Sandy Hill

At a glance

A historic neighbourhood east of downtown, anchored by the University of Ottawa. Stately old houses, many split into student apartments, mix with high-rises along Laurier Avenue East. Eight in ten households rent, and nearly a third of residents are in their 20s.

Median home value

$656K

2021 census, owner estimate · city $620K

Residents

15,470

scaled estimate for mid-2025, up from 13,830 at the 2021 census

Households renting

78%

city 36%

Households in condos

19%

city 16%

What the numbers mean

• Owners valued the median home at $656K in the 2021 census, close to the Ottawa median of $620K. Prices have moved since, so treat it as a relative guide.
• 78% of households rent, well above the 36% city-wide, so expect a younger, more mobile mix of neighbours.
• Only 8% of residents are under 15, versus 17% city-wide.
• 32% of residents are 20 to 29, versus 14% city-wide. It skews young-professional.
• The median monthly rent is about $1,259, and about 38% of households spent 30% or more of their income on housing in 2021.

Who lives here

Share of residents by age, scaled estimate for mid-2025, up from 13,830 at the 2021 census.

Homes

Share of households by type, scaled estimate for mid-2025, up from 13,830 at the 2021 census.

Daily errands on foot¹

Places within the neighbourhood or a 5-minute walk of its edge, compared with the typical neighbourhood in Ottawa.

Supermarkets

3

city median 2

Cafés and bakeries

59

city median 9

Pharmacies and clinics

27

city median 10

Playgrounds and dog parks

32

city median 34

Upfront closing costs²

Ontario charges a tiered land transfer tax, up to 2.5% on the part of a home over $2 million. Government fees at the median home price: This uses the 2021 census home-value estimate, and today's prices are higher, so the real bill will be larger.

Ontario land transfer tax

$9,600

on $656K

Typical apartment rent nearby³

Sandy Hill sits in CMHC's Sandy Hill/Lowertown survey zone. October 2025 average rent of purpose-built rental apartments in that zone:

Studio

$1,374

+$42 vs metro average

1 bedroom

$1,705

+$112 vs metro average

2 bedroom

$2,119

+$203 vs metro average

3 bedroom or more

$2,836

+$746 vs metro average

How it's changing

Ottawa doesn't publish building permits by neighbourhood, so we can't chart construction here yet.

Safety⁴

Reported incidents in 2025 (the latest full year Ottawa Police publish by location), per 1,000 residents, compared with the median of 105 Ottawa neighbourhoods.

Reported crime

28.5

per 1,000 · above the 7.9 median

Violent crime

19.0

per 1,000 · median 5.1

Property crime

9.5

per 1,000 · median 2.8

• Reported crime runs about 3.6× the median Ottawa neighbourhood: 28.5 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, versus 7.9.
• The most common reported crime is assault, 43% of the total. 33% of incidents are property crime.
• Crime has been roughly flat since 2021, at about 405 reported incidents a year.
• Busy main streets, transit and nightlife bring in visitors, and incidents are counted where they happen, not where people live.

Reported crime by year