A carport or a garage, that is the question

Approximately 26.8 million road motor vehicles were registered in Canada in 2024, and every one of those vehicles needs a place to park, whether it be on the street, in the driveway, under a carport or behind a garage door. 

For those considering adding a garage or carport to their home this year, we’ve got you covered in terms of price changes over time to build these features in 15 select census metropolitan areas across Canada.

From April 2023 to April 2026, prices in Canada overall rose by 7.4%.

The good news for those thinking of adding a garage or carport this summer is that prices to add these features to your home are growing at a slower pace than inflation overall in 3 of the 15 census metropolitan areas covered by our residential renovation price index series (Moncton, Ottawa and Toronto).

This nugget is small consolation for those building a garage in Victoria (+27.4%) or Regina (+27.1%), where prices have risen by over one-quarter in three years. Adding a garage is also considerably higher in Québec (+19.1%) and Halifax (+16.3%).

There are some notable differences in price changes among cities in the same province. For example, in British Columbia, prices for a garage in Victoria rose at almost triple the pace of those in Vancouver from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2026.

Carports are a much less expensive proposition than a garage for those looking to protect their vehicle from the worst of the elements. Note that our data only track carports that require a building permit to erect.

Carports are also a better proposition than a garage in terms of price changes over time.

In fact, prices to build a carport in the first quarter of 2026 were lower in Montréal (-4.7%) and Ottawa (-3.2%) compared with the same quarter three years earlier.

Prices were essentially unchanged in Edmonton (-0.8%) and London (-1.2%).

Conversely, prices to build a carport in Halifax and Québec were over 17% higher in April 2026 compared with the same quarter three years earlier.

Price changes were once again largest in Regina and Victoria, with carport prices rising by approximately one-quarter over this period.

Higher material and labour costs are undoubtedly contributing to higher carport and garage prices. Prices for cement were up by 17.8% from April 2023 to April 2026, while prices for lumber rose by 5.2%.

One reason for the higher prices in garage construction may be related to windows and doors. Prices for wood windows and doors have risen by 15.0% over this period, while prices for metal windows and doors rose by 5.6%. 

Prices for metal building and construction materials have actually come down slightly over this three-year period.

The average hourly earnings for employees working in construction rose by 10.3% from March 2023 to March 2026.

Nationally, building permits valued at just under $120.4 million were issued to residential homeowners for a carport or garage in April 2026, representing approximately 1% of the total value of building permits issued over the month.

While the issuance of building permits overall show very little seasonal patterns, permits for a garage or carport do, with values topping over $100 million per month from the spring right through to the late fall, and then tailing off during the winter, hitting as low as $40 million per month.