Strathcona vs Garneau: The Two University Neighbourhoods, Head to Head

Strathcona and Garneau flank the University of Alberta — Whyte Avenue's energy on one side, the quiet professorial streets on the other. Both are condo-dominant markets with expensive houses. Garneau's single-family median is higher ($605,000 vs $561,000) and its houses sell fastest in the city core (15.5 median days); Strathcona's houses jumped 11.5% this year while Garneau's eased. All figures: Paragon MLS® sold data, November 9, 2025 – November 8, 2026.

The head-to-head

Two different products: the avenue vs the enclave

Strathcona sells the avenue. 73 of its 118 sales were condos at a $208,000 median — the Whyte Avenue lifestyle market, popular with first-time buyers, students' families and investors. Its 45 house sales at $499 per square foot reflect infill pressure: old lots near the avenue are worth redevelopment money.

Garneau sells the enclave. 80 of its 108 sales were condos at a higher $265,000 median — larger, pricier units near the university and hospital — and its 28 house sales at $605,000 are the classic Garneau character homes. Fewer houses sell, and when they do, they go in about two weeks.

Direction and pace: Strathcona houses jumped, Garneau's eased

Strathcona's single-family median rose 11.5% year over year ($503,000 to $561,000); Garneau's fell 5.0% ($636,850 to $605,000). Both samples are small (45 and 28 house sales), so read direction, not precision.

Garneau houses sold in a median of 15.5 days — among the fastest in Edmonton — against Strathcona's 19. Condos take longer in both (36 and 50 median days), which is where a patient buyer finds room.

Which one fits you

Choose Strathcona if Whyte Avenue is the lifestyle you are buying — the cheaper condo entry ($208,000 median) and the energy of the strip, with houses as the long game.

Choose Garneau if you want the quieter, leafier university enclave and can move fast: houses at a $605,000 median sell in about two weeks, and condos run larger and pricier.

Either way: both areas' full sold tables, community guides and current listings are here — Strathcona community guide · Garneau community guide · and the pair in regional context at the Edmonton Housing Data Centre.

How these numbers were worked out

Source: Paragon MLS® sold data, November 9, 2025 – November 8, 2026, with the prior-year window November 9, 2024 – November 8, 2025 for the change figures. Counts include single-family and condo property classes only. Medians are true medians of the actual sold records. Any split with fewer than 10 sales shows its count only (the thin rule). Price per square foot is Paragon's sold-price-per-square-foot field (sold price ÷ total floor area as recorded in the MLS®). Sold vs asking divides the sold price by the final list price. Full methodology: Edmonton Housing Data Centre.

Talk it through: call Travis Bannert at 780-720-8240. Around the university, the block matters as much as the neighbourhood — if you are weighing these two, he will pull the exact recent sales around the specific homes you are looking at.

Travis Bannert, Realtor® | Bridge Realty Group, Maxwell Progressive Realty
780-720-8240 | bridgerealtygroup.ca

Sources for this page

• Sold figures: Paragon MLS® sold data (master sold file), windows November 9, 2025 – November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2024 – November 8, 2025, counted as described in "How these numbers were worked out." Dataset snapshot read November 14, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Strathcona or Garneau more expensive?
Garneau on both measures — a $605,000 single-family median vs Strathcona's $561,000, and a $265,000 condo median vs $208,000, in the year to November 8, 2026.

Which is better for a condo near the University of Alberta?
Strathcona for price (73 sales at a $208,000 median); Garneau for size and quiet (80 sales at a $265,000 median). Both sit walking distance from campus.

How fast do homes sell in Strathcona and Garneau?
Median days on market for single-family homes: Garneau 15.5 days, Strathcona 19 days. Condos are slower in both (36 and 50 days).

Are prices rising in Strathcona or Garneau?
Strathcona's single-family median rose 11.5% year over year; Garneau's eased 5.0%. Both are small samples (45 and 28 sales), so treat the direction as indicative.