Calgary rentals · suites · 214 communities
Calgary rental property calculator: cash flow, cap rate and suites
A median Calgary detached house (2026 assessed $718,500) bought with 20% down at 4.58% and rented at the $2,470 average asking rent for a 3+ bedroom house runs about -$1,681 a month, a 2.5% cap rate. Add a legal suite and it's about -$872. Test your own deal below.
Calgary rental property calculator
Cash flow after the mortgage, cap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR and break-even rent, with 2026 Calgary property tax.
- Cap rate
- 2.55%
- NOI ÷ price
- Cash-on-cash
- -13.7%
- on $147,445 invested
- DSCR
- 0.48
- NOI ÷ mortgage
- Break-even rent
- $4,447
- cash flow = $0
| Rent + other income | $2,470 |
|---|---|
| Vacancy (5.0%) | −$124 |
| Property tax | −$398 |
| Landlord insurance | −$175 |
| Repairs | −$124 |
| Capital reserve | −$124 |
| Net operating income | $1,526 |
| Mortgage payment | −$3,207 |
| Cash flow | -$1,681 |
Estimate, not advice. Educational estimate only, not financial, mortgage, tax or legal advice. Lenders, insurers and governments set their own rules and can change them; confirm with a licensed professional before you decide.
Cash flow -$1,681 a month; cap rate 2.55%; DSCR 0.48.
What is driving this result
- It runs $1,681 short each month: rent would need to be about $4,447 to break even, $1,977 more than you entered.
- The mortgage takes 137% of collected rent; property tax and insurance another 24%.
- Debt service coverage of 0.48 means the property's income doesn't cover its mortgage; lenders that underwrite on rent will want it higher, and a larger down payment raises it.
- About $1,056 a month of the mortgage repays principal, so the owner's equity grows even when cash flow is thin.
Assumptions & sources
Assumptions
- Property tax at Calgary's 2026 residential rate. Source: City of Calgary, How your property tax bill is calculated (2026 residential tax rate, Bylaw 9M2026), effective January 1, 2026. Checked .
- Example rents: houses, Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092-01 (average asking rent, Calgary CMA, Q2 2026; adapted from Statistics Canada, not an endorsement); townhouses, apartments, suites and vacancy, CMHC Rental Market Survey, Calgary CMA, October 2025 (adapted from CMHC; not an endorsement by CMHC). Source: Statistics Canada, Table 46-10-0092-01, Quarterly Rent Statistics (experimental): average asking rent, Calgary CMA, houses, Q2 2026. Adapted from Statistics Canada; not an endorsement, effective April 1, 2026. Checked . Source: CMHC, Rental Market Report data tables, Calgary CMA, October 2025 survey, effective December 11, 2025. Checked .
- Investor loans need 20% down (maximum 80% loan-to-value); owner-occupied homes can be insured. Source: CMHC, Homeowner and small rental loan insurance (2–4 units; non-owner-occupied max 80% LTV). Checked .
- Semi-annual compounding; Land Titles fees on the price and the mortgage. Source: Government of Alberta, Land Titles and Surveys common documents fee schedule, effective October 1, 2026. Checked .
- Example rate. Source: Bank of Canada, Effective rate on new uninsured fixed mortgages, 5 years and over (series V122667786), effective August 1, 2026. Checked .
- Insurance, repairs, capital reserve, management and condo fees are examples, not sourced averages.
What would it take to cash-flow?
Solve backwards: at your rent, rate and 20% down, the highest price that still leaves the monthly cash flow you want.
| Rate ↓ / Rent → | $2,075 | $2,275 | $2,475 | $2,675 | $2,875 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.58% | -$1,704 | -$1,534 | -$1,364 | -$1,194 | -$1,024 |
| 4.08% | -$1,858 | -$1,688 | -$1,518 | -$1,348 | -$1,178 |
| 4.58% | -$2,016 | -$1,846 | -$1,676 | -$1,506 | -$1,336 |
| 5.08% | -$2,179 | -$2,009 | -$1,839 | -$1,669 | -$1,499 |
| 5.58% | -$2,345 | -$2,175 | -$2,005 | -$1,835 | -$1,665 |
What does holding it for 10 years return?
Rent and costs grow at the rates you choose, the rate is held (renewals can reprice it), and the property sells at the end. Every growth rate here is your assumption, not a forecast.
After-tax IRR: each year's rental income (NOI minus mortgage interest) is taxed at your marginal rate, or a rental loss is deducted against other income; at the sale, half the capital gain ($17,785 of tax here) is taxable. No capital cost allowance is claimed; enter the building's share of the price to model CCA and recapture. See rental property taxes. An estimate, not tax advice.
Show the numbers
| Equity | Cumulative cash flow | |
|---|---|---|
| Yr 1 | $171K | -$20K |
| Yr 2 | $199K | -$40K |
| Yr 3 | $227K | -$60K |
| Yr 4 | $257K | -$79K |
| Yr 5 | $288K | -$98K |
| Yr 6 | $320K | -$116K |
| Yr 7 | $353K | -$135K |
| Yr 8 | $386K | -$153K |
| Yr 9 | $421K | -$170K |
| Yr 10 | $458K | -$188K |
| Year | Rent | NOI | Mortgage | Cash flow | Balance | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $29,640 | $18,316 | $38,484 | -$20,168 | $562,133 | $732,870 |
| 2 | $30,233 | $18,614 | $38,484 | -$19,870 | $548,880 | $747,527 |
| 3 | $30,837 | $18,915 | $38,484 | -$19,569 | $535,012 | $762,478 |
| 4 | $31,454 | $19,220 | $38,484 | -$19,263 | $520,502 | $777,728 |
| 5 | $32,083 | $19,530 | $38,484 | -$18,954 | $505,320 | $793,282 |
| 6 | $32,725 | $19,843 | $38,484 | -$18,641 | $489,434 | $809,148 |
| 7 | $33,379 | $20,160 | $38,484 | -$18,324 | $472,813 | $825,331 |
| 8 | $34,047 | $20,481 | $38,484 | -$18,003 | $455,422 | $841,837 |
| 9 | $34,728 | $20,806 | $38,484 | -$17,678 | $437,225 | $858,674 |
| 10 | $35,423 | $21,135 | $38,484 | -$17,349 | $418,185 | $875,847 |
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What rent does each kind of Calgary home need in 2026?
The same model on the City's 2026 assessment roll: the median assessed home of each type, 20% down, 4.58% over 25 years, CMHC's 5% vacancy, 2026 tax and our example costs. Average rents are CMHC's October 2025 Calgary figures for comparison; individual properties rent for more or less.
| Home type | Median assessed | Down (20%) | Break-even rent | Example rent | Cash flow at average rent | Cap rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | $718,500 | $143,700 | $4,447 | $2,470 | -$1,681 | 2.55% |
| Semi / duplex | $592,500 | $118,500 | $3,703 | $2,470 | -$1,048 | 3.23% |
| Townhouse (condo) | $438,500 | $87,700 | $2,966 | $2,068 | -$790 | 3.19% |
| Apartment condo | $301,500 | $60,300 | $2,299 | $2,030 | -$236 | 4.42% |
| Detached + legal suite upper unit + 1-bed suite, $120 suite costs | $718,500 | $143,700 | $4,588 | $3,562 | -$872 | 3.90% |
Medians: our calculation from City of Calgary 2026 assessments (open data, completed homes). Rents: houses, Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092-01, average asking rent for a 3+ bedroom house, Calgary CMA, Q2 2026 (adapted from Statistics Canada; not an endorsement); townhouses, CMHC 3+ bedroom row rent, and apartments, CMHC 2-bedroom rented-condo rent, Calgary CMA, October 2025 (adapted from CMHC; not an endorsement). The deeper dive is in do Calgary rentals cash-flow?
Where are Calgary's suites being added?
The City's registry lists 28,057 approved secondary suites. These communities added the most in the 12 months to September 30, 2026, and these have the most registered suites per 100 detached homes:
| Community | Added | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone | 318 | 1514 |
| Livingston | 245 | 1305 |
| Saddle Ridge | 169 | 1274 |
| Glacier Ridge | 160 | 658 |
| Mahogany | 159 | 802 |
| Community | Per 100 houses |
|---|---|
| Seton | 75.4 |
| Cornerstone | 61.1 |
| Livingston | 54.1 |
| Rosscarrock | 49.6 |
| Carrington | 43.4 |
Compare all 214 communities · Calgary's 2026 suite rules · Live in it, rent the suite
Frequently asked questions
Do Calgary rental properties cash-flow in 2026?
Not at the median price as a single rental with 20% down. A median detached house ($718,500) rented at Statistics Canada's $2,470 average asking rent for a 3+ bedroom house runs about -$1,681 a month at the Bank of Canada's 4.58% average uninsured rate, and needs about $4,447 to break even. Suited, with the upper floor at StatCan's $1,980 2-bedroom house rent, a suite at CMHC's $1,582 1-bedroom average and $120 a month of suite costs, the same house comes to about -$872 a month. A cheaper home, more down payment or a lower rate closes the rest of the gap.
What is a good cap rate for a Calgary rental?
There is no official benchmark. In our model at 2026 medians, a detached house rented as one unit is about 2.5%, the same house with a legal suite about 3.9%, and an apartment condo at CMHC's 2-bedroom condo rent about 4.4%. Compare a deal's cap rate with your mortgage rate: when the cap rate is below the rate, more debt lowers cash flow.
How much down payment do I need for a rental in Calgary?
At least 20% for a property you won't live in (lenders and CMHC's small-rental insurance cap the loan at 80% of value). If you live in one unit of a 2-unit home, it can be bought with as little as the owner-occupied minimum and insured, and up to 100% of the suite's gross rent can count toward qualifying under CMHC's rules.
Are secondary suites allowed in Calgary in 2026?
Yes. Council repealed the 2024 city-wide rezoning (in effect August 4, 2026), but Bylaw 26P2026 kept secondary suites permitted in all low-density residential districts. Backyard suites are permitted in R-G and discretionary elsewhere, and a lot can't have both. Every suite needs a building permit and registration.
Where does the community data come from?
The City of Calgary's open data: the 2026 property assessment roll (485,933 residential accounts) and the Secondary Suites registry (28,057 suites), used under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. The medians and counts are our own calculation.
Next questions
House hack with a suite
Your net cost when the suite pays part of the mortgage.
Refinance to build a suite
Up to 90% of the as-improved value, insured.
Buying to live in? ↗
The true monthly cost of owning in Calgary, closing costs and 2026 tax, on CalgaryMortgageCalculator.ca.
Calgary mortgage rates ↗
Dated rates to plug in, on CalgaryMortgageRates.com.
Sources
- City of Calgary (Open Data) — Current Year Property Assessments (Parcel), dataset 4bsw-nn7w, Open Government Licence – City of Calgary (effective July 1, 2025). Checked .
- City of Calgary (Open Data) — Secondary Suites registry, dataset jwn6-r58y, Open Government Licence – City of Calgary (effective October 29, 2026). Checked .
- City of Calgary — Open Government Licence – City of Calgary (v2.1). Checked .
- CMHC — Rental Market Report data tables, Calgary CMA, October 2025 survey (effective December 11, 2025). Checked .
- CMHC — Licence agreement for the use of CMHC data (effective May 30, 2018). Checked .
- City of Calgary — How your property tax bill is calculated (2026 residential tax rate, Bylaw 9M2026) (effective January 1, 2026). Checked .
- CMHC — Homeowner and small rental loan insurance (2–4 units; non-owner-occupied max 80% LTV). Checked .
- CMHC — Rental income in qualifying (2-unit owner-occupied: up to 100% of gross rent) (effective May 22, 2024). Checked .
- City of Calgary — Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 (consolidated, effective Aug 5, 2026; Bylaw 26P2026 suites) (effective August 5, 2026). Checked .
- City of Calgary — Rezoning for housing: repeal of city-wide rezoning (old districts reinstated) (effective August 4, 2026). Checked .
- Bank of Canada — Effective rate on new uninsured fixed mortgages, 5 years and over (series V122667786) (effective August 1, 2026). Checked .