Renting This Week in Canada: Cheaper But Maybe Not Affordable

Where are the best cities in Canada to find a side hustle to help pay your rent? Asking rents are falling, but what about affordability? And where are Vancouver's cheapest neighbourhoods for renting?

Renting in Canada might be getting easier for domestic Canadians, newcomers and international students - but all renters need to do their research to find the right city, the right neighbourhood, the right landlord and the right price. 

Here's our look at what's going on in Canada's rental landscape as we hurtle into February and closer to glorious spring:

For many newcomers to Canada and international students, "side hustles" enable them to pay their rent. Zoocasa's Angele Zerednicki reveals the Canadian cities where side hustles can really pay off. 

Calgary remains a popular destination for Canadians and newcomers looking for cheaper rents. Laine Mitchell of the Daily Hive reveals the most in-demand areas for rentals in Calgary

RELATED STORY:

How working with a realtor can make your rental search easier

Why homesharing can be the right rental option for newcomers

 

Everyone loves Alberta, right? Here are five things newcomers to Canada and international students should know about housing in Alberta.

 

 

As the Toronto Star's Clarrie Feinstein reports, Fitzrovia’s CEO Adrian Rocca sees a bright future in renting. That's why three new Toronto rental towers will focus on two- and three-bedroom units.

Asking rents continue to drop, and vacancy rates are rising. But what to do about affordability? It remains a challenge for all renters, and experts say rents are unlikely to return to 2021 levels. 

Jack Wilson of the Montreal Gazette explains why Quebec’s housing tribunal released its guidelines for 2025 rent increases, setting the rate at 5.9 percent, the steepest hike in decades.

 

 

Saskatoon continues to rank as one the cheapest mid-sized Canadian cities for rent prices. Even Calgary is affordable compared to Vancouver and Toronto. Time to head west?

Immigrants to Canada depend on short-term rentals when they first arrive as they look for long-term accommodation. B.C. has launched a short-term rental registry with annual fees to rein in ‘speculators.’ According to the Canadian Press, here's what it means. 

Vancouver finally got some winter weather, and so tenants want to know how warm the landlord has to keep their apartment. Daniel Chai of the Daily Hive explains.

 

 

RELATED STORIES:

Finding rental accommodation in Brampton

Finding rental housing in Vancouver

 

Rent prices have fallen hard in Brampton, a popular landing spot for newcomers to Canada. But is it affordable?

According to Elana Shepert of Vancouver is Awesome (and it is!), these are the top 10 cheapest neighbourhoods to rent in Canada's most expensive city for housing.

And, south of the border, things are improving on the rental front. Newsweek reports that, according to a Redfin report, renting has become more affordable overall as renters are "earning more than ever." The income required for U.S. renters to afford the median apartment asking rent has dropped to its lowest level in three years

 

 

Finally, has 2025 got you down already? Cheer up. Here are 7 simple tips to de-stress your financial life this year from Devon Lacombe, the Vice President of Retail Investments at Scotiabank.  Listen, relax and learn.   

Steve Tustin is the Content Editor for Rentals for Newcomers and a contributing editor for Prepare for Canada. He is also the former managing editor of Storeys.com and a former senior editor at the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.

*Rent prices were accurate when this article was published but may change over time.

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