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Choose where to settle.
Where you land shapes your rent, your job search and your community. Here are the five cities newcomers choose most, compared honestly.
City guides
Ontario
Toronto
Canada’s biggest job market and its most diverse city, with the highest rents to match.
- Most jobs in finance, tech, health and trades
- Highest rents; many newcomers start in the suburbs
- Every major diaspora has established communities
1-bed rent $2,100–$2,500City guide
British Columbia
Vancouver
Mild weather, mountains and a strong Asian-Pacific community, with Canada’s toughest rental market.
- Tech, film, trade and tourism jobs
- Very high rents; many newcomers live in Surrey or Burnaby
- Large Chinese, South Asian and Filipino communities
1-bed rent $2,200–$2,600City guide
Alberta
Calgary
Lower rents, no provincial sales tax and a young population, with a growing tech scene alongside energy.
- Energy, tech, logistics and construction
- Noticeably cheaper rents than Toronto or Vancouver
- Fast-growing South Asian, Filipino and African communities
1-bed rent $1,400–$1,700City guide
Quebec
Montreal
Affordable for a big city, with a rich culture. French is essential for most jobs and services.
- Aerospace, AI, gaming and life sciences
- Among the lowest rents of Canada’s big cities
- French is the working language; free French classes are available
1-bed rent $1,550–$1,900City guide
Ontario
Ottawa
Canada’s capital: stable government and tech jobs, with bilingual skills a real advantage.
- Federal government and tech in Kanata
- Mid-range rents for Ontario
- Growing African, South Asian and Chinese communities
1-bed rent $1,800–$2,150City guide
Compare
See the numbers side by side.
Rent, transit, groceries and phone costs for all five cities in one table.
By community
