Retiring in Newmarket or Aurora: 2026 Guide for Retirees

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 29 September 2026 · 10 min read — home prices in both towns (with small-sample warnings), property tax, the seniors’ rebate and deferrals, YRT and GO fares, Southlake Health, who each town suits, and what a move within the area frees up.

Newmarket and Aurora at a glance

Aurora and Newmarket sit next to each other along Yonge Street, north of Richmond Hill. Many people I speak to about retiring in Newmarket or Aurora moved here decades ago to raise a family and now want to stay, in less house. For the wider picture, see my GTA retirement comparison.

What homes cost, by type

TRREB figures for one month, August 2026. These are small markets, and a median built on three to seven sales is not a price.

Two honest conclusions. Newmarket’s detached houses are about $300,000 cheaper than Aurora’s at the median, which matters if you want to stay in a house but spend less. And very little condo supply changes hands in either town in a month. If a condo apartment is the goal, be patient, or look at Richmond Hill, where 33 sold in August at a $500,000 median.

Property tax and seniors’ relief

Rates apply to your MPAC assessed value, not the market price.

• Newmarket, 2026: 0.919045% (town 0.373633%, York Region 0.392412%, school 0.153000%). As simple arithmetic, a $500,000 assessment pays about $4,595.
• Aurora: the latest rate I could verify is for 2025, 0.850893%; the 2026 rate was not readable in our sources.

Help for older owners

• Newmarket Seniors’ Tax Assistance Rebate: $381 in 2026, for owners 65 and older on GIS who have lived in the home at least a year, not rented, one per household.
• Tax increase deferral (both towns): owners 65 and older on GIS can defer the year-over-year increase, applying by 30 September. Aurora’s York Region form describes it as interest-free, capped at 75% of assessed value.

With this guide published on 29 September 2026, most readers should plan for 2027.

The province adds the Ontario Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant: up to $500 a year for owners 64 or older, in full for a single person with income up to $35,000 (a couple, $45,000), phasing out at $50,000 ($60,000). It is claimed with your tax return, so ask your accountant.

Getting around

From 1 July 2026, York Region Transit charges seniors $2.60 with PRESTO or $4.65 in cash, credit or debit, with no senior monthly pass. Yonge Street ties the two towns together. Both have stations on GO’s Barrie line to Union, and seniors save 55% on GO with the Seniors fare type on PRESTO or a senior e-ticket. York Region’s Mobility On-Request offers door-to-door rides for people whose disability rules out the regular bus.

Healthcare: Southlake

The area’s hospital is Southlake Health, 596 Davis Drive, Newmarket. Aurora has no hospital of its own; Southlake is the closest, with Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital to the south. For someone with regular appointments, the distance to Davis Drive and a bus route is worth weighing, and it is one reason some Aurora owners choose Newmarket when they downsize.

Daily life

Newmarket has a historic Main Street downtown just east of Yonge and sits between the Oak Ridges Moraine and Lake Simcoe. Aurora, immediately south, has its own traditional core along Yonge. Both feel like towns, which is exactly why retirees like them. The trade-off is choice: fewer condo buildings, and outside the older cores most streets are designed around driving. Think now about how you will reach groceries and the doctor once you hand over the car keys.

Who they suit, and who they don’t

In 2021, 15.9% of Newmarket and 15.4% of Aurora residents were 65 or older, below Ontario’s 18.5%. They suit you if you like a small-town feel with a hospital close by, want to stay in a detached house but spend less (Newmarket), or want GO access to the city. They suit you less well if you need a condo quickly or plan to stop driving and do not live near Yonge or a town centre. For more condo choice, see retiring in Vaughan or Richmond Hill or retiring in Markham.

The money: what a move within the area frees up

Median to median, one month of TRREB data, before commission, legal fees, land transfer tax and moving. Illustrative only; the townhouse rows rest on seven sales each.

A house-to-house move carries more land transfer tax than people expect: on a $1,090,000 purchase, about $18,275 by my arithmetic on the Ontario brackets, with no first-time refund for repeat buyers. Test your own numbers in the downsizing money planner below.

Next steps

1. Get a realistic value for your home from recent nearby sales.
2. If you want a condo, start watching listings months early.
3. If you receive GIS, diarise the September deadline and Newmarket rebate for 2027.
4. Check the route from any new home to Southlake and a bus stop.
5. If one-floor living is the goal, read my bungalow guide.

When you are ready to talk, book a call or phone 833-330-1925.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• TRREB — Market Watch, August 2026 — prices by home type and municipality
• Town of Newmarket — 2026 Property Tax Rate Schedule — 2026 rate
• Town of Newmarket — Property tax rebates — $381 rebate, deferral
• Town of Aurora — 2025 Property Tax Rates — 2025 rate
• Town of Aurora — Seniors Property Tax Deferral form — deferral rules
• Government of Ontario — Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant — up to $500 a year
• York Region Transit — Fare chart — senior fares from 1 July 2026
• York Region Transit — Mobility On-Request — specialized transit
• GO Transit — Seniors — 55% senior discount
• Southlake Health — 596 Davis Dr
• York Region — 2021 Census Release Report: Age — residents 65+
• Government of Ontario — Calculating land transfer tax — provincial brackets

Related reading

• Best Places to Retire in the GTA (2026)
• Retiring in Vaughan or Richmond Hill
• Retiring in Markham
• Retiring in Barrie
• Richmond Hill home values
• Buying a Bungalow in Retirement (GTA)
• Property Tax Relief for Seniors, City by City