Settling in an Ontario city can be expensive for newcomers and international students. However, cities in Ontario remain by far the most popular with immigrants to Canada, so let’s look at the 10 best Ontario cities to live in.
First, rent prices in Ontario cities, particularly those in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), are among the highest in the country, except for Vancouver.
The unemployment rate in Ontario in June was 6.8 percent, up from 0.3 percent from May. Nationally, it is 6.4 percent.
Ontario’s Quality of Life Matters to Newcomers
However, city life in Ontario, Canada’s largest and most populated province, is about more than rent prices. Quality of life and job opportunities are also crucial to newcomers when choosing the best city in Ontario to live in.
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Settlement services, vital for newcomers, are also different in each Ontario city, as are job market opportunities and the cost of living (inflation).
Many settlement experts regard selecting the correct city as the best job strategy for newcomers.
Related Posts:
What are the Best Cities in Canada for Immigrants?
How to Find Accommodation in Canada with Rentals for Newcomers
Recently, The Globe and Mail published research* listing the most livable cities in Canada for immigrants.
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The Globe, one of Canada’s premier news outlets, collected data from 439 Canadian cities with a population of at least 10,000 in partnership with Environics Analytics Group Ltd.
Criteria to Assess Best Cities in Ontario
- ECONOMY: Jobs, earnings, taxes, and economic stability.
- DEMOGRAPHICS: Population, stability, diversity, languages spoken.
- HEALTHCARE: Ease of access and satisfaction with care.
- SAFETY: Crime rates and feeling of safety.
- EDUCATION: Residents’ academic qualifications and availability of schools and universities.
- COMMUNITY: Social spaces, events, volunteering opportunities, and the sense of connection residents feel.
- AMENITIES: Number of recreational places, shopping options, and other facilities, plus cannabis stores, gyms, movie theatres, and essential services such as childcare, grocery stores, libraries, and parks.
- TRANSPORTATION: Public transit, ease of getting around, and proximity to airports and public transportation.
- WEATHER: Extreme conditions, overall climate, humidity and coldness.
Housing was rated as one of THE most important concerns of newcomers to Canada. As the Globe pointed out:
“As housing costs have marched steadily upward in Canada, discussing real estate prices has become as common as chatting about the weather. And so often, the conversation about where to live focuses on one number: The cost of buying a home.”
Burlington is Ontario’s Most Livable City
Unsurprisingly, Globe research determined that Burlington, at the western end of the GTA, is Ontario’s most livable city (it was also ranked as the fifth most livable in Canada).
Burlington’s geographic location makes it the perfect commuter city. For work or play, people can travel by road or rail to Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, and the Niagara region.
While Burlington rent prices are not cheap, a one-bedroom apartment there is over $300 cheaper per month than in Toronto. Also, Burlington scored extremely high regarding amenities.
In a recent Point2 research study**, Burlington was rated as the top Ontario city among the country’s 10 best for juggling professional and personal life. According to the Point2 study, “Burlington enjoys a balanced mix of positive health perceptions, with 93 percent of its residents reporting high levels of life satisfaction.”
10 Most Livable Cities in Ontario
1. Burlington
Rent: $2,196 *** (for a one-bedroom)
(Average) House Price: $1.16 million ***
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 7.3 percent
Read more about living in Burlington, Ontario
2. Ottawa
Rent: $1,967
House Price: $686, 535
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 6 percent
Read more about living in Ottawa, Ontario
3. Pickering
Rent: $1,885
House Price: $941,000
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 5.9 percent
4. Oakville
Rent: $2,305
House Price: $1.48 million
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 7.8
5. Vaughan
Rent: $1,991
House Price: $1.1 million
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 7.9 percent
6. Hamilton
Rent: $1,806
House Price: $831,190
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 7.3 percent
Read more about living in Hamilton, Ontario
7. Guelph
Rent: $2,046
House Price: $850, 226
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 3.7 percent
8. Tecumseh
Rent: $1,534
House Price: $795, 276
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 9.1 percent
9. Lincoln
Rent: $1,476
House Price: $643,111
Unemployment rate (as of March 2024): 8.4 percent
10. Markham
Rent: $2, 062
House Price: $1.1 million
Unemployment rate (as of June 2024): 7.8 percent
Read more about living in Markham, Ontario
CITATIONS:
**Point2
*** Prices as of June 2024, subject to fluctuations monthly
SOURCES:
Rentals for Newcomers, CREA, Rentals.ca, Statistics Canada, Zoocasa, Zumper, WOWA, Zolo, Environics Analytics Group Ltd., Point2
Steve Tustin is the 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.
*Prepare for Canada did not use AI-generated content in writing this story; all sources are cited and credited where possible.
© Prepare for Canada 2024
