Moving · 6 min read
Renovate vs. move: costs to compare in Ontario
The transaction costs of moving in Ontario, from commission and HST to land transfer tax and legal fees, compared against a renovation budget.
Homeowners usually compare a renovation quote against a listing price. That is not the comparison that matters. Moving has costs that produce no lasting value: commission, taxes, legal fees, and the logistics of the move itself. Renovating has costs that stay with the property.
What moving actually costs
- Realtor commission on the sale, plus HST on that commission
- Ontario land transfer tax on the purchase
- Toronto municipal land transfer tax if you buy in the city
- Legal fees and closing adjustments on both transactions
- Moving, storage, and utility setup
- Mortgage discharge or penalty, if applicable
- Immediate work on the new home, which is rarely zero
The comparison that helps
Add the moving transaction costs together and compare that total against your renovation planning budget including contingency. If moving costs more than the renovation, the renovation is often the cheaper way to get the space you need. If the gap is small, the decision becomes about lifestyle: location, schools, commute, and how long you plan to stay.
What a calculator cannot tell you
It cannot price the difference between neighbourhoods, the disruption of living through construction, or the value of a shorter commute. Use the numbers to eliminate the option you cannot afford, then decide the rest on your own terms with qualified real estate, legal, and financial advice.
Put this into numbers
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