Construction cost per square foot in Ontario: the 2026 numbers

The 2026 reference table (CAD, hard costs)

• Production single-family (GTA benchmark): $115 to $215/sq ft (Altus Group 2025 Canadian Cost Guide)
• Custom homes, Ontario: $300 to $600/sq ft typical, $950+ luxury; Northern Ontario from $280, Toronto standard-to-mid from $550
• Full home renovation: $150 to $400/sq ft; cosmetic refresh $60 to $150; gut renovation $200 to $400+
• Additions: $350 to $500/sq ft typical, $600 to $800 complex; second storeys $375 to $550
• Basement finishing: $40 to $60 basic, $60 to $90 mid, $90 to $140 high-end; legal suites $120 to $200
• Kitchens (per sq ft): $250 to $400 typical quality, $500+ luxury

Add 13% HST on labour and materials, and 15 to 25% soft costs (design, engineering, permits) on structural projects. Brantford and Brant County typically land below GTA figures within each range.

"Per-square-foot numbers are how the industry lies politely. The range is real, but where your house lands in it depends on structure, site access, finish tier and what's behind the existing walls. I use these tables to catch fantasy quotes, not to price your job. That's what the site visit is for."

Mitch Fraser, owner, Ontario Contracting Co.

The direction of travel

After years of sharp inflation, Statistics Canada's residential building construction price index rose just 3.0% year over year in Q4 2025 (and 3.3% in Q3), with Toronto posting the lowest quarterly growth among major cities. Altus describes costs as stabilizing. Planning a 2026 project against 2022 horror stories overshoots the market.

Using these numbers well

Treat the ranges as a fraud detector: a quote dramatically below the band is deferring costs into change orders (the low-ball pattern in the low-ball-then-escalate pattern), and one far above deserves a second opinion. Then get the number that binds: a written itemized quote, protected by Ontario's 10% estimate rule, compared across three contractors as described in the hiring walkthrough. Category-level detail, kitchens through custom builds, is in the parent cost hub.