Canada’s rent relief isn’t reaching those who need it most
| City | Avg. monthly rent | YOY change | Rent-to-income | Avg. household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver BC | $2,833 | ▼ 6.0% | 27.7% | $154,162 |
| Toronto ON | $2,623 | ▼ 5.0% | 27.4% | $149,607 |
| Halifax NS | $2,206 | ▲ 5.5% | — | — |
| Calgary AB | $1,997 | ▼ 2.8% | — | $120,566 |
| Winnipeg MB | $1,572 | ▼ 8.9% | ~30% | $78,607 |
| Montreal QC | $1,545 | ▼ 8.8% | — | — |
| National average | $2,051 | ▼ 2.1% | 28.1% | — |
▼ Rent down year-over-year | ▲ Rent up year-over-year | Source: SingleKey, The Rent Cheque: 2026 Rental Intelligence Report
Secondary markets bearing the brunt
The report identified five centres where income has not kept pace with rent reductions: Barrie, Ont., Medicine Hat, Alta., Greater Sudbury, Ont., Winnipeg, Man., and Kelowna, B.C.
Renters in each city contribute more than the national average of household income to rent, while household earnings in those markets declined between 6% and 21.5% over the study period.
That divergence carries direct implications for mortgage brokers, who increasingly counsel clients weighing the rent-versus-own decision. The SingleKey data reinforces what prior reporting on Canada’s rental affordability challenges for brokers and borrowers has documented: even as headline rental figures soften, structural pressures are spreading to markets previously insulated from the affordability crunch.
Kevin Hughes, deputy chief economist at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in Ottawa, observed earlier this year that supply improvements have left some markets “a little bit less tight,” while conceding that structural relief remains elusive.
As affordability pressures migrate from gateway cities to secondary markets, the pool of renters with meaningful savings capacity, and a realistic path out of the rental market, continues to narrow.
