Start Here | Best Value Areas
Where you get the most home for the money
Twenty neighbourhoods ranked by finished square feet per dollar, measured from homes on the market right now. This is a measurement, not an opinion about which places are pleasant. What each one costs you in exchange is stated alongside it.
The short answer
Measured by finished space per dollar, Lower Landing in Chilliwack leads at $373 per square foot, 55% below the regional median of $820. The median home there is 1,667 sq ft and lists at $647,400. Every area on this list trades distance for space.
- Regional median
- $820
- Best per sq ft
- $373
- Its median size
- 1,667 sq ft
- Areas ranked
- 20
The twenty areas where a dollar buys the most floor space
Only areas with six or more active listings appear, because value rankings are exactly where a small sample does the most damage. Two listings in a quiet pocket can make it look like a bargain that does not exist.
| Neighbourhood | City | Active | Median price | Per sq ft | Median size | Townhouse / half duplex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Landing | Chilliwack | 10 | $647,400 | $373 | 1,667 | 10 / 0 |
| Bolivar Heights | Surrey | 13 | $1,489,000 | $398 | 3,741 | 0 / 13 |
| Chilliwack Proper East | Chilliwack | 6 | $669,900 to $829,000 | $404 to $426 | 1,660 | 5 / 1 |
| Mission | Mission | 45 | $789,000 | $430 | 1,813 | 29 / 16 |
| Abbotsford East | Abbotsford | 18 | $979,000 | $488 | 2,085 | 6 / 11 |
| Cedar Hills | Surrey | 8 | $1,109,890 | $493 | 2,338 | 4 / 4 |
| Sullivan Station | Surrey | 18 | $869,450 | $494 | 1,885 | 16 / 2 |
| Cloverdale | Surrey | 18 | $1,338,000 | $496 | 2,747 | 7 / 11 |
| Fraser Heights | Surrey | 12 | $1,084,999 | $509 | 1,969 | 7 / 5 |
| Central Abbotsford | Abbotsford | 15 | $819,000 | $510 | 1,609 | 8 / 6 |
| Queen Mary Park | Surrey | 7 | $955,280 to $1,599,999 | $508 to $562 | 2,735 | 3 / 4 |
| South Meadows | Pitt Meadows | 7 | $1,085,360 to $1,355,000 | $478 to $645 | 2,492 | 3 / 4 |
| Scottsdale | Delta | 11 | $1,335,000 | $522 | 2,650 | 0 / 11 |
| Cottonwood MR | Maple Ridge | 7 | $658,900 to $1,033,940 | $469 to $633 | 1,671 | 6 / 1 |
| Annieville | Delta | 11 | $1,224,000 | $533 | 2,317 | 0 / 11 |
| Fleetwood Tynehead | Surrey | 24 | $1,024,950 | $548 | 1,907 | 16 / 8 |
| Albion | Maple Ridge | 7 | $709,900 to $819,320 | $515 to $567 | 1,443 | 7 / 0 |
| Whalley | Surrey | 8 | $844,900 | $566 | 1,533 | 7 / 1 |
| Willoughby Heights | Langley | 74 | $949,900 | $569 | 1,678 | 58 / 12 |
| Grandview Heights | Surrey | 36 | $1,149,450 | $589 | 1,892 | 19 / 17 |
A dash means fewer than four active listings, which is too few to publish a figure for. Rows with four to seven listings show a range instead of a median.
The ones that are cheap and large, not cheap and small
A low price per square foot can happen two ways. Either the land is cheap, or the homes are small enough that the total price stays low while the rate stays high. These areas are the first kind: their median home is at or above the regional median size of 1,612 sq ft, and they still price below the regional median per square foot.
-
Lower Landing Chilliwack
1,667 sq ft median at $373 per square foot, listing at $647,400.
10 active listings, 10 townhouses and 0 half duplexes
-
Bolivar Heights Surrey
3,741 sq ft median at $398 per square foot, listing at $1,489,000.
13 active listings, 0 townhouses and 13 half duplexes
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Chilliwack Proper East Chilliwack
1,660 sq ft median at $413 per square foot, listing at $684,900.
6 active listings, 5 townhouses and 1 half duplexes
-
Mission Mission
1,813 sq ft median at $430 per square foot, listing at $789,000.
45 active listings, 29 townhouses and 16 half duplexes
-
Abbotsford East Abbotsford
2,085 sq ft median at $488 per square foot, listing at $979,000.
18 active listings, 6 townhouses and 11 half duplexes
-
Cedar Hills Surrey
2,338 sq ft median at $493 per square foot, listing at $1,109,890.
8 active listings, 4 townhouses and 4 half duplexes
Before you shortlist on price alone
Works well if
- ✓ You need floor space more than you need a short commute, which usually means a growing family
- ✓ You drive to work, or your workplace is already outside the downtown core
- ✓ You want a four or five bedroom home, which the cheaper areas carry far more of
- ✓ A monthly strata fee of $250 to $330 suits you better than $450 to $570
Does not work if
- ✕ Your commute is downtown and you do not want to drive it
- ✕ You need to be inside a specific school catchment that only exists closer in
- ✕ You are buying largely for resale and expect the tightest markets to move first
- ✕ One car is your household limit and the area has no frequent transit
Check before you offer
- → Open the actual travel time from the address to where you work, at the hour you travel
- → Check the strata fee on the specific listing, not the area median
- → Confirm whether it is freehold or strata, which changes what you own and what you pay
- → Look at how many listings the area has right now, since a thin market cuts both ways
Where the best value areas actually are
This is the part a ranking cannot show you. Every area on the list above, plotted, so the distance you are trading for the space is visible rather than implied.
300 of 355 homes plotted. 46 more have coordinates but were left off to keep the map readable. The ones shown are spread evenly across the price range rather than taken from one end. 9 listings have no coordinates in the feed and cannot be placed. Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link. Zoom with the plus and minus buttons or by pinching.
Homes in the best value areas that are also large
$574,90017 7300 COPPERWOOD STREET
Lower Landing · 3 bed · 1,667 sq ft
$599,90048 32929 CHERRY AVENUE
Mission · 3 bed · 1,351 sq ft
$609,90016 7300 COPPERWOOD STREET
Lower Landing · 3 bed · 1,624 sq ft
$609,90062 8430 NOTTMAN STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,420 sq ft
$629,90012 8545 MAPLEWOOD ROAD
Lower Landing · 3 bed · 1,705 sq ft
$629,9008 7300 COPPERWOOD STREET
Lower Landing · 3 bed · 1,611 sq ft
$639,00048 8430 NOTTMAN STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,420 sq ft
$639,90014 7312 MULBERRY ROAD
Lower Landing · 3 bed · 1,560 sq ft
$639,9008 32929 CHERRY AVENUE
Mission · 3 bed · 1,573 sq ft
$649,00039 8430 NOTTMAN STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,478 sq ft
$649,90012 32929 CHERRY AVENUE
Mission · 3 bed · 1,707 sq ft
$654,90015 7312 MULBERRY ROAD
Lower Landing · 3 bed · 1,587 sq ft
$659,90013 8924 CEDAR STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,427 sq ft
$659,90012 8924 CEDAR STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,427 sq ft
$664,90017 7312 MULBERRY ROAD
Lower Landing · 3 bed · 1,666 sq ft
$664,9006 46106 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
Chilliwack Proper East · 3 bed · 1,660 sq ft
$674,9002 46106 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
Chilliwack Proper East · 3 bed · 1,600 sq ft
$679,90011 8924 CEDAR STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,477 sq ft
$684,9007 46106 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
Chilliwack Proper East · 3 bed · 1,660 sq ft
$684,9005 46106 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
Chilliwack Proper East · 3 bed · 1,660 sq ft
$689,00014 7540 BRISKHAM STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,418 sq ft
79 more active listings are not shown here. Search every active listing . Prices are the list price. Most new homes have GST added on top.
Common questions
How do you define best value?
As finished square feet per dollar, nothing more. It is a measurement, not a judgment about whether a neighbourhood is nice. We do not rate schools, safety, or character here, because those are not things a listing feed can measure honestly. What the data can show is how much house your money buys, and where.
If these areas are such good value, why is everyone not buying there?
Because the saving is paid for in time. Nearly every area on this list is further from downtown, further from SkyTrain, or both. A buyer who drives to a workplace in Burnaby and a buyer who takes transit to downtown will value the same square foot in opposite ways. The number is the same for both. The decision is not.
Are the cheaper areas cheaper because the homes are worse?
The data does not support that reading. Every home in this set was built in the last two years to the same provincial building code and carries the same warranty framework. Several of the best-value areas have larger median homes than the expensive ones, not smaller.
Should I buy on price per square foot alone?
No. It tells you what the land is charging you and nothing else. Two homes at the same price per square foot can differ completely on strata fee, parking, whether pets are allowed, and whether it is freehold or strata. Use this page to build a shortlist of areas, then compare the actual homes.
Which neighbourhood offers the best value right now?
Lower Landing in Chilliwack leads at $373 per square foot, 55% below the regional median of $820. Its median home is 1,667 sq ft and lists at $647,400, which is finished space per dollar, not a rating of the neighbourhood's character or amenities.
How many neighbourhoods are ranked on this page?
20 neighbourhoods, each with six or more active listings so a single unusual sale cannot distort the ranking. They are ordered from lowest median price per square foot up, which is the definition of best value used throughout this page.
What strata fee range should I expect in the best-value areas?
A monthly strata fee of $250 to $330 is common in the value-ranked areas, against $450 to $570 in the pricier ones closer to the core. That difference is worth checking on the specific listing rather than assumed from the area, since it varies by complex.
Do any best-value areas have large homes rather than small ones?
Yes. Several areas on this list have a median home at or above the regional median size of 1,612 sq ft, while still pricing below the regional median per square foot. That combination means the land is cheap in those areas rather than the homes being undersized.
Where these figures come from
- VanPlex active listings, MLS® data
Active townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses built in the last two years across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Checked
See the homes behind these numbers
Every figure on this page comes from listings you can open. Search the full set of newly built townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses, and filter by price, bedrooms, freehold or strata, pets, and parking.