Ottawa Mortgage Rates: Live Bank & Broker Rates for the National Capital Region
Ottawa is Ontario’s second-largest mortgage market and a structurally distinct one: home prices sit well below Toronto’s, the federal public-service workforce drives stable household incomes, and the Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax does not apply. The rates below reflect the same Big 5 and challenger-lender pricing available everywhere in Canada, with Ottawa-specific notes on Ontario LTT and the National Capital Region market.
Live Rates Available in OttawaLast updated 2026-05-15
| Lender | 5-Year Fixed | 3-Year Fixed | 5-Year Variable |
|---|---|---|---|
Lender 1 | 4.24% | 4.09% | 3.49% |
Bank 1 | 4.29% | 4.39% | 3.65% |
Bank 4 | 4.29% | 4.49% | 3.95% |
Bank 5 | 4.51% | 4.29% | 4.53% |
Bank 2 | 4.59% | 4.74% | 4.09% |
Bank 3 | 4.94% | 4.79% | 4% |
Lender pricing does not vary by city in Canada—the same rates above are available to qualified borrowers across Ontario. Ottawa-specific differences are in closing costs and local market dynamics, covered below.
Ottawa & National Capital Region Market Context
Ottawa’s benchmark price (~$675K as of 2026) sits roughly 40% below Toronto’s while remaining above national averages. This places most Ottawa purchases within the $1.5M CMHC-insurable cap, giving Ottawa buyers regular access to insured-mortgage pricing (typically 30–60 basis points better than uninsured equivalents).
The federal public-service workforce — roughly 130,000 federal employees concentrated in the National Capital Region — anchors Ottawa’s mortgage market with unusually stable household incomes. Federal employment carries pension entitlements and job stability that lenders treat favourably during qualification, particularly for variable-rate and longer-amortization products.
Ottawa’s housing market includes the Quebec-side cities of Gatineau and Aylmer across the Ottawa River. Borrowers purchasing on the Quebec side fall under Quebec’s Welcome Tax and Civil Code mortgage mechanics rather than Ontario rules — see our Quebec rates page for the full picture there.
Ottawa Land Transfer Tax (No Municipal LTT)
Ottawa buyers pay only the Provincial Land Transfer Tax (PLTT) — the Toronto Municipal LTT does not apply outside Toronto city limits. PLTT is tiered: 0.5% on the first $55,000, 1% from $55K–$250K, 1.5% from $250K–$400K, 2% from $400K–$2M, and 2.5% on the portion above $2M. On a $675,000 Ottawa home, PLTT totals approximately $9,975.
First-time buyers can claim up to $4,000 off the PLTT, reducing effective tax on the same $675K purchase to approximately $5,975. Eligibility requires Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, age 18+, and that neither spouse has previously owned a home anywhere in the world.
Ottawa’s structural cost advantage over Toronto is meaningful: on equivalent price points, Ottawa buyers save roughly $8,000–$12,000 in land transfer tax compared to inside-Toronto purchases. Combined with materially lower home prices, the affordability gap is one of the widest within any single Canadian province.