Calgary's residential assessed values jumped 15.2% this year. That's the headline number from 490,547 properties on the City's 2026 assessment roll. But city-wide averages are almost useless for making actual decisions. The real story is in the community-level data, where appreciation rates range from 2% to over 20% depending on where you look.
We pulled every residential record from the City of Calgary's open data portal and aggregated by community. Here's what the numbers actually show — and what they don't.
The Big Picture
The city-wide average assessed value is $688,000 across 155 communities. Assessed values lag the real market by 6–12 months — the 2026 roll reflects roughly mid-2025 conditions — and they tend to be conservative in a rising market. Most homes sell above assessed value when prices are climbing and below it when they cool. But as a tool for comparing communities and tracking direction, it's the most comprehensive dataset available. Half a million data points doesn't lie, even if it speaks with a delay.
| Quadrant | Communities | Properties | Avg Assessed | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 17 | 54,532 | $860,000 | +14.7% |
| NW | 29 | 107,266 | $676,000 | +14.6% |
| NE | 20 | 72,888 | $548,000 | +14.5% |
| SE | 30 | 124,946 | $565,000 | +15.8% |
| SW | 25 | 77,363 | $792,000 | +15.2% |
The gap between the most expensive quadrant (Central at $860,000) and the most affordable (NE at $548,000) is over $300,000. The SE added the most properties and saw the strongest year-over-year growth at 15.8% — driven largely by new construction in communities like Seton, Legacy, and Mahogany that are still building out.
Where Values Climbed Fastest
The ten communities with the highest year-over-year appreciation tell a consistent story: demand is strongest where affordability exists.
| Community | Avg Assessed | YoY Change | What's Driving It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seton | $465,000 | +20.1% | Massive new construction (710 permits), South Health Campus |
| Skyview Ranch | $412,000 | +19.1% | Affordable NE, 82 suite permits driving demand |
| Beddington Heights | $526,000 | +18.9% | 1981 avg build, inner-suburb catch-up appreciation |
| Copperfield | $472,000 | +18.5% | SE affordable, Fish Creek proximity |
| Bowness | $692,000 | +18.2% | Major redevelopment (307 permits), character homes |
| Varsity | $684,000 | +18.0% | University proximity, 1982 builds gentrifying |
| McKenzie Towne | $433,000 | +17.6% | Town centre appeal, SE value play |
| Signal Hill | $673,000 | +17.5% | Established SW, 1996 builds aging into demand |
| Taradale | $546,000 | +17.4% | NE value, 46 suite permits |
| Arbour Lake | $667,000 | +17.3% | NW lakefront community, strong family demand |
Two patterns stand out. First: six of the ten biggest movers are below $550,000 average assessed. Demand is concentrating where people can still afford to buy. Second: several 1980s-era communities — Beddington Heights, Bowness, Varsity — are seeing catch-up appreciation as inner-ring suburbs become more desirable relative to far-flung new builds. If you bought in Bowness five years ago, your assessed value has roughly doubled.
Where Growth Was Slowest
No community in the top 155 actually declined in value — every single one saw positive year-over-year growth. But a few grew significantly slower than the city average.
Livingston: +2.0% ($641,000 average). The lowest appreciation rate in the entire dataset, and it's misleading. Livingston is one of the fastest-growing communities in Calgary — 1,220 building permits since 2024. The number reflects new inventory flooding in at varying price points and pulling the per-property average down. Existing homes didn't lose value; hundreds of new homes are diluting the community average. This is a statistics quirk, not a market signal.
Coventry Hills: +8.5% ($574,000). Built out around 2001, it's a mature NE community with little room for new construction. The modest growth reflects market saturation in an area that saw its biggest gains earlier. For first-time buyers, slower appreciation can be an advantage — you're less likely to overpay in a bidding frenzy.
Panorama Hills: +10.7% ($579,000). At 9,178 properties it's the largest NW community, fully built out, with mature schools and infrastructure. A 10.7% annual gain is strong by any historical standard — it just looks modest next to the 18–20% jumps happening elsewhere. Stability isn't a flaw.
New Construction Hot Spots
Six communities account for over 5,500 building permits since January 2024, representing more than $2 billion in construction investment.
| Community | Building Permits | Total Investment | Avg Assessed Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone (NE) | 1,350 | $411M | $564,000 |
| Livingston (NW) | 1,220 | $400M | $641,000 |
| Mahogany (SE) | 999 | $331M | $693,000 |
| Seton (SE) | 710 | $428M | $465,000 |
| Legacy (SE) | 638 | $279M | $510,000 |
| Saddle Ridge (NE) | 604 | $164M | $557,000 |
Cornerstone and Livingston are building at a pace that's reshaping Calgary's north end. Seton and Legacy are doing the same in the south. For buyers, the mortgage angle is direct: purchasing a new build in any of these communities unlocks 30-year insured amortization under the December 2024 federal rules, regardless of whether you're a first-time buyer.
The investment-per-permit numbers are also telling. Seton's $428 million across 710 permits includes the massive South Health Campus mixed-use development. Saddle Ridge's $164 million across 604 permits reflects primarily single-family homes — lower per-unit cost, higher volume.
The Secondary Suite Boom
Calgary's secondary suite development is concentrated in a handful of communities, and the northeast dominates.
| Community | Suite Permits | Avg Assessed | Quadrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddle Ridge | 236 | $557,000 | NE |
| Skyview Ranch | 82 | $412,000 | NE |
| Martindale | 74 | $546,000 | NE |
| Evanston | 64 | $699,000 | NW |
| Copperfield | 62 | $472,000 | SE |
| Panorama Hills | 61 | $579,000 | NW |
| Legacy | 58 | $510,000 | SE |
Saddle Ridge at 236 permits is nearly three times the next closest community. The northeast dominates suite activity, which tracks: these are the communities where lot sizes accommodate basements, where rental demand is strong, and where the purchase price is low enough that the math on adding a suite makes sense.
The mortgage angle here is significant. CMHC allows lenders to count up to 50% of projected rental income from a legal secondary suite when qualifying a buyer. A $1,500/month suite adds $750/month to qualifying income. In communities where suites are common, this isn't theoretical — it's how buyers are closing the gap between what they earn and what the stress test demands.
None of this is a crystal ball. Assessment data is backward-looking by design, and the 2026 roll reflects a market that's already 6–12 months old. But as a map of where value is concentrating, where construction dollars are flowing, and where supply is landing next — 490,000 data points is a better starting point than most people are using.
For the full community-by-community breakdown, see the neighbourhood guides hub. To run your own numbers at any price point, try the mortgage calculator, or get matched with a Calgary mortgage broker who knows these communities.