KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- The most expensive block of North Vancouver apartments is located on Victory Ship Way (a block between the East Esplanade street and the Vancouver Harbour) at $1100-$1400 per square foot
- Most affordable brand new buildings in Central Lonsdale are located in Block 1 of West 22nd and West 23rd streets ($700-$900 per square foot).
- The Stretch of East 3rd Street (Blocks 5, 6, 7 – $800-$900 per square foot) has the most affordable new buildings in Lower Lonsdale (32% less than Lonsdale Quay).
- The most affordable older buildings (40 years old; in Central and Lower Lonsdale) are spread out across different streets including West 18, West 20, East 5, East and West 17 with prices ranging between $450-$550 per square foot.
Despite guaranteed headaches caused by mind-numbing traffic on the Lions Gate and Ironworkers bridges, those who are lucky enough to get across are treated to the beautiful City of North Vancouver. Its close proximity to Downtown Vancouver as well as almost unspoiled nature make North Van one of the most desirable locations in the Lower Mainland. Though relatively affordable compared to its sister-city to the south, the cost of living isn’t cheap on the North Shore.
The results: residents can expect to pay somewhere between $1100-$1400 per square foot to live on Victory Ship Way, situated between the East Esplanade street and the Vancouver Harbour. Block 1 of the East 13th Street, just cross the Lonsdale avenue, is also home to a couple of the most expensive residential Condos in North Vancouver at about $1100 per square foot.
Here, you can view an interactive map of prices per square foot in Vancouver.
An analysis by Roomvu Technologies, a Vancouver-based real estate analytics company, looked at MLS (Multiple Listing Service) data for buildings located in North Vancouver between 2018 and 2019. The data allowed them to pinpoint the most expensive and most affordable city blocks in the area based on price by square foot.
But buildings at the higher-end like those mentioned above aren’t necessarily the norm – prices per square foot just a short drive away can be much lower. Take for example the buildings at West 18, West 20, East 5, East and West 17: all are at least 40 years old with prices ranging between $450-$550 per square foot.
Newer buildings, as one would expect, don’t offer the same level of affordability as their elderly neighbours. Condos located on Block 1 of West 22nd and West 23rd street – which are less than 10 years old – cost between between $700 to $900 per square foot.
Average Sales Price for over and below 10-Years-old Buildings in Central and Lower Lonsdale – North Vancouver (Condos, 2018-2019)
Most expensive buildings in Central and Lower Lonsdale – North Vancouver (average price per square foot based on at least 3 sales)
| Rank | Building | Average Price ($ per Sqft) | Age | # of Sales Records |
| 1 | 175 VICTORY SHIP WAY | $1,255 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | 199 VICTORY SHIP WAY | $1,177 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | 111 EAST 13 | $1,125 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 112 EAST 13 | $1,124 | 1 | 23 |
| 5 | 133 EAST ESPLANADE | $1,121 | 8 | 11 |
| 6 | 125 EAST 14 | $1,106 | 2 | 29 |
| 7 | 105 WEST 2 | $1,081 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 | 150 WEST 15 | $1,079 | 4 | 11 |
| 9 | 120 WEST 2 | $1,073 | 28 | 6 |
| 10 | 135 WEST 2 | $1,057 | 5 | 5 |
| 11 | 135 EAST 17 | $1,036 | 6 | 16 |
| 12 | 151 WEST 2 | $1,034 | 14 | 18 |
| 13 | 138 EAST ESPLANADE | $1,022 | 12 | 12 |
| 14 | 155 WEST 1 | $1,021 | 14 | 13 |
| 15 | 123 WEST 1 | $1,019 | 2 | 11 |
Most affordable buildings in Central and Lower Lonsdale – North Vancouver (average price per square foot based on at least 3 sales)
| Rank | Building | Average Price ($ per Sqft) | Age | # of Sales Records |
| 1 | 145 WEST 18 | $455 | 48 | 4 |
| 2 | 134 WEST 20 | $457 | 46 | 3 |
| 3 | 155 EAST 5 | $502 | 49 | 4 |
| 4 | 122 EAST 17 | $539 | 46 | 3 |
| 5 | 120 WEST 17 | $552 | 53 | 3 |
| 6 | 160 EAST 19 | $565 | 51 | 4 |
| 7 | 141 WEST 13 | $570 | 44 | 3 |
| 8 | 340 WEST 3 | $581 | 44 | 3 |
| 9 | 156 WEST 21 | $581 | 38 | 4 |
| 10 | 341 WEST 3 | $587 | 43 | 8 |
| 11 | 135 WEST 21 | $588 | 48 | 3 |
| 12 | 310 EAST 3 | $588 | 44 | 4 |
| 13 | 1650 CHESTERFIELD | $592 | 44 | 5 |
| 14 | 150 EAST 5 | $597 | 44 | 4 |
| 15 | 211 WEST 3 | $602 | 45 | 4 |
The data paints a fairly simple picture: living in an older building can save you a lot of money. Buildings featured on the top 15 most expensive list have an average age of just over 7 years old. Whereas buildings on the affordable list are 45 years old on average.
The good news: one can find affordable housing in the City of North Vancouver if living in an older building isn’t a deal breaker. The bad news: unless the Seabus is an acceptable mode of transportation, drivers will have to get used to the special kind of bumper-to-bumper traffic offered by the North Shore bridges.
Note: Sales data of all sold units in the Central and Lower Lonsdale in the City of North Vancouver apartment buildings in 2018 and 2019 (first 9 months) were used to calculate the average sales price per square foot for buildings in the report. The building names and numbers were extracted from the address data and the average price was calculated for any number of listings sold in that building since January 2018. Prices presented in the report are the average price for that building; and the price for each unit could be different based on the floor number where the unit is located and the quality of renovations made in that specific unit. It should also be mentioned here that the tables show the results only for buildings with at least 4 sales in 2018-2019 data bank while the map shows all the buildings prices even if only one sale is available in the data bank.