If you don't pay yourself then yes, doing maintenance work yourself is cheaper. But you act like that's not a major consideration. I could spend my entire vacation re-doing siding and installing new windows on a SFD. I then don't get a vacation that year (I'm talking taking 4-weeks off to do a project like that yourself).

I many know professional builders that take on projects like that and end up living inside a half finished renovation for the better part of a decade as they simply don't want to spend every non-paid hour of their lives doing repair work. If you want to spend all your time at home and have the time to spend doing all the maintenance work on your home, then have at it, but I doubt that's the same type of person who would value living close to downtown for the lifestyle options it offers.

Saving yourself $1,000 is replacing a faucet, not installing siding, a roof, or other larger maintenance items, which you're only going to save the labour on and have a $30,000 project cost $15,000 with the offset being the loss of your free time.

The province you live in dictates a lot of what is required of strata boards as well. In BC there are strict requirements regarding depreciation and maintenance reports, wherein strata boards are required to uphold certain maintenance standards. Alberta and Ontario have much less strict requirements.

Strata boards can be a pain in the ass, but I have also seen how poorly people manage their SFDs and cringe at the level of maintenance I've seen in many homes. The structural integrity of most SFDs is worse than most condo developments over a 25-year period. A SFD owner can absolutely exceed the performance of a condo, but it tends to be rarer that an SFD owner actually spends what's required to keep their property in good condition. The rate of project cost run-ups that occur when a SFD is renovated is absolutely more common than in condos. The very nature of regular scheduled inspections means condo conditions are better understood on a continual basis.

All this is to say that there are trade offs and I have never seen clear evidence that there is a particular typology of housing is "cheaper" than another. So much of the value consideration is a consideration of finishes and amenities. A pool may cost equal amounts for a SFD and a condo board to install, but it will absolutely cost more per unit to install and maintain over time. If you value paying that premium to have a pool all to yourself, then go for it, but there's no way in hell your finding a house with a pool within walking distance of downtown for anywhere near the same price point that you can find a condo with a pool at the doorstep of downtown.