Newfoundland and Labrador rental market data
Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest average 2-bedroom rent of the provinces in CMHC’s October 2025 survey, $1,208, but its rents are catching up: the same 2-bedroom units cost 6.6% more than a year before, faster than the national 5.1%. Vacancy was 2.1%, against 1.8% a year earlier. For what the surveys cover, see how these figures are measured.
| Measure (October 2025) | Newfoundland and Labrador | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancy rate | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Average 2-bedroom rent paid | $1,208 | $1,109 |
| Turnover rate (units with a new tenant in the year) | 11.3% | 12.7% |
| Rent change for the same 2-bedroom units (fixed sample) | 6.6% | 3.2% |
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 rent by city (Newfoundland and Labrador)
| Centre | Vacancy rate, October 2025 | A year earlier | Average 2-bedroom rent paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 2.0% | 2.1% | $1,361 |
| Corner Brook | 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.
The province’s purpose-built rental market is small and centred on St. John’s. CMHC’s survey counts 6,808 rental units in Newfoundland and Labrador’s surveyed centres, 4,667 of them (69%) in the St. John’s CMA, and fewer than Prince Edward Island’s 9,577. In St. John’s, same-unit 2-bedroom rents rose 7.6%, after 2.1% the year before, the highest increase of the Atlantic centres CMHC lists. Corner Brook isn’t in CMHC’s report tables; in Statistics Canada’s release of the survey (table 34-10-0133) it has a 2-bedroom average of $949 and a 1-bedroom of $776; St. John’s figures in that release are $1,361 and $1,086.
What a move costs in St. John’s
A St. John’s 2-bedroom that changed tenants during the year averaged $1,607, up from $1,299 a year earlier, while one with the same tenant averaged $1,315: a difference of $292 a month, against $286 for Canada. For a 1-bedroom the two figures were $1,120 and $1,079. Listed units, from Statistics Canada’s asking-rent series for the second quarter of 2026, averaged $1,270 for a 1-bedroom, $1,530 for a 2-bedroom and $2,080 for three bedrooms or more.
Newfoundland and Labrador against other provinces
On CMHC’s survey of buildings with three or more units, the provincial 2-bedroom average is 22% below Canada’s $1,550. Its vacancy rate ranks lowest, tied with Prince Edward Island among provinces, below the national 3.1%. Turnover, at 11.3%, fell from 12.7%. St. John’s ranks ninth-lowest for 2-bedroom rent of the 43 centres in CMHC’s table.
Rent against income in Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John’s households had a census median income of $85,000 for 2020, 1% above the Canadian median, while its average 2-bedroom rent is 12% below the national figure. To keep that rent within CMHC’s 30% benchmark takes $54,440 a year, 36% below the local median. Province-wide, the average 2-bedroom takes $48,320 against a median of $71,500, and in Corner Brook $37,960 against $70,000. The census incomes cover all households, owners included, while the rents are from the October 2025 survey. Try your own numbers in the rent affordability calculator.
Rules on rent increases in Newfoundland and Labrador
- There is no provincial limit on how much rent can go up.
- Landlords must give 6 months' written notice for a month-to-month or fixed-term rental (8 weeks for a week-to-week rental), and can't raise rent during a fixed-term agreement or in the first 12 months of a week-to-week or month-to-month agreement.
Source: Newfoundland and Labrador government.
The other Atlantic provinces limit increases: Nova Scotia caps them at 5% a year, New Brunswick at 3% every 12 months, and Prince Edward Island sets an allowable increase each year. Here the rules govern timing instead: a tenant on a monthly agreement gets 6 months’ written notice of an increase.
Deposits
- The deposit can be no more than three-quarters of the first month's rent for a monthly agreement or a fixed term of 6 to 12 months with monthly rent, and no more than the first two weeks' rent for a weekly one.
- The deposit isn't the landlord's money: the landlord holds it in trust.
- The landlord pays interest on it for the whole time it held the deposit.
- It is returned within 10 days after the tenant moves out unless the landlord claims some or all of it; if they disagree, either can apply to the Residential Tenancies Office.
See also rent increase rules by province and how to get a security deposit back.
Other Atlantic provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island.
Related pages
- Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Market: home prices and sales trends
- Average Income in Newfoundland and Labrador and income percentiles
- First-Time Home Buyer Guide: rent vs buy decision
Sources
- CMHC Rental Market Report data tables: Tables 1.0, 5.0 and 6.0
- Statistics Canada table 34-10-0133: CMHC average rents by unit size, including Corner Brook
- Statistics Canada table 46-10-0092: quarterly average asking rents
- Statistics Canada table 98-10-0061: 2021 Census household income
- Newfoundland and Labrador rules on rent increases