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Neighbourhood guide

Living in Parkdale, Toronto

Victorian mansions cut into bachelor apartments, rental towers along Jameson, and a stretch of Queen Street West with Tibetan momos, cafés and cheap bars. Here is what renting in Parkdale is actually like, how you get around, and the trade-offs locals talk about.
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Rental towers Victorian houses Lower rents Queen Street West
48 rentals available in Parkdale
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What's it like to live in Parkdale?

Parkdale runs south from Queen Street West to the Gardiner Expressway, between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue. It was a lakeside suburb of large Victorian and Edwardian houses until the Gardiner Expressway cut it off from the water in the 1950s. Many of those houses were divided into bachelor apartments and rooming houses, and a run of rental towers went up along Jameson Avenue and the streets around it.That history makes Parkdale one of the most renter heavy neighbourhoods in Toronto. In the City's South Parkdale neighbourhood, which matches this area, 85% of households rent, nearly two thirds of homes are in buildings of five or more storeys, and 65% are studios or one bedrooms. Unlike the downtown condo districts, most of those apartments are purpose built rental, and only about one home in seven is a condo.It is also one of the cheaper places to rent this close to downtown. In the 2021 census the median tenant household here paid $1,200 a month for rent and utilities, against $1,500 across Toronto, much of it in long tenancies in rent controlled buildings. The median resident was 37 and households averaged 1.8 people, and 42% of residents were immigrants, with a large Tibetan community along Queen.Queen Street West is the main street: Tibetan and Indian restaurants, cafés, bakeries, bars and the Parkdale library branch. Groceries are a mix of small independents on Queen, Metro and FreshCo toward Dufferin and a No Frills south of Queen, and Masaryk Park and the Masaryk-Cowan community centre are the local green space and gym. Footbridges cross the Gardiner to the lakefront.Getting downtown is a streetcar ride: the 504 King reaches King and Bay in about 28 minutes and the 501 Queen reaches Osgoode in about 26, and the 47 Lansdowne and 29 Dufferin buses connect north to Line 2. Exhibition GO, about 20 minutes on foot, is nine minutes from Union. The trade-offs are older buildings, uneven upkeep, and a street scene that is lively, mixed and not always quiet.

Best suited for

  • Renters on a tighter budget
  • Renters without a car
  • Artists and musicians
  • Lakefront runners and cyclists
  • –Renters who want a new building
  • –Families wanting three bedrooms

Quick facts

  • Population20,500
  • Renter households85%
  • Median age37
  • Studios and one bedrooms65%

Getting around

Two streetcar lines downtown along Queen and King, buses north to Line 2, and a GO station within a walk.

90/100

WalkabilityGroceries, cafés and the library along Queen

76/100

Transit accessFrequent streetcars and buses, no subway station

80/100

CyclingFlat, with the waterfront trail over the footbridges
King and Bay, Financial District28 min by streetcar
Lansdowne Station, Line 29 min by bus
Exhibition GO station20 min walk
Osgoode Station, Line 126 min by streetcar
Dufferin Station, Line 28 min by bus
Union Station, from Exhibition9 min by GO Train
504 King
47 Lansdowne
29 Dufferin
929 Dufferin Express
501 Queen

Parkdale on the map

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

Schools and childcare

Parkdale Collegiate, Holy Family and Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School are all within about six minutes of Queen and Cowan. Which school serves an address is set by the board, so check the TDSB and TCDSB school locators. Walk times are measured from Queen Street West and Cowan Avenue.
SchoolTypeWalk time
Parkdale Collegiate Institute
Public · Secondary5 min
Holy Family Catholic School
Catholic · Elementary5 min
Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School
Public · Elementary6 min
Alexander Muir/Gladstone Avenue Junior and Senior Public School
Public · Elementary10 min
Shirley Street Junior Public School
Public · Elementary13 min
Fern Avenue Junior and Senior Public School
Public · Elementary18 min

Around the neighbourhood

Walk times from Queen Street West and Cowan Avenue. The Metro and FreshCo sit just north of Queen, toward Dufferin.

Groceries

  • Queen Fresh Market1 min
  • Fullworth3 min
  • Metro7 min
  • No Frills9 min

Coffee and bakeries

  • Sam James Coffee Bar1 min
  • Robinson Bread1 min
  • Capital Espresso2 min
  • Vegan Danish Bakery3 min

Food and drink

  • Shambhala Kitchen2 min
  • The Momo House2 min
  • Mother India2 min
  • Nuna2 min

Parks

  • Masaryk Park2 min
  • Dunn Avenue Parkette3 min
  • Close Avenue Parkette8 min
  • Albert Crosland Park9 min

Fitness and community centres

  • Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre1 min
  • Boxing Loft2 min
  • Parkdale Community Recreation Centre7 min
  • McCormick Arena10 min

Everyday services

  • Home Hardware1 min
  • TPL: Parkdale Branch1 min
  • Vina Pharmacy4 min
  • Shoppers Drug Mart8 min

Rent with confidence in Parkdale

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.
In older rental towers, ask whether the landlord has applied to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an above-guideline increase, since an approved one can raise the rent of every unit in the building. Never send a deposit before viewing the unit, 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. 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

Parkdale rental questions

Is Parkdale cheaper than the rest of Toronto?

On the census, yes. In 2021 the median tenant household in the City's South Parkdale neighbourhood paid $1,200 a month for rent and utilities, against $1,500 across Toronto, much of it in long tenancies in rent controlled towers. A unit listed today asks well above that median, but Parkdale's older stock still tends to cost less than the condo districts east of it. CMHC's citywide average for an occupied purpose built apartment was $1,916 in October 2025.

Are Parkdale apartments rent controlled?

Most are. The towers along Jameson and the houses divided into apartments were lived in long before November 15, 2018, so increases are capped at the provincial guideline. Landlords can still apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an above-guideline increase to cover major repairs, so ask whether one is pending before you sign.

Is there a subway station in Parkdale?

No. The 47 Lansdowne and 29 Dufferin buses reach Line 2 at Lansdowne and Dufferin stations in under ten minutes, the 504 King and 501 Queen streetcars run downtown, and Exhibition GO, about 20 minutes on foot from Queen and Cowan, is nine minutes from Union.

Can you get to the lake from Parkdale?

Yes, though the Gardiner Expressway and the rail lines are in the way. Footbridges cross them to the lakefront, the waterfront trail and the beaches at Sunnyside, which is a big part of why cyclists and runners like living here.

What should I check before renting in an old Parkdale house?

Ask how the unit is heated and who pays for it, whether there is laundry, how many units share the building, and whether the smoke alarms and the second way out are in order. If you would share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, the Residential Tenancies Act may not cover the arrangement.

Is parking included with Parkdale rentals?

Sometimes, in the towers, usually at an extra monthly cost. Street parking on the residential streets is by permit, and most renters here do without a car.
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Methodology

Places, parks, schools and transit routes on this page come from OpenStreetMap. Walk times are approximate. Population, age and how many households rent come from Statistics Canada's 2021 Census, as the City of Toronto publishes it for its South Parkdale neighbourhood. 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, Statistics Canada, CMHC, Open Government Licence – Toronto. Last updated October 2026.