Manitoba rental market data
Manitoba’s purpose-built rents grew more slowly than in any other province with a published figure in CMHC’s October 2025 survey: 1.9% for the same 2-bedroom units, down from 5.2% a year earlier. Vacancy went from 1.7% to 2.9%. The surveys behind these figures are described in how these figures are measured.
| Measure (October 2025) | Manitoba | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancy rate | 2.9% | 1.7% |
| Average 2-bedroom rent paid | $1,507 | $1,448 |
| Turnover rate (units with a new tenant in the year) | 21.7% | 18.5% |
| Rent change for the same 2-bedroom units (fixed sample) | 1.9% | 5.2% |
Source: CMHC Rental Market Report data tables, Table 1.0 (apartments in privately initiated structures of three or more units, centres of 10,000 people or more).
| Average asking rent (August 2026) | Manitoba |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,096 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,429 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,758 |
| 3 bedroom | $2,036 |
Source: Rentals.ca / Urbanation National Rent Report, apartments and condos listed for rent (August 2026). Asking rents are what a new tenant is quoted, so they run above the CMHC averages paid by all tenants.
Manitoba among the provinces
On CMHC’s survey of apartment buildings with three or more units, Manitoba’s average 2-bedroom rent of $1,507 is the fifth-highest of the 10 provinces and 3% below the Canadian average of $1,550. Its vacancy rate is below the national 3.1%; among the provinces it ranks fifth-highest, tied with New Brunswick. Manitoba tenants move more than the national average: 21.7% of units had a new tenant during the year, the third-highest provincial turnover rate, against 12.8% for Canada.
Average rent by city (Manitoba)
| Centre | Vacancy rate, October 2025 | A year earlier | Average 2-bedroom rent paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | 2.8% | 1.7% | $1,571 |
| Brandon | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Source: CMHC Rental Market Report data tables, Table 1.0 (apartments in privately initiated structures of three or more units). Ottawa-Gatineau is split by province. n/a: the centre is not in Table 1.0.
Winnipeg is most of the market: its 78,860 purpose-built rental units are 87% of the 90,195 CMHC counts in Manitoba’s surveyed centres. Brandon isn’t in CMHC’s headline table, but Statistics Canada’s release of the same survey gives its rents by unit size: a 2-bedroom averaged $1,086, $485 less than Winnipeg’s $1,571, and a 1-bedroom $810 against $1,232. City page: Winnipeg, with rents for each Winnipeg survey zone.
What drives Manitoba rents
CMHC’s 2025 Rental Market Report covers Manitoba through Winnipeg. It describes rental demand growing even more slowly than supply: the province’s population grew at its slowest pace in 2 decades, with fewer non-permanent residents and newcomers and rising unemployment, while Winnipeg’s purpose-built stock still grew 2.6%. CMHC found that sitting tenants in Winnipeg got modest increases, below the provincial guideline then in force of 1.7%, and that wages grew faster than rents.
Asking rents in Manitoba
Listings run above what sitting tenants pay. In Rentals.ca and Urbanation’s August 2026 report, Manitoba apartments and condos were listed at $1,758 for a 2-bedroom and $1,617 across all sizes, a change of 0.2% in a year and 11% over three years. That 2-bedroom asking rent is 17% above CMHC’s provincial average for occupied units.
Income needed to rent in Manitoba
CMHC considers housing affordable when it costs less than 30% of before-tax household income, counting the rent (or mortgage payments, property tax and condo fees) plus electricity, heat, water and other municipal services. The figures here count the rent alone, so with utilities the income needed is higher. For the provincial average 2-bedroom rent alone to stay under 30% of before-tax income, a household needs $60,280 a year: 24% below Manitoba’s census median household income of $79,500. In Brandon the same test gives $43,440, 44% below its median of $77,500. Those incomes are from the census for 2020 and include homeowners; the rents are from the October 2025 survey. Try other numbers in the rent affordability calculator.
Rules on rent increases in Manitoba
- The rent increase guideline is 1.8% for 2026 and 3% for 2027.
- Units in complexes built and occupied after March 7, 2005 are exempt for 20 years, as are units renting at or above a monthly threshold ($1,670, rising to $2,000 on January 1, 2027) and some other types.
- Tenants must get at least 3 months' written notice before an increase.
- In most circumstances, rent can go up only once a year.
- A landlord can apply to the Residential Tenancies Branch for an increase above the guideline; tenants can object.
Source: Manitoba government.
Annual limit by year
| Year | Limit on increases |
|---|---|
| 2027 | 3% |
| 2026 | 1.8% |
| 2025 | 1.7% |
The 2027 guideline of 3.0% is 1.2 percentage points above the 2026 one. The exemption threshold moves from $1,670 to $2,000 a month at the same time. Winnipeg’s average 3-bedroom rent ($1,861) is above the 2026 threshold and below the 2027 one.
Deposits
- A security deposit can be no more than half of the first month's rent, figured on the full rent, not a discounted one.
- Where pets are allowed, the landlord can charge one pet damage deposit of up to one month's rent (for deposits collected since August 1, 2014), but none for a tenant who relies on a service animal.
- The deposit can go toward the last month's rent only if the landlord agrees in writing.
- If there are no problems at the end of the tenancy, the landlord returns all deposits plus interest within 14 days.
- To keep any of it, the landlord sends the tenant a written notice of claim, and if they disagree the Residential Tenancies Branch decides.
Compare provinces in rent increase rules by province, and see how to get a security deposit back.
Related pages
- Winnipeg Rental Market: rents and vacancy by survey zone
- Saskatchewan Rental Market: the neighbouring province to the west
- Manitoba Housing Market: home prices
- Average Income in Manitoba and Manitoba income percentiles
Sources
- CMHC Rental Market Report data tables: Tables 1.0 and 5.0
- CMHC, 2025 Rental Market Report: Winnipeg commentary
- Statistics Canada table 34-10-0133: CMHC average rents by unit size, including Brandon
- Statistics Canada table 98-10-0061: 2021 Census household income
- Rentals.ca National Rent Report: asking rents
- Manitoba rules on rent increases and deposits