Kelowna & Central Okanagan in September 2026
September brought a partial recovery from a wildfire-disrupted August. Regional sales held at 1,141, level with August (when they fell from 1,496 in July) and 8.0% below September 2025 — a narrower year-over-year decline than August’s 13.4%. In the Central Okanagan, 320 residential sales were down 12.8% year over year, on 778 new listings (down 20.0%) and 2,927 active listings (down 9.7%).
Supply continued to pull back. Region-wide, new listings were down 13.4% year over year to 2,289, up from 2,062 in August, and active inventory eased 6.8% to 9,185. In the Central Okanagan, listings fell faster than sales — new listings down 20.0% against sales down 12.8% — so the market tightened slightly even as activity stayed below last year.
AIR’s September data gives Central Okanagan benchmark dollar figures for all three property categories: single-family up year over year, townhouse down, condominium up. The sales, new listings and active listings figures in the summary bar are region-wide, not Kelowna-only. New to the market? Read our First-Time Buyer Guide before you start house-hunting.
Central Okanagan Benchmark Prices — September 2026
These are September 2026 figures for the Central Okanagan, AIR’s sub-region that includes Kelowna. Single-family benchmarks rose 3.4% year over year and condominium benchmarks 2.0%, while townhouse benchmarks fell 5.5%. Benchmark prices reflect a typical property in each category and are less distorted by high-end sales than an average sale price.
| Property Type | Benchmark (HPI) | YoY | Sales | Sales YoY | Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Family | $1,057,200 | ▲ 3.4% | 149 | ▼ 5.1% | 1,218 |
| Townhouse | $696,600 | ▼ 5.5% | 46 | ▼ 14.8% | 445 |
| Apartment / Condo | $496,700 | ▲ 2.0% | 83 | ▼ 18.6% | 774 |
Source: Association of Interior REALTORS® (AIR), September 2026 summary statistics (infographic and Central Okanagan monthly statistics). Benchmark prices shown are Central Okanagan-specific. AIR does not publish month-over-month benchmark changes, so those figures are omitted here. Single-family benchmark excludes lakefront and acreage homes.
Regional Supply and Demand — AIR Region
Note: the supply and demand figures below cover the entire Association of Interior REALTORS® region (Central Okanagan + North Okanagan + South Okanagan + Shuswap, plus Kamloops, Kootenay and the South Peace River area) — they are not Kelowna-specific. Only the benchmark prices and property-type sales in the table above are Central Okanagan/Kelowna-specific.
AIR President Ryan Mayne said of August, the month before this data: “August was a difficult month for our communities. Evacuations displaced families, homes were lost, and the focus rightfully shifted away from real estate.” September sales holding level with August, rather than rebounding sharply, suggests recovery is gradual.
That matters for how the last two months should be read. Regional sales are down 8.0% year over year and new listings 13.4%, but a market where both buyers and sellers stepped back for an external reason has paused rather than repriced — benchmark prices for single-family and condominium homes are still higher than a year ago. October data should show whether displaced households and listings are returning. Curious how today’s qualifying rules affect your purchasing power? See our guide to the 2026 OSFI stress test.
Source: Association of Interior REALTORS® (AIR), September 2026 monthly market statistics.
What's Driving the Kelowna Market
Wildfire aftermath: Evacuations in August depressed activity region-wide. September’s regional sales matched August’s 1,141, while the Central Okanagan’s 320 sales were 12.8% below September 2025 — a gap that AIR’s August release attributed to the fires and that should narrow as normal activity resumes.
Price divergence by property type: Central Okanagan single-family (+3.4%) and condominium (+2.0%) benchmark prices were higher than a year ago while townhouse benchmarks (−5.5%) softened, pointing to firmer demand for detached homes and entry-level condos than for attached product.
Supply and demand balance: Region-wide, active listings fell 6.8% year over year while new listings pulled back even faster, down 13.4% — sellers are listing less than they were a year ago. In the Central Okanagan, single-family inventory is down 16.1% year over year.
Interest rates and qualifying: Mortgage qualifying continues to run through the federal stress test regardless of the rate a lender offers. Use our stress test calculator to check your qualifying rate, or read our 2026 OSFI stress test guide for the full rules.
Key Terms
Kelowna Rents — July 2026
Average asking rents in Kelowna held well below Metro Vancouver levels in July 2026. A one-bedroom unit averaged $1,808/month, while a two-bedroom unit averaged $2,248/month. Weighing whether to keep renting or buy in today's market? Run the numbers with our rent vs. buy calculator.
Source: Rentals.ca, July 2026.
Nearby Markets
Comparing regions? See how Kelowna stacks up against other BC markets we track.