Every year a steady stream of buyers sells in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton or Milton and buys in London. Most are after the same thing: a bigger home, a yard and a smaller mortgage, or no mortgage at all. Here is what the move looks like in real numbers.
Planning a Move From the GTA?
Tell me what you are selling and what you want here, and I will show you what your budget buys in London and how to line up both closings
226 581 9220 548 490 4577How do GTA and London prices compare?
| September 2026 | GTA (TRREB) | London (LSTAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Average sale price, all homes | $1,006,409 | $591,927 |
| Sales vs. September 2025, whole board area | Down 9.0% | Up 5.3% |
In the GTA the average detached home sold for $1,292,016 in September, a townhouse for $820,637 and a condo apartment for $605,257. In London, the typical home's benchmark ranged from $432,300 in London East to $613,000 in London North. Put simply, what an average GTA condo apartment sells for is close to what a typical London house costs.
Sources: TRREB Market Watch, September 2026, and LSTAR's September 2026 release. The two boards measure prices differently, so treat this as a broad comparison, not a line-by-line one.
What does the commute to Toronto look like?
- By car: about 2 hours 20 minutes from London to Toronto off-peak on the 401. Rush hour can add a lot more, so this is a once- or twice-a-week trip for most people, not a daily one.
- By train: VIA Rail runs between London and Union Station several times a day. The faster trains take a little over 2 hours.
- Who it works for: people who work from home most days, hybrid workers who go in once or twice a week, and anyone moving their job to London.
If you will be driving east regularly, look at the south and southwest of the city, like Lambeth, Westmount or Summerside, where the 401 is minutes away. From the north end it can take 20 minutes or more just to reach the highway.
Who are London's big employers?
Health care and education lead: London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph's Health Care, Western University and Fanshawe College. Manufacturing and logistics along the 401 corridor add more, and Volkswagen's PowerCo battery plant in St. Thomas, 20 to 30 minutes south, is expected to begin operations in 2029.
Where should GTA buyers start looking?
| If you want | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Easy 401 access for trips back east | Lambeth, Westmount, Summerside | Highway on-ramps are minutes away |
| Newer, larger homes | Hyde Park, Sunningdale, Riverbend, Lambeth | Most homes built since the 1990s |
| Established family streets | Byron, Oakridge, Masonville | Mature trees, parks and established schools |
| Walkable, older neighbourhoods | Old North, Wortley Village | Shops, cafés and character homes |
| The lowest entry price | London East, St. Thomas | London East had the lowest district benchmark |
How do I time selling in the GTA and buying in London?
The safest order for most people is to sell first, or at least have a firm sale, and then buy. If you buy first, you need a plan for carrying two homes or for bridge financing. If the timing doesn't line up, a longer closing on your London purchase or a rent-back on your GTA sale can close the gap. I wrote a separate guide on buying and selling at the same time that walks through each option.
What costs should I budget for?
- Ontario land transfer tax on your London purchase. There is no municipal land transfer tax in London, only the provincial one.
- Legal fees on both the sale and the purchase.
- Moving costs for a move of roughly 200 km.
- Bridge financing, if you close on London before your GTA sale.
- Updates to an older home. Your money goes further here, and many buyers use part of the difference to renovate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I commute from London to Toronto every day?
Some people do, but at about 2 hours 20 minutes each way off-peak by car, or a little over 2 hours by VIA Rail, most people only make the trip once or twice a week.
Do I pay Toronto's land transfer tax when buying in London?
No. Toronto's municipal land transfer tax only applies to purchases inside the City of Toronto. In London you pay only the Ontario land transfer tax, and first-time buyers can get a refund of up to $4,000.
Can a GTA realtor help me buy in London?
They can refer you, but a local agent knows which streets flood, which schools are full and what homes actually sell for. I'm licensed in Ontario and work in London and St. Thomas, and my team covers the GTA side, so one conversation can cover both ends of the move.
