Ontario home to 4 of Canada's 10 most expensive places to rent

The majority of Canada's most expensive places to rent a home can be found right here in Ontario.

The province is home to four of the ten most expensive cities in Canada to rent a one-bedroom unit, according to a new report from rental real estate platform Zumper.

It cost Canadians an average of $1,784/month to rent a one-bedroom unit in October 2026, though that figure trends much higher for Ontario renters.

Toronto, Barrie, Ottawa, and Kingston all ranked among the most expensive places to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Canada in October, though Vancouver, B.C., retained the crown as the country's most expensive real estate market.

Barrie posted the fastest annual rent growth of any city in the country, with the cost to rent a one-bedroom apartment skyrocketing by 16.7 per cent year-over-year to an average of $2,100 per month, tying Toronto as the second-most expensive rental market in the country.

Toronto rental rates flattened by 3.2 per cent in October, stabilizing from the 4.5 per cent decline recorded the previous month, with the average monthly cost for a one-bedroom rental unit falling to $2,100.

Zumper reports that Toronto's two-bedroom rental prices decreased by a much smaller 0.4 per cent margin in October, down to $2,720.

Ottawa and Kingston placed 7th and 8th, respectively, in the top ten, with Ottawa one-bedroom rents increasing by 2.1 per cent to a monthly average cost of $1,990, and Kingston rents declining by 4.5 per cent to an average of $1,910.

Zumper

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