Property Tax in Edmonton vs Sherwood Park vs St. Albert vs Leduc: 2026 Side-by-Side

Property tax is one of the most overlooked costs when people choose where to buy in the Edmonton area. Most buyers focus on the purchase price, the mortgage payment, and maybe closing costs. But on a $600,000 home, the difference in annual property tax between Sherwood Park and St. Albert is over $2,200 a year. Over 10 years, that is more than $22,000. That is not a rounding error.

I work with buyers all across the Edmonton metro, and this question comes up constantly: where do I actually pay less once you factor everything in? Here is the full 2026 breakdown for Edmonton, Strathcona County (Sherwood Park), St. Albert, and Leduc, with real dollar calculations at multiple home values.

How Property Tax Works in Alberta

In Alberta, property taxes have two components. The municipal portion funds local services: roads, fire, parks, transit, and administration. The education portion is set by the province and collected by municipalities on behalf of the Government of Alberta. Both portions appear as a single bill every year.

Your tax bill is calculated by multiplying your property's assessed value by the combined tax rate. The assessed value is determined by the municipality annually and is generally close to market value, though not always equal to what you paid. Here is the formula:

2026 Combined Residential Tax Rates: All 4 Municipalities

Here are the 2025 and 2026 confirmed rates for each municipality. Note that Edmonton and Strathcona County rates shown are the confirmed 2025 figures; 2026 rates will be finalized when each municipality approves its budget. St. Albert and Leduc have confirmed 2026 rates.

What That Means in Real Dollars

Rates are abstract until you run them against real home values. Here is what you would pay annually across three common price points in the Edmonton area. Values below use assessed value as a proxy for purchase price, which is a reasonable approximation for planning purposes.

On a $600,000 home, you save $1,637 per year by buying in Sherwood Park instead of Edmonton. You save $2,200 versus St. Albert. Over a 25-year mortgage, those differences compound into tens of thousands of dollars. Sherwood Park is not just affordable on paper. The ongoing carrying cost is genuinely lower than anywhere else on this list.

Why Is Sherwood Park's Property Tax So Much Lower?

This is the question I get every time I mention Sherwood Park's tax rate. The short answer is Refinery Row.

Strathcona County is home to one of Canada's largest petrochemical industrial corridors, running along Highway 16 east of the city. The heavy industrial and commercial tax base in that corridor generates substantial municipal revenue, which allows the county to keep residential rates low. Residents essentially benefit from a large non-residential subsidy. The county generates significant tax revenue from industry that it does not have to collect from homeowners.

This is not unique to Strathcona. Counties and municipalities with major industrial bases often have lower residential rates. Fort Saskatchewan, Strathcona County, and Leduc County all benefit from this effect to varying degrees. The City of Edmonton has no comparable industrial base and relies more heavily on residential and commercial assessment to fund its services.

What Happened with St. Albert and Leduc in 2026?

Both municipalities made significant rate decisions for 2026, and they went in opposite directions.

Leduc approved its largest residential property tax rate decrease in six years for 2026. The municipal portion dropped 6.3% from 0.7233% to 0.6775%. That drop in the municipal rate, combined with the provincial education levy, brings the combined rate to approximately 0.9395%. If you were paying $5,892 in property tax on a $600K home in Leduc in 2025, you are paying closer to $5,637 in 2026.

St. Albert went the other direction. Council approved a 3.8% tax increase for 2026, pushing the combined residential rate to 1.107666%. For an average residential property, that is about $43 more per year. St. Albert does offer strong amenities and schools, but the carrying cost reflects it.

Property Tax vs Home Price: Where Do You Actually Pay Less?

Tax rate alone does not determine affordability. You have to consider what you are buying at each price point. Here is how the math plays out across the region.

In Sherwood Park, the average detached home sits in the $500,000 to $750,000 range with low property taxes on top. In St. Albert, the median active listing is around $800,000 with the highest tax rate on this list. You are paying more to buy and more to own. In Edmonton, you can find detached homes starting in the $400Ks (northwest, northeast), but taxes run about 37% higher per dollar of value than Sherwood Park.

For buyers with a budget around $550,000 to $700,000 looking for a detached home with good schools and low carrying cost, Sherwood Park and Leduc are the clearest wins from a pure total-cost-of-ownership perspective. That is not a knock on Edmonton or St. Albert. Both have strong reasons to choose them. But if the numbers are your primary driver, the math points southwest and east of the city.

One More Thing: Alberta Has No Provincial Land Transfer Tax

If you are relocating from Ontario or BC, this matters more than the property tax comparison above. Alberta charges no provincial land transfer tax. Ontario charges both a provincial and a municipal (Toronto) land transfer tax. On a $600,000 purchase in Ontario, that is roughly $8,475 in land transfer tax you do not pay in Alberta. That single difference offsets years of property tax savings right at closing.

Alberta does charge a Land Title Transfer Fee, but it is a fraction of a land transfer tax. On a $600,000 purchase, you would pay approximately $900 to $1,100 in title transfer fees in Alberta versus $8,475 in Ontario land transfer tax. That gap is significant for anyone doing interprovincial relocation math.

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