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Neighbourhood guide

Living in Harbourfront, Toronto

Condo towers along Queens Quay with the lake, waterfront parks, theatres and the Island ferries across the street, and Union Station a ten minute walk away. Here is what renting in Harbourfront is actually like, how you get around, and the trade-offs locals talk about.
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On the lake Condo towers Island ferries Walk to Union
39 rentals available in Harbourfront
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What's it like to live in Harbourfront?

Harbourfront is the waterfront along Queens Quay West, from about York Street toward Bathurst, below the Gardiner Expressway. Condo towers line the north side of Queens Quay, and the water side is parks, boardwalk and cultural venues: Harbourfront Centre with its theatres, The Power Plant gallery, small waterfront parks like HTO Park, and the ferry docks for the Toronto Islands at the foot of Bay Street.No public figure isolates Harbourfront's population or rents. The City's census counts it with CityPlace in its Harbourfront-CityPlace neighbourhood, and the CityPlace guide has those figures, so this page quotes none as Harbourfront's own. Rentals here are almost all condo units in the towers along Queens Quay, and units first lived in after November 15, 2018 are exempt from Ontario's rent increase guideline, so ask when the building opened.Expect condo rents above the city middle. The live listings on this page are the most direct guide to what a unit costs. For comparison, CMHC's October 2025 average for an occupied purpose built apartment across the City of Toronto was $1,916, and condos listed here ask more than that.Groceries are easy: Farm Boy is at the corner of Queens Quay and York, with Nature's Emporium and a Longo's a few minutes north. Cafés and restaurants line Queens Quay, and the One Yonge Community Recreation Centre is about ten minutes east. The nearest library branches, St. Lawrence and City Hall, are more than 20 minutes away on foot.Union Station is about ten minutes on foot, with Line 1, GO trains and the UP Express to Pearson in about 28 minutes, and the 509 and 510 streetcars run along Queens Quay. The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal is about five minutes east. The trade-offs are summer crowds and events along the water, the Gardiner and rail corridor between the waterfront and the rest of downtown, and condo rents above the city middle.

Best suited for

  • Downtown workers who want to walk
  • Lakefront and Islands regulars
  • Renters without a car
  • Runners and cyclists
  • –Renters on a tight budget
  • –Renters who want a quiet summer

Quick facts

  • Union Station on foot10 min
  • Island ferry terminal on foot5 min
  • Nearest supermarket1 min walk
  • Census neighbourhoodHarbourfront-CityPlace

Getting around

Union Station on foot, streetcars along Queens Quay, and the Island ferries at the foot of Bay Street.

92/100

WalkabilityGroceries and cafés on Queens Quay, downtown on foot

90/100

Transit accessStreetcars on Queens Quay and Union Station nearby

84/100

CyclingA separated waterfront trail along Queens Quay
Union Station10 min walk
Bloor-Yonge, from Union8 min by subway
HTO Park11 min walk
Jack Layton Ferry Terminal5 min walk
Pearson Airport, from Union28 min by UP Express
St. Lawrence Market18 min walk
Line 1 Yonge-University
509 Harbourfront
114 Queens Quay East
510 Spadina
121 Esplanade-River

Harbourfront on the map

The neighbourhood outline, and the places listed further down the page.

Schools and childcare

The nearest schools are about 18 minutes away: Jean Lumb Public School and Bishop Macdonell Catholic School in CityPlace to the west, and the Downtown Alternative School and St. Michael Catholic School in St. Lawrence to the east. Which school serves an address is set by the board, so check the TDSB and TCDSB school locators. Walk times are measured from Queens Quay West and York Street.
SchoolTypeWalk time
Jean Lumb Public School
Public · Elementary18 min
Bishop Macdonell Catholic School
Catholic · Elementary18 min
Downtown Alternative School
Public alternative · Elementary18 min
St. Michael Catholic School
Catholic · Elementary19 min
George Brown College, Waterfront Campus
Post-secondary20 min

Around the neighbourhood

Walk times from Queens Quay West and York Street. Groceries and cafés are on Queens Quay and the blocks just north.

Groceries

  • Farm Boy1 min
  • Nature's Emporium3 min
  • Longo's4 min
  • Rabba7 min

Coffee and bakeries

  • Ivy Coffee Shop1 min
  • Dark Horse Espresso Bar3 min
  • Boxcar Social4 min
  • Mos Mos4 min

Food and drink

  • Kinka Izakaya3 min
  • The Goodman Pub and Kitchen3 min
  • Piazza Manna Restaurant & Bar3 min
  • Miku4 min

Parks and waterfront

  • Love Park1 min
  • Harbour Square Park5 min
  • Ann Tindal Park5 min
  • HTO Park11 min

Fitness

  • Waterpark Athletics4 min
  • GoodLife Fitness8 min
  • One Yonge Community Recreation Centre10 min
  • Orangetheory Fitness11 min

Everyday services

  • Rexall3 min
  • The Second City3 min
  • Harbourfront Centre Theatre4 min
  • The Power Plant4 min

Rent with confidence in Harbourfront

What Ontario tenancy rules protect, and how liv.rent keeps the process safe from first message to signed lease.

Deposits are limited

A landlord in Ontario can ask for a rent deposit of up to one month of rent, and it can only be used for your last month. Damage and pet deposits are not allowed, and the landlord owes you interest on the rent deposit every year.

Rent increases are limited

Most rents can go up once every 12 months, by no more than the provincial guideline, with 90 days of written notice. Units first lived in after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the guideline, though the landlord still has to give that notice.

Every listing is verified

Landlords complete ID verification before they can post, and you can sign the lease and pay rent through liv.rent, so there is no e-transfer to a stranger.
Most rentals here are condos let by individual owners, and fake condo listings copied from real ones are a common downtown scam. Never send a deposit before viewing the unit and meeting the landlord, and never pay outside a platform that keeps a record. A room where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner may not be covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, so ask before you sign. The tenancy points above are general information about renting in Ontario, not legal or financial advice. For guidance on your own tenancy, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board.How liv.rent verification works

Harbourfront rental questions

How expensive is it to rent in Harbourfront?

Above the city middle, though no public figure isolates it. The City's census counts Harbourfront with CityPlace in one neighbourhood, and CMHC's survey leaves out condos, so the live listings on this page are the most direct guide. For comparison, CMHC's October 2025 average for an occupied purpose built apartment across the whole City of Toronto was $1,916, and condos listed here ask more than that.

Is Harbourfront the same as CityPlace?

They are neighbours. CityPlace is the condo district between Spadina and Bathurst, north of the Gardiner, and Harbourfront is the waterfront along Queens Quay, south of it. The City counts both in its Harbourfront-CityPlace census neighbourhood.

How far is Harbourfront from Union Station?

About ten minutes on foot from Queens Quay and York. From Union, Line 1 reaches Bloor-Yonge in about eight minutes and the UP Express reaches Pearson in about 28.

How do you get to the Toronto Islands from Harbourfront?

The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street is about five minutes on foot from Queens Quay and York, and City ferries run from there to the Islands.

Are Harbourfront condos covered by rent control?

It depends on when the unit was first lived in. Units first occupied after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the provincial guideline, so the owner can raise the rent by any amount with 90 days of written notice. Many towers on Queens Quay are older than that, but not all, so ask before you sign.

Can I find pet-friendly rentals in Harbourfront?

Often, yes. In Ontario a "no pets" clause in a lease is void, and a landlord cannot charge a pet deposit. A condo building can still restrict pets in its own rules, and those apply to tenants too, so ask for the building rules before you sign.

Is parking included with Harbourfront rentals?

Often not. Many condo units have no parking space, and where one exists it may be rented separately at a high monthly cost. Street parking is scarce and expensive, and most renters here do without a car.
Ready to look? Browse Harbourfront rentalsStudios from $1,850 to 3 beds from $3,680
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Methodology

Places, parks, schools and transit routes on this page come from OpenStreetMap. Walk times are approximate. Rent and vacancy come from CMHC's Rental Market Survey for October 2025, for the City of Toronto. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Toronto.Listing counts and prices come from liv.rent, so they show what's on the platform rather than the whole city.OpenStreetMap, CMHC, Open Government Licence – Toronto. Last updated October 2026.