September 2026 Ontario rent report

At a glance

• Unfurnished one-bedroom rents declined year-over-year across most of the GTA and Ontario region
  • Sixteen of the 19 areas with comparable data recorded lower unfurnished one-bedroom rents than September 2025, with declines ranging from 0.72% in York to 10.57% in East York. Among the 16 declining areas, rents decreased by an average of approximately 4.7%.
• Vaughan-Richmond Hill posted the largest single month-over-month move in the region
  • Vaughan-Richmond Hill’s unfurnished one-bedroom rents increased 9.87% month-over-month to $2,012, the largest single move among all 20 areas tracked this month, and are up 2.96% year-over-year.
• Furnished and unfurnished one-bedroom rents diverged in the City of Toronto
  • The City of Toronto’s average furnished one-bedroom rent decreased 1.64% to $1,898, while the unfurnished average increased 1.33% to $1,973. That left unfurnished units renting for $75 more per month than furnished ones on average, a reversal of the usual furnished premium.

Download liv.rent’s 2026 Canada rental market trends report for in-depth insights and forecasts on average rent prices, regional market comparisons, key economic drivers, and emerging AI trends shaping Canada’s rental landscape.

As of September 2, 2026, the Bank of Canada held its policy interest rate at 2.25%, the seventh consecutive hold. The next scheduled announcement is October 28, 2026. Ontario’s annual rent increase guideline for 2026 remains set at 2.1%.

Let’s look now at the current rental costs and overarching trends in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area for September 2026.

Ontario rent trends

Viewed across the year so far, the City of Toronto’s average unfurnished one-bedroom asking rent has held in a relatively narrow band while remaining below the same months in 2025. This month’s average of $1,973 sits 3.73% below September 2025’s $2,050.

Planning on raising rent this year? Ontario’s annual rent increase guideline for 2026 is set at 2.1%. Find out when and how to increase rent, and how to comply with provincial guidelines, by reading our updated guide to Ontario rent increases.

Month-to-month rent change

To better understand how rent prices have shifted across the Greater Toronto Area and the rest of Ontario, here are the most significant month-over-month movements for furnished and unfurnished one-bedroom units.

Unfurnished Toronto rent trends

Among unfurnished one-bedroom units, Vaughan-Richmond Hill recorded the largest increase at 9.87%, followed by Niagara Falls at 7.16% and Etobicoke at 4.78%. East York posted the largest decrease at 3.13%, followed by London at 2.07% and Markham at 1.70%.

Furnished Toronto rent trends

Among furnished one-bedroom units, Mississauga recorded the largest increase at 8.35%, followed by Brampton at 7.28%, and Oakville and Kitchener, both up 4.35%. Etobicoke posted the largest decrease at 7.94%, followed by Hamilton at 7.35%.

Toronto furnished vs. unfurnished averages

Average prices for furnished and unfurnished one-bedroom units in the City of Toronto moved in opposite directions this month. Furnished one-bedrooms decreased 1.64% to $1,898, while unfurnished units increased 1.33% to $1,973. An unfurnished one-bedroom currently rents for $75 more per month than a furnished one on average, a reversal of the usual furnished premium.

Rent per square foot

Where is the most affordable place to rent across the selected Ontario areas based on the space you get? As of September 2026, the average asking rent per square foot rose 6.35% from August to $2.42. The least expensive areas for square footage are Scarborough, Vaughan-Richmond Hill, and Markham. The most expensive are Downtown, North York, and Brampton.

Active listing data

We also examine detailed statistics for currently active listings on the market to see which property types and bedroom counts are most represented. For renters, these numbers show the types of units you are most likely to encounter across the GTA. For landlords, they indicate how much competition you face based on current supply.

Active listings by property type

As of September 2026, apartments were the most common rental property type on the market at 94.32% of active listings. Partial houses were the second most represented unit type this month at 2.25%, followed by houses at 2.04% and townhouses at 1.39%.

Active listings by number of bedrooms

Looking at bedroom counts, one-bedroom units were the most common listing this month at 46.05%, with two-bedroom units close behind at 43.40%. Three-bedroom units made up the remaining 10.55%.

City breakdown

Rental averages vary widely across the Greater Toronto Area and the rest of Ontario, so we break the data out by area to compare one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom rates for furnished and unfurnished units.

Etobicoke is the most expensive GTA area included this month for an unfurnished one-bedroom at $2,172, while Oshawa is the most affordable at $1,698.

Let’s take a closer look by listing type:

• Furnished one-bedroom rents increased in just over half of the region’s areas this month. Mississauga posted the largest increase at 8.35%, followed by Brampton at 7.28%, while Etobicoke recorded the steepest decrease at 7.94%, followed by Hamilton at 7.35%.
• Unfurnished one-bedroom rents were about evenly split. Vaughan-Richmond Hill recorded the largest increase at 9.87%, followed by Niagara Falls at 7.16%, while East York posted the largest decrease at 3.13%.
• Unfurnished two-bedroom rents increased in 14 of the 20 areas tracked this month, with decreases concentrated in Brampton, Milton, Oakville, St. Catharines, London, and North York.

New this year, the table below includes a year-over-year column comparing each area’s unfurnished one-bedroom asking rent with September 2025. Sixteen of the 19 areas with comparable data sit below where they were a year ago, with declines ranging from 0.72% in York to 10.57% in East York. The table is interactive: sort any column, or download it as an image.

Read more: FAQ: everything you need to know about rent deposits in Ontario

Rental averages for other Ontario cities

Beyond the Greater Toronto Area, rents across the rest of Ontario were generally lower this month. London remained the most affordable market in our coverage area at $1,515 for an unfurnished one-bedroom, down 6.17% year-over-year. Ottawa’s unfurnished one-bedroom average was $1,817, Kitchener’s was $1,666, and Hamilton’s was $1,612. Niagara Falls stood out as the only area outside the GTA with a year-over-year increase, up 5.80% to $1,797, while St. Catharines recorded the steepest decline at 9.42%. For neighbourhood detail and the full area breakdown, download your copy of the full report in the downloadable resources section.

Most expensive cities in Canada

This September, four of the country’s five most expensive cities are in Metro Vancouver. West Vancouver claims the top spot as the most expensive city in Canada to rent in, followed by North Vancouver and Vancouver. Burlington, Ontario ranks fourth at $2,102, with Burnaby rounding out the top five at $2,101.

Downloadable resources

Renting in Ontario

• What’s a standard rental application?
• What do you need when applying for a rental?
• What can a landlord ask for on a rental application in Ontario?
• How do I fill out a rental application?
• Ontario standard lease explained
• Frequently asked questions: eviction in Ontario

Data collection methodology

Our monthly rent reports use data from our own liv.rent listings, as well as data our team manually collects from other popular listing sites, covering available basement suites, apartments, condos, townhouses, semi-detached houses, and single-detached houses for each area.

When collecting this data, we exclude luxury properties listed at over $5,000, as well as rooms for rent and shared accommodation. Investing in manual data collection means we consider only the current month’s listings, since we can filter out duplicate listings and older ads that have not been removed.

Another key difference between our data collection methods and those of agencies such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is that we include only current asking rent prices. Many official reports include data for entire buildings, which tends to skew numbers lower since many units are already occupied and may be rent-controlled or rented well below current rates.

As a Canadian rental platform founded and based in Vancouver, we want to provide a completely accurate depiction of the rental market in the cities we cover.

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Subscribe to receive monthly updates on Canada’s major rental markets. Discover last month’s rent reports below:

Vancouver rent report
Ontario rent report
Montreal rent report
Calgary and Edmonton rent report