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The useful question is what accompanies the payment. In this price band, the higher-fee group more often recorded heat, electricity and water as included. It also contained more units with at least two bedrooms. These are descriptive differences between the properties that sold, rather than a measurement of what any individual service or bedroom costs.
This refreshed study uses July through September sales. It builds on our earlier fee-versus-price research by starting with the buyer's purchase budget and examining the choices within it.
Start with the purchase-price band
The fresh extract contains 397 apartment-condominium sold listing episodes. Of these, 396 have both a positive sale price and a positive monthly fee. Condo townhouses are excluded because their property and expense arrangements differ.
| Recorded sale price | Valid episodes | Median monthly fee | Middle half of monthly fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below $300,000 | 107 | $668.71 | $531.27–$782.08 |
| $300,000–$399,999 | 109 | $598.26 | $463.00–$766.54 |
| $400,000–$499,999 | 72 | $630.50 | $556.49–$761.04 |
| $500,000–$599,999 | 58 | $836.24 | $686.78–$1,058.35 |
| $600,000 or more | 50 | $1,077.09 | $838.54–$1,500.88 |
Fees do not rise in a straight line with the purchase-price bands. The below-$300,000 group had a higher median fee than the next two groups. That does not identify a bargain or establish a penalty for high fees: the buildings, locations, sizes and services differ.
What accompanied higher fees around $350,000?
We divided the $300,000–$399,999 band at $750 per month, retaining the threshold used in the earlier Lab study. Both sides have at least 30 valid episodes. The focus is this purchase-budget range; it is not a matched-building comparison.
| Recorded characteristic | Monthly fee below $750 | Monthly fee $750 or more |
|---|---|---|
| Sold episodes | 78 | 31 |
| Median sale price | $345,500 | $330,000 |
| Median monthly fee | $517.35 | $833.00 |
| At least two above-grade bedrooms | 37/78 · 47.4% | 26/31 · 83.9% |
| Heat listed as included | 27/78 · 34.6% | 20/31 · 64.5% |
| Electricity listed as included | 5/78 · 6.4% | 14/31 · 45.2% |
| Water listed as included | 54/78 · 69.2% | 29/31 · 93.5% |
| At least one parking space recorded in the sale | 66/78 · 84.6% | 30/31 · 96.8% |
The higher-fee group combined a lower median purchase price with a different bedroom and inclusion profile. None of these figures establishes what would happen to a particular unit's value if its fee changed. Separate medians also do not describe one representative condo.
An unrecorded inclusion remains unknown. It does not establish that the buyer must pay separately. The feed's electricity flag is called “Hydro Included.” Parking spaces included in a sale and parking expenses covered by a fee are separate fields; a space count does not verify ownership terms or all related charges.
How comparable are these homes?
The size field is explicitly described in the authenticated provider dictionary as approximate square footage. We retain its ranges rather than invent exact area or a price per square foot. Within the $300,000–$399,999 band, the higher-fee group contained more units in the 900-square-foot-and-up ranges: 19 of 31, compared with 27 of 78 in the lower-fee group.
Building age is much less complete. Approximate age was missing for 294 of the 396 valid episodes, and exact construction year was unavailable throughout the extraction. No comparison can reliably separate age from fees here. No purchase-price-band/size-band inclusion comparison met the minimum of 30 records on each side, so we do not publish an adjusted fee difference.
Annual tax amounts were also retrieved, but the entries mix 2025 and 2026 tax years. They are not a verified current bill for a prospective purchase. This study does not combine those amounts with group medians to manufacture a total monthly ownership cost.
Turn the research into a shortlist comparison
For each actual unit, compare the current asking price, confirmed monthly fee, utility arrangements, usable layout, parking terms and current tax information. Add costs paid separately only after confirming them. A listing checkbox is a prompt to investigate; the verified documents and amounts are the basis for the decision.
Condo fees also support shared operating expenses and reserve-fund contributions, which cannot be evaluated from visible amenities alone. Condominium Authority of Ontario: common expenses.
The status certificate and supporting documents provide financial and other information about the unit and corporation. The CAO recommends that buyers review these with legal counsel. Neither a low nor a high fee establishes the condition of those finances. CAO: status certificates.
For someone choosing between two condos, the next useful step is a property-specific comparison of the full package. Contact Matt about your condo shortlist, or use the Lab's broader fee benchmark to frame the questions.
Source and method
PropTx VOW, extracted October 7, 2026 at 11:10 p.m. Toronto. Sold-date scope: July 1–September 30, 2026, using PurchaseContractDate. Geography is the provider's CountyOrParish=Ottawa region, across reporting boards, rather than independently mapped municipal boundaries.
Source counts, unique episode keys and SHA-256 fingerprints reconciled. These are sold listing episodes visible at extraction; relistings are not joined into unique homes. Sold-only results do not measure the likelihood of selling. Every displayed median has at least 30 valid observations. Middle-half ranges use interpolated 25th/75th percentiles, with no outlier trimming. The owner confirmed monthly condo-fee interpretation September 14; the provider's frequency field remains blank. All amounts are Canadian dollars. Read our research standards.
Earlier edition: Read the prior study and its original methods.
Discuss these findings
For help applying these findings to a property or a move, contact Matt Richling. Include the area, property type and timing that matter to you.
Cite this edition
Richling, Matt. “Buying an Ottawa condo around $350,000: what changes when the fee is higher?” New Purveyors Lab. Q3 2026 · July–September. Updated October 7, 2026. Permanent edition.