 |
| Down payment (20%) | $123,780 | Modelling assumption |
| Mortgage | $495,120 | Price less down payment |
| Mortgage payment (principal and interest) | $2,919 a month | 5.14%, 25-year amortization, RBC, October 19, 2026 |
| Property tax | $12,975 a year | City of Windsor 2026 residential rate, applied to price |
| Ontario land transfer tax | $8,853 | Provincial rates, ontario.ca, updated April 22, 2026 |
| Closing allowance (1.5%) | $9,284 | Modelling allowance |
| Upfront cash needed | $141,916 | Down payment plus closing allowance plus land transfer tax |
How is Windsor property tax calculated here?
The City of Windsor’s residential tax rates table lists a 2026 total residential rate of 2.096514%, made up of a municipal rate of 1.943514% and a provincial education rate of 0.153%. Apply that to the $618,900 price and you get about $12,975 a year, or $1,081 a month, for 2026. The City’s 2026 budget announcement says it held its municipal levy increase at 0% for 2026.
That’s a cautious figure for most buyers. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) says the fixed valuation date for 2026 remains January 1, 2016, so Ontario homeowners still pay property tax on assessed values from that year. MPAC’s 2016 update for Windsor put the typical residential property at approximately $164,000. So applying Windsor’s 2026 rate to the September 2026 market price overstates the bill for a home assessed below it. The City says the average Windsor taxpayer pays about $5,402 a year in total residential charges, and that figure also includes water, wastewater, and stormwater, as the City’s 2026 budget update explains. Treating the whole $5,402 as property tax is a generous upper bound for an average household, not a quote for a $618,900 house. If we re-run the calculator at $5,402 a year, the first-month gap before principal drops from $1,945 to $1,314 and break-even moves to year 21, in October 2026 terms. Even at that lower tax, renting costs less over five years ($196,265 against $115,530) and 10 years ($331,449 against $243,084).
What does Ontario land transfer tax add?
Ontario’s provincial land transfer tax is charged in tiers, ontario.ca (page updated April 22, 2026) shows: 0.5% on the first $55,000, 1% up to $250,000, 1.5% up to $400,000, and 2% above that. Windsor’s $618,900 price puts the tax at $8,853. A first-time buyer can claim a refund of up to $4,000, ontario.ca (page updated February 10, 2026) says, but our totals leave it out because not every buyer qualifies.
What does it cost to rent in Windsor?
The average asking rent for a Windsor two-bedroom was $1,850 a month in the second quarter of 2026, according to Statistics Canada table 46-10-0092-01 (released September 9, 2026). That’s the rent we used in our calculator. The same table shows $1,860 in the first quarter of 2026 and $1,870 in the fourth quarter of 2025, and asking rents have eased slightly over the past two quarters. Statistics Canada’s June 9, 2026 chart put the change in the average two-bedroom asking rent in Windsor in the first quarter of 2026 at down 1.1% from a year earlier.
Vacancy isn’t tight. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) put the 2025 vacancy rate for purpose-built apartments in the Windsor census metropolitan area at 3.7%. Its 2025 Rental Market Report also put the average two-bedroom rent at $1,454, with the same-sample two-bedroom rent up 3.6%. CMHC said declining international migration and tariff-related challenges kept Windsor’s market conditions soft, with fewer international students and temporary foreign workers renting. CMHC measures rents across purpose-built apartments, including long-standing tenancies, while asking rents come from current listings. So the two figures shouldn’t be compared directly.
Does a Windsor renter lose anything by staying put?
If you’re a Windsor renter in a unit covered by the guideline, you can expect smaller increases than a new tenant would face at today’s asking rent. The gap between CMHC’s 2025 average of $1,454 and the $1,850 asking rent in 2026 shows why staying often costs less than moving. The two measures cover different units and different dates.
How do the monthly costs compare?
In month one, renting a Windsor two-bedroom costs about $1,850, while owning costs about $3,795 before principal and about $4,616 once principal is included. That’s a gap of about $1,945 a month before principal and $2,766 after it, using October 2026 figures.
| Monthly cost, month one | Amount | Gap versus renting |
| Renting a two-bedroom | $1,850 | Not applicable |
| Owning: running cost (interest, tax, insurance, maintenance) | $3,795 | $1,945 more |
| Owning: all-in payment including principal | $4,616 | $2,766 more |
Of the $3,795 running cost, property tax is about $1,081 a month, insurance is $100, maintenance is about $516, and mortgage interest is the rest. The $821 gap between the two owner lines in month one is principal repaid. Principal isn’t a cost, because it builds equity, but that $821 still leaves your account. Every figure here uses October 2026 rates, September 2026 prices, and Windsor’s 2026 tax rate.
When does buying catch up in Windsor?
If you’re hoping buying pays off in the long run, our calculator says a typical Windsor house doesn’t catch up with renting within 25 years. Over five years, owning has a net cost of $235,676 against $115,530 in rent. Over 10 years, it’s $414,371 against $243,084 in the same October 2026 comparison.
| Horizon | Net cost of owning | Cumulative rent |
| Five years | $235,676 | $115,530 |
| 10 years | $414,371 | $243,084 |
| Break-even | Not reached within 25 years | |
Add up the mortgage interest, property tax, insurance, and maintenance, then the closing costs, land transfer tax, and selling costs, plus the return the upfront cash could have earned elsewhere. Credit back the price gain and you have the net cost of owning. The gap widens to about $199,900 around year 17 and then narrows to about $149,500 by year 25, as the mortgage balance falls and the home gains 2.0% a year in value. Those are October 2026 figures too.
What would change the result?
Break-even would come sooner with a lower mortgage rate, a lower property tax bill, or home prices rising faster than 2.0% a year. Each $1,000 a year of property tax removed lowers Windsor’s monthly gap by about $83 in October 2026 terms. Falling prices, as WECAR showed for September 2026, push the other way.
What do renters and buyers need to know in Ontario?
Rent increases in Ontario fall under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, and ontario.ca (page updated June 23, 2026) lists the guideline as 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027. If you rent, an increase can’t take effect until your landlord has given written notice in the proper form at least 90 days earlier.
Who does the guideline cover?
The Ontario government says most private rentals fall under the guideline, and exemptions include units first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018. For Ontario’s wider tenancy rules, see liv.rent’s Rental Laws section.
What changed at the Landlord and Tenant Board in September 2026?
The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) said Bill 60 and Bill 97 amended the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, with changes taking effect September 21, 2026. In its operational update, the board says the notice period for an N4 notice for non-payment of rent drops from 14 to seven days for any notice given on or after that date. A landlord who gives an N12 for the landlord’s own use with at least 120 days’ notice no longer owes compensation. Shorter notice leaves the compensation rules as they were, and an N12 for a purchaser’s own use isn’t covered.
What should buyers know?
If you’re buying in Windsor, closing day brings Ontario’s provincial land transfer tax. On a $618,900 home, that comes to $8,853 using ontario.ca’s rates as of April 22, 2026. Our calculator applies Windsor’s 2026 total rate of 2.096514% to the price. For more on renting, see the Rental Resources section.
Who is better off renting, and who is better off buying in Windsor?
Renting suits most Windsor households that want to keep their cash invested, may move for work, or are cautious about the tariff-related challenges CMHC says have kept Windsor’s market soft. Buying suits households that expect to stay a very long time and value control over their home more than the lowest monthly cost. They also need the roughly $141,916 in upfront cash we calculated for October 2026, without draining savings. If you’re somewhere in between, the figures above show what each choice costs. General information, not financial advice.
If you rent
If you rent, the numbers are on your side in October 2026. Vacancy was 3.7% in 2025, asking rents have eased for two quarters, and the monthly gap before principal is about $1,945.
If you are a landlord
If you’re a landlord, owning in Windsor costs about $1,945 a month more than renting before principal as of October 2026, which leaves few tenants with a financial reason to buy. CMHC put Windsor’s 2025 purpose-built apartment vacancy rate at 3.7%. The 2.1% guideline for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027 binds a landlord only when the tenant is already in a covered unit; a new Windsor tenancy’s rent is agreed at turnover. The landlord resources on liv.rent cover pricing and screening in more detail.
If you are deciding between Windsor and another Ontario city
The method is the same for every city in this set of comparisons, so you can line them up side by side. Guelph is the exception: it uses a median detached sale price rather than the HPI. Our buy vs rent comparison for Kingston and our comparison for Guelph apply the same assumptions to those cities’ own prices, taxes, and rents.
How we calculated this
If you’d like to check our work, here’s the method. Every city in this comparison goes through the same calculator with the same assumptions. Only four local numbers change from place to place: the home price, the yearly property tax, the monthly rent, and the transfer tax. These are assumptions for comparison, not a quote or advice. We haven’t modelled mortgage qualification (the stress test), and we’ve left out condo fees.
| Assumption | Value | Basis |
| Mortgage rate | 5.14% fixed, five-year term, compounded semi-annually | RBC special rate for five-year fixed closed mortgages (25-year amortization or less), rbcroyalbank.com, recorded October 19, 2026. Context only: Bank of Canada policy rate 2.25% (held September 2, 2026; next announcement October 28, 2026); lowest broker insured five-year fixed about 4.34% (Ratehub, October 9, 2026). |
| Down payment | 20% of price, no mortgage default insurance | Modelling assumption |
| Amortization | 25 years | Modelling assumption |
| Closing costs | 1.5% of price, plus the province’s land transfer tax or registration fee (local input) | Modelling allowance (legal, inspection, title insurance, adjustments) |
| Home insurance | $1,200 a year | Modelling allowance, not a quote |
| Maintenance | 1% of price a year | Modelling allowance |
| Home price growth | 2.0% a year | Neutral assumption equal to the Bank of Canada’s 2% inflation target |
| Rent growth | 2.0% a year | Same neutral assumption (provincial caps differ; real rents may rise faster or slower) |
| Property tax, insurance and maintenance growth | 2.0% a year | Same neutral assumption |
| Return on upfront cash | 3.0% a year | Modelling assumption |
| Selling costs | 5% of sale price at the end of the horizon | Modelling allowance |
| Headline horizon | Five years (10-year total also shown; break-even searched to 25 years) | Modelling choice |
| Source month | October 2026 | Rates recorded October 19, 2026; home prices September 2026 or latest board month |
The Windsor numbers we used are these. The home price is the single-family MLS Home Price Index price of $618,900 (WECAR via CREA, September 2026). Property tax is $12,975 a year (City of Windsor 2026 total residential rate of 2.096514%, applied to the price). Rent is $1,850 a month (Statistics Canada average asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment, second quarter of 2026). Ontario land transfer tax is $8,853 (ontario.ca, April 22, 2026). On October 19, 2026, we recorded the rates from the RBC mortgage rates page and the Bank of Canada.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Windsor, Ontario right now?
Right now, renting is cheaper in Windsor in October 2026. A typical two-bedroom asks about $1,850 a month, while owning a typical single-family home costs about $3,795 a month before principal and $4,616 including it, using September 2026 prices and RBC’s 5.14% rate. Over five and 10 years, renting costs less too.
How much cash do I need to buy a house in Windsor?
Using the September 2026 MLS Home Price Index single-family price of $618,900, you’d need about $141,916 in cash in October 2026. That covers a 20% down payment of $123,780, a 1.5% closing allowance of $9,284, and $8,853 of Ontario land transfer tax. Some first-time buyers can claim a refund, which this total leaves out.
How much does a two-bedroom apartment cost to rent in Windsor?
Statistics Canada reported an average asking rent of $1,850 a month for a Windsor two-bedroom apartment in the second quarter of 2026, down from $1,870 in the fourth quarter of 2025. CMHC’s 2025 Rental Market Report put the average two-bedroom rent at $1,454 and the overall apartment vacancy rate at 3.7%, but it measures different units.
When does buying become cheaper than renting in Windsor?
In liv.rent‘s October 2026 comparison, buying doesn’t catch up with renting within 25 years. After five years, owning has a net cost of $235,676 against $115,530 in rent, and after 10 years it’s $414,371 against $243,084. A lower mortgage rate or a lower property tax bill would bring break-even sooner.
How much can a landlord raise the rent in Ontario in 2026 and 2027?
Ontario’s guideline is 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027, according to ontario.ca. Your landlord must give you written notice in the proper form at least 90 days ahead, and generally 12 months must pass between increases. Units first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the guideline.
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