Metrotown vs Brentwood: which is the better condo buy right now?
For a 2 bedroom condo under $800,000, I'd lean Brentwood Park right now. Both areas sold at the same median $708,000 between March 14 and August 21, 2026, but Brentwood Park units were bigger and cheaper per square foot. On September 14 it also had more than twice as many listings under $700,000. The catch is higher strata fees.
How do Metrotown and Brentwood Park compare on price?
These numbers cover 2 bedroom condos built in 2006 or later that sold for $800,000 or less.
Metrotown, 64 firm sales:
Median sold price: $708,000
Median size: 795 sq ft, at $896 per sq ft
Median strata fee: $425 a month
Median days on market: 61, counting relists
Brentwood Park, 91 firm sales:
Median sold price: $708,000
Median size: 823 sq ft, at $868 per sq ft
Median strata fee: $495 a month
Median days on market: 50, counting relists
Same median price, 28 more square feet in Brentwood Park. That's where my lean starts.
Why is the median the same if Metrotown costs more per square foot?
Two reasons. Metrotown units were smaller, and more of them were in wood-frame buildings.
19 of Metrotown's 64 sales were in wood-frame buildings, about 30%. In Brentwood Park it was 16 of 91, about 18%. Wood-frame units sold for less in both areas, so Metrotown's extra wood-frame sales pulled its median down.
Compare concrete to concrete and the gap shows up. A concrete 2 bedroom in Metrotown sold for a median $740,000, at $931 per square foot. In Brentwood Park it was $715,000, at $876.
So if you want a concrete tower, expect to pay about $55 more per square foot in Metrotown. If you're open to wood-frame, Metrotown had more of them, and they sold for a median $643,000.
Where will I find more choice under $700,000?
Brentwood Park, by a wide margin.
On September 14, 2026, there were 110 active 2 bedroom listings in Brentwood Park in this range, and 56 of them were asking under $700,000. Metrotown had 62 listings, and 23 were under $700,000.
The median asking price tells the same story: $699,950 in Brentwood Park against $739,000 in Metrotown.
If your pre-approval tops out around $700,000, Brentwood Park gives you more than twice as many units to look at. More choice lets you be picky about the floorplan and the strata documents.
Is Metrotown or Brentwood Park more negotiable?
There's room in both. In each area, the median condo sold for about 97% of its final list price, and nearly 9 in 10 sold below where they first listed: 56 of 64 in Metrotown, 79 of 91 in Brentwood Park.
The signals point in different directions after that. Metrotown units took longer to sell, a median 61 days against 50, counting time across relists. Brentwood Park has more supply sitting, though.
From April through July, Metrotown averaged about 13 or 14 firm sales a month in this range and Brentwood Park about 20. Against the September 14 listing counts, that's roughly 4 to 5 months of inventory in Metrotown and 5 to 6 in Brentwood Park.
My read: neither side has a clear edge on negotiating room. The most room is on individual listings that have already been cut or relisted, in either area.
Do Brentwood Park's higher strata fees cancel out the savings?
Partly. The median fee was $495 a month in Brentwood Park and $425 in Metrotown, a $70 gap. That's $840 a year, and lenders count strata fees when they work out how much you can borrow.
On the other side, a concrete Brentwood Park unit at $876 per square foot saves about $44,000 on an 800 square foot unit compared with Metrotown's $931. At $840 a year, the fee gap would take decades to eat that up.
Fees vary a lot building to building, though. Metrotown ranged from $322 to $600 a month, and Brentwood Park from $284 to $796. Check the specific building's fee and what it covers before you compare two units. I broke that down in what Metrotown strata fees cover.
So which should a first-time buyer pick?
Pick Brentwood Park if you want the most space for the money and the widest choice under $700,000, and you can carry the higher monthly fee.
Pick Metrotown if a lower strata fee matters more to your monthly budget, or if you're comfortable in a wood-frame building. Listings there that have already sat for a while are worth a push.
Either way, the numbers at the median are close. The building's depreciation report and strata fee will matter more than which side of Burnaby it's on.
What do you need to bring to a $708,000 purchase?
Minimum down payment: $45,800. That's 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the remaining $208,000.
Property transfer tax: $4,160 if you qualify as a first-time buyer. The full tax on $708,000 is $12,160. The first-time buyer exemption covers the tax on the first $500,000, which saves $8,000 on any purchase between $500,000 and $835,000.
For the income side of it, see how much you need to earn to buy a condo in Metro Vancouver.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brentwood cheaper than Metrotown?
Per square foot, yes. 2 bedroom condos at $800,000 or less sold for a median $868 per square foot in Brentwood Park and $896 in Metrotown between March 14 and August 21, 2026. The median sale price was $708,000 in both.
How much is a 2 bedroom condo in Metrotown?
The median 2 bedroom condo built in 2006 or later sold for $708,000 in Metrotown between March 14 and August 21, 2026, across 64 firm sales at $800,000 or less. Concrete units sold for a median $740,000.
How much is a 2 bedroom condo in Brentwood Park?
$708,000 at the median across 91 firm sales between March 14 and August 21, 2026, for units built in 2006 or later that sold for $800,000 or less. Concrete units sold for a median $715,000.
Are strata fees higher in Brentwood or Metrotown?
Brentwood Park. The median fee on 2 bedroom sales was $495 a month in Brentwood Park and $425 in Metrotown, a gap of $840 a year. Individual buildings vary widely in both areas.
Which area has more condos for sale?
Brentwood Park. On September 14, 2026, it had 110 active 2 bedroom listings built in 2006 or later and asking under $800,000, against 62 in Metrotown. 56 of the Brentwood Park listings were asking under $700,000, compared with 23 in Metrotown.
Barton Lui is a REALTOR® with Real Broker in Vancouver. He works mostly with first-time buyers across Metro Vancouver and speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Comparing Burnaby neighbourhoods? See how much a 2 bedroom condo costs in Burnaby, or book a consultation.
Reach him at 604-715-5568 or barton@bartonrealtor.com.
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