One advantage of condos is that they’re a lower-maintenance option for owners. There’s no driveway to shovel in the winter, no gutters to clean in the spring or fall, and no lawn to mow — but this convenience comes at a cost in the form of maintenance fees.
A new Wahi analysis shows just how much these monthly fees can vary from building to building in the Greater Toronto Area. In fact, for a one-bedroom condo in the region, the median monthly maintenance fee ranges from $533 up to $1,039, according to the digital real estate platform’s analysis of more than 1,500 condo buildings across the GTA.
“Condo buyers should pay close attention to a building’s maintenance fees,” says Wahi CEO Benjy Katchen. “Maintenance fees can sometimes make or break a budget, depending on the cost,” he adds.
Monthly maintenance fees for a one-bedroom condo exceed $1,000 in two Toronto developments
In 2024, 33 Harbour Square, a waterfront condo building dating back to the late ’70s, had the highest median monthly maintenance fee for a one-bedroom unit ($1,039).
The Shangri-La (180 University Ave.), a luxury condo and hotel development completed in 2012, was the only other address to exceed the thousand-dollar barrier, with a median fee of $1,039.
Half of the 10 most expensive buildings were located within Old Toronto, which spans from High Park in the west to the Beach in the east, and from the Harbourfront in the south to midtown in the north.
Older buildings in Toronto’s former burroughs have the lowest fees
The condo buildings with the lowest median monthly maintenance fee for a one-bedroom unit were generally not as centrally located and were older than the buildings with the most expensive fees.
What are maintenance fees?
Condo owners are responsible for paying monthly maintenance fees. These fees are normally calculated based on the size of a unit, and they reflect its proportionate share of the expenses incurred by the condo corporation, which oversees the management of the building.
These fees pay for everything from building insurance and some utilities to the upkeep of common elements, including amenities. They also contribute to the building’s reserve fund, which is set aside for major repairs.
Methodology: How Wahi Calculated Condo Fees
Wahi’s condo-building ranking is based on maintenance fees for one-bedroom units that were sold in 2024. Buildings had to have a minimum of three sales of one-bedroom units over the study period to be included in the rankings. For an apples-to-apples comparison, condo townhomes, which often have lower fees relative to mid- and high-rise buildings, were excluded.
Note that a variety of factors influence maintenance fees, such as the size of a building’s reserve fund as well as the exact square footage of each unit. Wahi was unable to take these factors into account as this information is not consistently provided in listings (in many cases, realtors input a range rather than an exact square footage for units). Data is sourced from Information Technology Systems Ontario and the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board.