With $900,000 to spend, the three cities give you three different homes. In Brampton it is a detached house, though a smaller or older one. In Mississauga it is an average semi-detached. In Milton it is a newer freehold townhouse, with the lowest property tax of the three.
That is the answer in one paragraph. The rest of this page shows the numbers behind it, using what homes actually sold for in August 2026, and lets you move the budget up or down.
What $900,000 buys in each city
The table compares $900,000 with the average sale price of each home type. A figure above 100 per cent means your budget is above the average for that type. Below about 85 per cent, very little will be available.
| Home type | Brampton | Mississauga | Milton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | $1,020,556 Budget is 88% | $1,275,221 Budget is 71% | $1,238,259 Budget is 73% |
| Semi-detached | $774,246 Budget is 116% | $879,494 Budget is 102% | $901,857 Budget is 100% |
| Freehold townhouse | $731,389 Budget is 123% | $874,772 Budget is 103% | $798,419 Budget is 113% |
| Condo townhouse | $569,104 Budget is 158% | $706,892 Budget is 127% | $597,000 Budget is 151% |
| Condo apartment | $434,457 Budget is 207% | $495,052 Budget is 182% | $526,250 Budget is 171% |
Average sale prices for August 2026. The detached row is the one that separates the cities. Brampton’s average detached house costs about $255,000 less than Mississauga’s and about $218,000 less than Milton’s.
Move the budget
Slide to your own number. Each home type is marked by how your budget compares with that city’s average sale price.
“Average or better” means your budget is at or above the average sale price for that type. “Below average” means between 85 and 100 per cent of it, where you are looking at smaller, older or less central homes. An average hides a wide range, so use this to narrow your search, not to set an offer price.
Brampton: the detached house
Brampton is a city of detached homes. They made up 260 of 440 sales in August, or 59 per cent. That depth is why prices are lower: there is simply more of the product buyers want.
At $900,000 you are about 12 per cent under the detached average. That puts you in older detached homes in Heart Lake, Madoc, Peel Village and parts of Bramalea, or smaller newer ones on narrow lots. A double-garage house in Springdale or Fletcher’s Meadow usually needs $950,000 to $1.2 million.
If you step down to a semi, $900,000 is well above the $774,246 average, so you can choose the neighbourhood and the condition. Many Brampton homes also have a basement suite. A registered one brings in rent that changes what you can afford. Our guide to a legal basement apartment in Brampton explains what to check.
What you give up: the highest property tax rate of the three, and a longer drive to most Toronto and Mississauga job centres. See the Brampton guide for neighbourhoods, and new homes in Brampton for what builders are selling.
Mississauga: the location
In Mississauga, $900,000 does not reach a detached house. The average is $1,275,221, and your budget covers 71 per cent of it.
What it does buy is an average semi-detached at $879,494, in areas such as Meadowvale, Lisgar, Churchill Meadows and Malton. Freehold townhouses average almost the same, $874,772, but only 11 sold in the month, so that number moves around. The larger market is condo townhouses, with 85 sales at an average of $706,892. At $900,000 you would be choosing among the best of them, including newer three-bedroom homes in Erin Mills and Central Erin Mills.
A quarter of Mississauga’s sales are condo apartments, averaging $495,052. If you are open to a condo, $900,000 buys a large two or three-bedroom suite near Square One or in Port Credit, with money left over.
What you are paying for: the shortest commute to Toronto of the three, all-day GO trains on the Lakeshore West line, the airport employment area, and the Hazel McCallion light rail line under construction along Hurontario. See the Mississauga guide and new homes in Mississauga.
Milton: the newer townhouse
Milton is the smallest market, with 122 sales in August against roughly 440 in each of the other two. Detached homes average $1,238,259, close to Mississauga, and are out of reach at this budget.
Semis average $901,857, which is your budget exactly, but only seven sold. The real Milton answer at $900,000 is the freehold townhouse. Thirty-seven sold at an average of $798,419, so you are about 13 per cent above the average. That buys a newer and larger townhouse, often an end unit, in Ford, Cobban, Willmott or Harrison.
Most of Milton was built after 2000. For the same money you get a younger home than in either Peel city, which means newer roofs, furnaces and windows, and fewer repairs in the first years.
What you give up: train service. The Milton GO line runs toward Toronto on weekday mornings and back in the evening, with buses at other times. Highway 401 is the main route out and is slow at rush hour. See the Milton guide and new homes in Milton.
What it costs to own after you buy
Property tax
| Brampton | Mississauga | Milton | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 residential rate | 1.253381% | 1.087901% | 0.863590% |
| Tax on a $600,000 assessment | $7,520 | $6,527 | $5,182 |
The rate applies to the assessed value set by MPAC, which is still based on 2016 prices and is well below today’s sale price. We used the same $600,000 assessment for all three to show the gap. On that basis Milton costs $2,338 a year less than Brampton. Ask for the actual tax bill on any home you are considering.
Mortgage and closing
These are the same in all three cities, because none has a municipal land transfer tax.
- Mortgage: with 20 per cent down, you borrow $720,000. At the best 5-year variable rate of 3.40 per cent the payment is about $3,566 a month. At the best 5-year fixed rate of 4.34 per cent it is about $3,921. See current variable mortgage rates.
- Land transfer tax: $14,475 on $900,000, or $10,475 for a first-time buyer after the Ontario rebate. Buying in Toronto at the same price would add a second tax of $14,475. Check any price with the land transfer tax calculator.
Which city fits which buyer
- You want a detached house and a yard above all: Brampton. It is the only one of the three where $900,000 gets you there.
- You commute to Toronto or work near the airport: Mississauga. Accept a semi or a townhouse in exchange for time.
- You want a newer home with low upkeep and low tax, and you drive or work from home: Milton.
- You need rental income to carry the mortgage: Brampton, where houses with basement suites are most common. Confirm the unit is registered.
- You are open to a condo: Mississauga has by far the most choice, with 109 apartment sales in the month against 21 in Brampton and 14 in Milton.
If your choice is down to two, our Mississauga or Brampton comparison goes further into those two cities.
Questions buyers ask
Is Brampton cheaper than Mississauga and Milton?
For houses, yes. Brampton’s average detached price of $1,020,556 is about 20 per cent below Mississauga’s and 18 per cent below Milton’s. For condo apartments, Brampton is also the lowest, at $434,457, but there are few of them.
Can I buy a detached house for $900,000 in Mississauga or Milton?
Rarely. The budget is 71 and 73 per cent of the average detached price in those cities. What does come up at that price is usually small, dated or on a busy road.
Which city has the lowest property tax?
Milton, at 0.863590 per cent for 2026. Mississauga is 1.087901 per cent and Brampton 1.253381 per cent.
Which is best for commuting to Toronto?
Mississauga, for both distance and train frequency. Brampton has three stations on the Kitchener line. Milton has rush-hour trains only.
Why is Milton as expensive as Mississauga for detached homes?
Milton’s houses are newer and the supply is small. Only 59 detached homes sold there in August, against 164 in Mississauga and 260 in Brampton.
Sources and method
- Average sale prices and sales counts by home type for Brampton, Mississauga and Milton: Toronto Regional Real Estate Board data for August 2026, as published by WOWA.ca.
- 2026 residential property tax rates: WOWA.ca municipal tax pages.
- Mortgage rates: Ratehub.ca, October 2, 2026. Payments calculated by Local Toronto on a 25-year amortization.
- Neighbourhood examples and price bands within each city are Local Toronto’s own reading of the market, not published figures.
Prices are averages for information only and are not an appraisal. Figures change monthly. HomeLife Landmark Realty Inc., Brokerage.