The expected premium did not appear in the broad comparison
The starting question was how much more a third bedroom cost. The observed groups did not produce a positive purchase-price premium. Instead, the three-bedroom group had a lower median sale price and a higher median monthly fee. That makes the composition of the groups central to the interpretation.
| Measure | Two bedrooms | Three bedrooms |
|---|---|---|
| Sold apartment episodes | 1,039 | 120 |
| Median sale price | $405,000 | $370,750 |
| Median monthly condo fee | $749.50 | $967.45 |
| Valid positive fee records | 1,037 | 120 |
| Most common approximate size band | 1000-1199 | 1200-1399 |
| Median bathrooms | 2 | 2.0 |
Bedroom groups use the reported above-grade count. The three-bedroom sample contains 120 sold episodes, much smaller than the 1,039 two-bedroom episodes. Other bedroom counts are outside this comparison.
Why this is not the price of adding a bedroom
The $34,250 difference compares medians from different sets of homes. Buildings, locations, condition and fees can differ between those sets. It is not the result of observing identical units before and after adding a bedroom.
We also attempted comparisons within the same provider market area, exact approximate-size band and calendar quarter. No cell had the required three records on both sides. Without sufficient overlap, an adjusted bedroom-price estimate would imply more certainty than the dataset supports.
The size bands themselves suggest a different mix: the most common category was 1,000–1,199 square feet for two-bedroom units and 1,200–1,399 for three-bedroom units. Those bands describe the observed records. They are not a measured floor-area difference between otherwise identical condos.
What this means for a condo search
The findings give buyers a reason to examine three-bedroom options rather than assume they are always more expensive to purchase. They also give a reason to put the recurring fee beside the sale price: the observed median monthly fee was $217.95 higher in the three-bedroom group.
That fee difference does not establish a difference in total ownership cost, reserve adequacy or value. The study lacks a complete account of each unit's expenses and building condition. A specific comparison still needs the actual unit and corporation information.
The useful conclusion is narrower than a bedroom premium: bedroom count alone did not sort these apartment condos from cheaper to more expensive. A search organized only around bedrooms and purchase price would miss part of the observed tradeoff.
Source and methodology
Source: PropTx VOW, extracted September 19, 2026 (Toronto). Unless stated otherwise, purchase-contract dates run from September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026. The four-category annual sample contains 10,476 sold listing episodes: detached houses, freehold townhouses, apartment condominiums and condominium townhouses. Other property types are excluded. The geography is the provider's CountyOrParish=Ottawa; its City labels describe market areas, not independently verified neighbourhood boundaries.
These are episodes visible in a dated feed, not a census of unique homes. Relistings are not joined, and subsequently withheld records may be absent. Sold-only results do not measure the probability that a newly listed home sells. Asking prices are seller-selected reference points, not appraisals of market value.
Medians use valid numeric observations without outlier trimming. Price and fee values must be positive. Each table identifies its denominator, and medians require at least 30 valid records. Size bands remain approximate provider categories, with no conversion to exact square footage. Monthly condo-fee interpretation was confirmed by the project owner on September 14. No individual property valuation or causal effect is established.
Source-response fingerprints, page counts and unique episode keys were checked. This comparison selects apartment condos with exactly two or three reported above-grade bedrooms. The attempted matched estimate required at least three records per side in each City, exact size-band and calendar-quarter group, and 30 retained records per side overall. No groups qualified. Read the Lab’s research standards for our publication approach.
Study period: September 1, 2025–August 31, 2026. Source snapshot: September 19, 2026 (Toronto). Published September 28, 2026. Prices are Canadian dollars and condo fees are monthly.
Cite this article
Richling, Matt. New Purveyors Lab. “Did three-bedroom Ottawa condos cost more than two-bedroom condos?” Published September 28, 2026. Article link.