Thinking about selling the family home and moving to a bungalow somewhere in Waterloo Region? Before you pick a city, it helps to know what a bungalow costs next to the house you'd sell, and how that changes from Kitchener to Waterloo, Cambridge and the townships.
Here are the real numbers from the MLS® system as of October 27, 2026, with no guesses about where prices are going.
The short version
- Across Waterloo Region, a typical detached home that isn't a bungalow (mostly two-storeys) sold for about $783,000 from October 1 to 27, 2026. That's the median of 178 sales.
- A typical detached bungalow sold for about $731,400, the median of 73 sales.
- That's a gap of about $51,500, or about 7%. But it changes a lot by city: about $120,000 in Waterloo, $47,000 in Kitchener and only $19,500 in Cambridge.
- 273 bungalows are for sale in the region right now, at a median asking price of $749,900.
- Ontario land transfer tax on a $749,900 bungalow is about $11,473.
Source: ITSO MLS® data, sold October 1–27, 2026; for sale as of October 27, 2026.
The downsizing gap, city by city
To compare like with like, we looked only at detached houses that sold firm between October 1 and 27, 2026. On one side, homes with 1.5 storeys or more that aren't listed as a bungalow: two-storeys, storey-and-a-half homes and split levels. On the other side, detached bungalows, raised bungalows and bungalofts.
| Area | Detached, not a bungalow: median sold (sales) | Detached bungalow: median sold (sales) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | $875,000 (39) | $755,000 (16) | about $120,000 |
| Kitchener | $730,000 (70) | $683,000 (25) | about $47,000 |
| Cambridge | about $712,000 (38) | $692,500 (24) | about $19,500 |
| Townships | $840,000 (31) | too few to say (8) | n/a |
| Waterloo Region | about $783,000 (178) | about $731,400 (73) | about $51,500 |
Source: ITSO MLS® data, October 1–27, 2026. Detached houses in Waterloo Region, by the city on the listing. Sales counted by the date they went firm.
What the gap means. In Waterloo, the middle bungalow sold for about $120,000 less than the middle two-storey. In Cambridge, the difference was only about $19,500. So where you sell and where you buy can matter as much as the switch to a bungalow itself.
What it doesn't mean. A median is the middle of a group, not your house. Every home is different: size, lot, age, condition and street all change the price. Some of these groups are small (16 bungalow sales in Waterloo), so a few sales can move the median. Your own gap could be bigger or smaller.
What a bungalow costs across the region now
There are 273 bungalows for sale in Waterloo Region, at a median asking price of $749,900:
- Under $700,000: 117
- $700,000 to $899,999: 68
- $900,000 to $1,199,999: 31
- $1.2 million and up: 57
Freehold or condo: 253 are freehold and only 15 are condominium bungalows. The other 5 sit on leased land.
What's scarce: the $900,000 to $1.2 million range has the fewest choices, and condo bungalows are rare everywhere. They're all on the Waterloo Region condo and townhouse bungalow map.
Source: ITSO MLS® data, as of October 27, 2026. All bungalow styles in Waterloo Region.
Kitchener
99 bungalows for sale, median asking $679,999. 57 ask under $700,000, the most of any city. The gap between a typical two-storey and a typical detached bungalow was about $47,000. Read the Kitchener bungalow guide or browse the Kitchener Bungalow Map.
Waterloo
49 bungalows for sale, median asking $749,999. Waterloo had the biggest gap this month, about $120,000, and its two-storeys sold quickly (about 20 days on average). Read the Waterloo bungalow guide or browse the Waterloo Bungalow Map.
Cambridge
63 bungalows for sale inside Waterloo Region, median asking $709,900. The gap was the smallest of the three cities, about $19,500. Read the Cambridge bungalow guide or browse the Cambridge Bungalow Map.
The townships
62 bungalows for sale in the townships and villages, median asking $1,148,500, the highest in the region. By the community on the listing, the most are in Elmira (9), Baden (8), Wellesley (7), New Hamburg (6), St. Clements (5), Ayr (4) and Conestogo (4). Detached homes there that aren't bungalows sold for a median of $840,000 (31 sales), but only 8 detached bungalows sold, too few for a fair comparison. Browse by township: Woolwich, Wilmot, Wellesley and North Dumfries.
City counts are from one search at about 4:30 pm on October 27, 2026, inside Waterloo Region. The city guides were counted earlier the same day, and the Cambridge guide also counts a few homes with a Cambridge address in Puslinch Township, so their numbers are slightly different.
Closing costs, in plain words
When you buy, the biggest closing cost is usually Ontario land transfer tax. On a $749,900 bungalow it's about $11,473. Waterloo Region is outside the City of Toronto, so there's no second, municipal land transfer tax. If you've owned a home before, the first-time buyer refund won't apply. (Ontario charges 0.5% on the first $55,000, 1% up to $250,000, 1.5% up to $400,000 and 2% up to $2 million.)
Also plan for legal fees and title insurance on both the sale and the purchase (ask your lawyer for one written quote), selling costs (commission is negotiated, plus HST), and moving (get two or three written quotes). Check your own numbers with your lawyer and lender before you decide.
Sell first or buy first?
There's no single right answer. We walk through the pros, cons and real Ontario examples in Sell First or Buy First When Downsizing? To see what you might walk away with, try the BungalowBoss downsizing calculator. For how the whole market moved this month, see the Waterloo Region Bungalow Market: October 2026 Update.
Find your bungalow in Waterloo Region
Every bungalow for sale in the region is on one map, updated as new ones list: the Waterloo Region Bungalow Map.
Want to know your own downsizing gap? Book a downsizing consultation. We'll go through your numbers with you. Or call Marcus at (226) 907-4448.
Source: ITSO MLS® data. Sales: detached houses in Waterloo Region that went firm October 1–27, 2026, by the city on the listing (Townships = every listing outside Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge). "Detached, not a bungalow" means 1.5 storeys or more above grade and not listed as Bungalow, Bungalow Raised or Bungaloft; "detached bungalow" means listed as one of those three styles. For sale: all bungalow styles, Active as of October 27, 2026. Land transfer tax uses Ontario's published rates. Data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Numbers are totals and medians only and are not a prediction of future prices or financial advice.
Marcus Umana, REALTOR®, Real Broker Ontario Ltd., Brokerage. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers already under contract.
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