Canada’s average rent depends on what you measure. Listings show what a new tenant pays today; CMHC’s survey shows what all tenants pay, including those who moved in years ago. This page gives asking rents nationally, for 24 metro areas and for seven provinces, and CMHC averages nationally and for every province, each with its as-of date. Each province, and each city with a page in our rental market data, links to that page, which has vacancy rates and rents by unit size. For the other big household costs, see average house prices, average utility bills and the rest of our cost of living guides.
Average rent in Canada: the national figures
| Measure | Amount | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Asking rent, all property types (Rentals.ca) | $2,035 | August 2026 |
| Asking rent, 1-bedroom apartment (Statistics Canada) | $1,730 | second quarter of 2026 |
| Asking rent, 2-bedroom apartment (Statistics Canada) | $2,130 | second quarter of 2026 |
| CMHC 2-bedroom, units with a new tenant | $1,783 | October 2025 |
| CMHC 2-bedroom, all tenants | $1,550 | October 2025 |
Rentals.ca National Rent Report (apartments, condos and houses listed for rent); Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092-01, average asking rents for apartments across the census metropolitan areas it tracks; CMHC Rental Market Survey, privately built apartments in buildings of three or more units.
The national asking rent for all property types changed -4.8% from a year earlier, and Rentals.ca counts 23 consecutive months of year-over-year declines to August 2026.
Asking rent vs CMHC average rent
Asking rents and CMHC averages answer different questions. An asking rent is the price on a listing, so it is the figure to use if you are about to move. CMHC’s average rent is a weighted average of all units, occupied or vacant, in privately initiated rental buildings of three or more units in urban areas of 10,000 people or more, so it includes tenants whose rent has only risen by their province’s yearly limit, and it excludes rented condos and houses. In October 2025, a 2-bedroom that had changed tenants in the past year rented for $1,783 on average, against $1,497 for one that had not, a gap of 19%.
Average rent by city
| City | 1-bedroom | Change from a year earlier | 2-bedroom | Change from a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver, BC | $2,280 | -4.2% | $3,030 | -4.1% |
| Victoria, BC | $2,040 | -2.4% | $2,640 | -2.6% |
| Kelowna, BC | $1,880 | n/a | $2,330 | n/a |
| Toronto, ON | $2,090 | -2.8% | $2,650 | -0.7% |
| Ottawa, ON | $1,900 | -2.6% | $2,360 | -2.9% |
| Hamilton, ON | $1,720 | -3.9% | $2,150 | 0.0% |
| Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, ON | $1,740 | -4.4% | $2,120 | -1.9% |
| London, ON | $1,560 | -4.3% | $1,920 | -4.0% |
| Windsor, ON | $1,520 | 2.7% | $1,850 | 2.8% |
| Montreal, QC | $1,480 | -3.3% | $1,820 | -5.2% |
| Gatineau, QC | $1,440 | -3.4% | $1,700 | n/a |
| Quebec City, QC | $1,210 | 2.5% | $1,460 | -2.0% |
| Sherbrooke, QC | $1,040 | -1.9% | $1,300 | 5.7% |
| Trois-Rivières, QC | $970 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Calgary, AB | $1,550 | -6.1% | $1,890 | -6.4% |
| Edmonton, AB | $1,260 | -2.3% | $1,570 | -2.5% |
| Saskatoon, SK | $1,340 | 3.9% | $1,620 | 5.2% |
| Regina, SK | $1,250 | 1.6% | $1,480 | 1.4% |
| Winnipeg, MB | $1,320 | 3.9% | $1,660 | 1.8% |
| Halifax, NS | $1,880 | 4.4% | $2,400 | 5.3% |
| Moncton, NB | $1,290 | -0.8% | $1,460 | -2.0% |
| Fredericton, NB | $1,430 | 5.1% | $1,670 | 3.1% |
| Saint John, NB | $1,230 | 1.7% | $1,530 | 1.3% |
| St. John’s, NL | $1,270 | n/a | $1,530 | n/a |
Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092-01, average asking rents for apartments in each census metropolitan area, second quarter of 2026, with the change from the same quarter a year earlier (n/a where Statistics Canada publishes no figure). Statistics Canada flags many of the year-earlier figures behind these changes, and the latest Trois-Rivières figure, E (use with caution). Ottawa is the Ontario part of the Ottawa-Gatineau area and Gatineau the Quebec part. Rents within a city vary by neighbourhood, building age and amenities.
Of these 24 metro areas, the 1-bedroom asking rent ranged from $970 in Trois-Rivières to $2,280 in Vancouver. Suburbs such as Burnaby and Surrey are part of the Vancouver metro area, and Brampton and Mississauga part of Toronto’s, so their listings are inside those two averages. For what rent means for a full monthly budget in each city, see the city guides linked from cost of living by province.
Average rent by province
Statistics Canada publishes asking rents for metro areas only, so two other sources cover provinces. CMHC’s survey covers all ten provinces and splits rents into units that changed tenants in the past year and units that did not.
| Province | 1-bedroom, new tenants | 2-bedroom, new tenants | 2-bedroom, all tenants |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | $1,932 | $2,337 | $2,065 |
| Alberta | $1,392 | $1,658 | $1,680 |
| Saskatchewan | $1,262 | $1,486 | $1,451 |
| Manitoba | $1,254 | $1,547 | $1,507 |
| Ontario | $1,828 | $2,167 | $1,827 |
| Quebec | $1,241 | $1,492 | $1,273 |
| New Brunswick | $1,218 | $1,477 | $1,368 |
| Nova Scotia | $1,657 | $1,963 | $1,711 |
| Prince Edward Island | $1,199 | $1,467 | $1,293 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $1,105 | $1,463 | $1,208 |
| Canada | $1,562 | $1,783 | $1,550 |
CMHC Rental Market Survey, October 2025: both come from CMHC’s October survey of privately initiated buildings of three or more rental units in centres of 10,000 people or more. New-tenant rents (CMHC Table 6.0) are units that changed tenants in the past 12 months; the all-tenant average (Table 1.0) is a weighted average of all units, occupied or vacant.
Rentals.ca publishes asking rents for apartments and condos listed in seven provinces. It does not cover New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador or Prince Edward Island, which is why the CMHC table above is the only provincial measure for those three.
| Province | 1-bedroom asking rent | 2-bedroom asking rent | Change from a year earlier (all unit sizes) | Change over three years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | $2,060 | $2,660 | -4.6% | -12.0% |
| Nova Scotia | $1,985 | $2,562 | 3.1% | 11.2% |
| Ontario | $1,983 | $2,457 | -3.5% | -9.9% |
| Quebec | $1,694 | $2,154 | -1.5% | -0.1% |
| Alberta | $1,477 | $1,821 | -4.3% | 2.2% |
| Manitoba | $1,429 | $1,758 | 0.2% | 11.0% |
| Saskatchewan | $1,250 | $1,493 | -0.6% | 24.6% |
Rentals.ca National Rent Report, August 2026: average asking rents for apartments and condos.
The asking-rent premium over CMHC’s all-tenant average shows how much more a newcomer pays than the typical sitting tenant. For a 2-bedroom it was 29% in British Columbia, 34% in Ontario, 69% in Quebec and 8% in Alberta (asking rent in August 2026 ÷ CMHC average in October 2025 − 1). The two figures come from different months and cover different buildings, so the gap is a rough guide. How rents fit into total living costs in each province is on the cost of living by province page.
Income needed to afford the average rent
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 table applies that ratio to each city’s average 1-bedroom asking rent: income needed = monthly rent × 12 ÷ 30%. The hourly figure divides that income by 2,080 hours (40 hours a week for 52 weeks). The rents are advertised prices, which may or may not include utilities; average utility bills shows what those add.
| City | 1-bedroom asking rent | Income needed | Hourly wage needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | $2,280 | $91,200 | $43.85 |
| Toronto | $2,090 | $83,600 | $40.19 |
| Victoria | $2,040 | $81,600 | $39.23 |
| Ottawa | $1,900 | $76,000 | $36.54 |
| Halifax | $1,880 | $75,200 | $36.15 |
| Hamilton | $1,720 | $68,800 | $33.08 |
| London | $1,560 | $62,400 | $30.00 |
| Calgary | $1,550 | $62,000 | $29.81 |
| Montreal | $1,480 | $59,200 | $28.46 |
| Winnipeg | $1,320 | $52,800 | $25.38 |
| St. John’s | $1,270 | $50,800 | $24.42 |
| Edmonton | $1,260 | $50,400 | $24.23 |
| Regina | $1,250 | $50,000 | $24.04 |
| Quebec City | $1,210 | $48,400 | $23.27 |
1-bedroom rent: Statistics Canada average asking rent, second quarter of 2026.
In the 2021 Census, 40.5% of renter households in the Toronto area and 38.5% in the Vancouver area spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, against 33.2% across Canada. The rent affordability calculator works the ratio out for your own income.
Rent trends
National asking rents by year
| Year | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom | Change in 2-bedroom rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| second quarter of 2026 | $1,730 | $2,130 | -3.6% (vs a year earlier) |
| 2025 | $1,780 | $2,188 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | $1,808 | $2,228 | 2.9% |
| 2023 | $1,765 | $2,165 | 12.2% |
| 2022 | $1,562 | $1,930 | 14.9% |
| 2021 | $1,388 | $1,680 | 3.5% |
| 2020 | $1,375 | $1,622 | 2.0% |
| 2019 | $1,342 | $1,590 | n/a |
Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092-01, average asking rents for apartments across the metro areas it tracks; each year is the average of its four quarters. The series starts in 2019. The first row is the latest quarter, not a full year.
The national 2-bedroom asking rent changed by 14.9% in 2022, 12.2% in 2023, 2.9% in 2024 and -1.8% in 2025. Two demand figures moved over the same years: permanent resident admissions went from 483,654 in 2024 to 393,781 in 2025 (Statistics Canada), and in the year to mid-2026 Alberta gained 21,662 people from other provinces while Ontario’s net change was -18,015 (Statistics Canada). For how rents fit into overall price growth, see the inflation rate page.
Asking-rent change by province
| Province | Year to August 2024 | Year to August 2025 | Year to August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | -5.2% | -2.7% | -4.6% |
| Ontario | -4.3% | -2.5% | -3.5% |
| Alberta | 10.6% | -3.4% | -4.3% |
| Nova Scotia | 10.3% | -2.2% | 3.1% |
| Manitoba | 9.4% | 1.3% | 0.2% |
| Saskatchewan | 21.4% | 3.2% | -0.6% |
| Quebec | 1.5% | -0.1% | -1.5% |
Rentals.ca National Rent Report: change in the average asking rent for apartments and condos over the twelve months to August of each year.
Rent-increase rules by province
What a sitting tenant pays next year depends on the province’s rules, not on market rents. Each line below is that province’s rule in short; the linked rental page has the full list of notice periods and exemptions.
- Ontario: Ontario's rent increase guideline is 2.1% for 2026 (units first occupied after November 15, 2018 are exempt).
- British Columbia: BC's rent increase limit is 2.3% for 2026.
- Alberta: Alberta has no limit on rent increases; rent can go up once a year, with 3 full tenancy months' written notice for a month-to-month tenancy.
- Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan has no limit on rent increases, but most landlords need 12 months' notice.
- Manitoba: Manitoba's rent increase guideline is 1.8% for 2026 (newer buildings and higher-rent units are exempt).
- Quebec: Quebec has no fixed cap; a tenant can refuse an increase within one month after receiving the notice, and the landlord can then ask the TAL to set the rent (base percentage 3.1% for 2026) within the month following the refusal, or the lease renews at the same rent. In a housing cooperative, or a building built or converted 5 years ago or less where the lease says so, a tenant who refuses must move out at the end of the lease.
- New Brunswick: New Brunswick caps increases at 3% every 12 months, with 6 months' notice.
- Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia caps increases for sitting tenants at 5% a year until December 31, 2027.
- Prince Edward Island: PEI's allowable rent increase is 2% for 2026.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Newfoundland and Labrador has no limit on rent increases but requires 6 months' written notice (8 weeks for a week-to-week rental).
Renting or buying
Whether owning costs more than renting depends on the city, the down payment and the mortgage rate. The average house price page compares the monthly mortgage payment on a typical home with the average 3-bedroom asking rent in several cities, and the rent vs buy calculator runs the comparison with your own numbers, including equity and maintenance.
Related guides
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026. How we check facts.
- CMHC: Rental Market Survey Data Tables
- CMHC: Identifying core housing need
- Government of Alberta: During a tenancy | Alberta.ca
- Government of British Columbia: Rent increases
- Government of Canada: Supplementary Information for the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan
- Government of Manitoba: Residential Tenancies Branch
- Government of New Brunswick: Rent increases - gnb.ca
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador: Landlord & Tenant Frequently Asked Questions - Government Services
- Government of Nova Scotia: Residential Tenancies Program: legislative changes
- Government of Nova Scotia: Rent Cap Extended
- Government of Nova Scotia: Guide Form P: Standard Form of Lease
- Government of Ontario: Residential rent increases
- Government of Saskatchewan: Rent Increases | Residential Renting and Leasing
- House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador: SNL2018 CHAPTER R-14.2 - RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT, 2018
- LégisQuébec: Légis Québec
- PEI Residential Rental Property Office: 2027 Allowable Annual Rent Increase - Residential Rental Property
- Rentals.ca: Rentals.ca National Rent Report
- Statistics Canada: Asking rent and paid rent prices, by rental unit type and number of bedrooms,…
- Statistics Canada: Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 – Core housing need
- Statistics Canada: P3Var.pl
- Tribunal administratif du logement: Tribunal administratif du logement
- Tribunal administratif du logement: Tribunal administratif du logement