Neighbourhood guide
Living in Killarney, Vancouver
The townhouse capital of Vancouver, a community centre with a rink and a pool at its heart, and a brand new waterfront district at the bottom of the hill. Quiet, green, and further from a SkyTrain station than almost anywhere else in the city.
Townhouses Champlain Heights River District Quiet
53 rentals available in Killarney
What's it like to live in Killarney?
Killarney is the one Vancouver neighbourhood that does not look like Vancouver. About 30% of the homes here are row houses, against 3.5% citywide, and the next highest local area is at 7%. That is Champlain Heights: a large, deliberately planned community of townhouse co-ops and strata clusters built from the late 1960s onward, laid out around green corridors and footpaths rather than a street grid. Only 13% of the homes are detached houses, below the 15% city figure.The civic heart is at 49th and Kerr, where Killarney Community Centre, an ice rink, a leisure pool, Killarney Secondary and Killarney Park all sit on the same block. For a neighbourhood this far out that is an unusually complete set of amenities, and it is the reason a lot of families stay once they arrive. About 43% of households rent, the average household is 2.6 people, and 23% of tenant households are in subsidised housing, the second highest share in the city after Strathcona.The newest piece is River District, the redevelopment of the old East Fraser Lands on the waterfront at the southern edge. It is a genuinely separate place: mid rise and high rise towers, a Save-On-Foods, a row of restaurants, a riverfront park and its own bus, the 31, to Metrotown Station. It also accounts for most of why Killarney grew 13% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, one of the faster rates in Vancouver, and it is where most of the purpose built rental supply now is.The catch is distance. There is no SkyTrain station in Killarney and the nearest, Joyce–Collingwood, is a bus ride away. Retail beyond Champlain Mall and the River District strip is thin, so a proper shop usually means Kingsway or Metrotown. The compensation is green space on a scale the inner city cannot match, including Everett Crowley Park, a 38 hectare second growth forest on a former landfill that most Vancouverites have never heard of.
Best suited for
- Families wanting a townhouse
- Renters who want space and quiet
- Anyone commuting to Burnaby or Metrotown
- People who want new build waterfront rental
- –Renters who need a SkyTrain at the door
- –Anyone who wants shops and nightlife nearby
Quick facts
- Population32,000
- Renter households43%
- Row houses30%
- Rental vacancy2.4%
Getting around
No rapid transit inside the boundary, and the 49 along 49th Avenue does most of the work. This is a neighbourhood where many households keep a car.62/100
WalkabilitySchools, parks and the community centre are close; shops are not58/100
Transit accessFrequent buses on 49th and 41st, but no station in the neighbourhood70/100
CyclingQuiet streets and green corridors, with a long climb up from the riverKillarney Community Centre5 min walk
Champlain Mall10 min walk
Joyce–Collingwood Station12 min by bus
VPL Champlain Heights Branch10 min walk
Everett Crowley Park25 min walk
Downtown Vancouver45 min by transit
49 Metrotown
R4 41st Ave
26 Joyce Station
31 River District
19 Metrotown
100 22nd Street Station
Killarney on the map
The neighbourhood boundary, and the places listed further down the page.Schools and childcare
Walk times are measured from East 49th Avenue and Kerr Street. Confirm your catchment with the Vancouver School Board before you commit to a lease.| School | Type | Walk time |
|---|---|---|
Killarney SecondaryCatchment secondary | Public · 8–12 | 4 min |
Dr. George M. Weir Elementary | Public · K–7 | 10 min |
Little Oak Montessori | Childcare · 2–5 | 11 min |
École Anne-Hébert Elementary | Public francophone · K–7 | 11 min |
Captain James Cook Elementary | Public · K–7 | 12 min |
Champlain Heights Elementary | Public · K–7 | 17 min |
Around the neighbourhood
Walk times from East 49th Avenue and Kerr Street. A few of these sit just outside the neighbourhood boundary, where they are the nearest of their kind.Groceries
- Kin's Farm Market9 min
- Your Independent Grocer11 min
- 88 Supermarket15 min
- Safeway16 min
Coffee and bakeries
- Starbucks9 min
- Bubble Waffle Cafe10 min
- Bonnie Bread Bakery10 min
- Pine House Bread & Cake Shop16 min
Food and drink
- 54th Ave Cafe9 min
- Sushi Go9 min
- Sen Pho + Cafe9 min
- Tasty Wok10 min
Parks
- Killarney Park5 min
- Captain Cook Park14 min
- Sparwood Park15 min
- Champlain Heights Park18 min
Fitness and pools
- Killarney Rink4 min
- Killarney Fitness Centre5 min
- Killarney Leisure Pool5 min
- Killarney Community Centre5 min
Everyday services
- Shoppers Drug Mart10 min
- VPL: Champlain Heights Branch10 min
- Unicare Pharmacy17 min
- The Medicine Shoppe20 min
Rent with confidence in Killarney
What BC tenancy rules protect, and how liv.rent keeps the process safe from first message to signed lease.Deposits are capped
A landlord in BC can ask for a security deposit of up to half a month of rent, plus up to half a month again if you have a pet. Anything more is not permitted.Rent increases are limited
Existing tenancies can only be increased once every 12 months, by no more than the provincial cap, and with three full months of written 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.A large part of Champlain Heights is co-op housing, and co-ops fill their homes from their own waitlists rather than by advertising, so anyone offering to sell you a spot is not legitimate. For the rest, Killarney covers a lot of ground and the three parts of it feel very different, so be sure you know which one a listing is actually in before you travel to a viewing. Never send a deposit before you have seen the unit itself. The tenancy points above are general information about renting in British Columbia, not legal or financial advice. For guidance on your own tenancy, contact the Residential Tenancy Branch.How liv.rent verification works
Killarney rental questions
Why are there so many townhouses in Killarney?
Because Champlain Heights was planned that way. From the late 1960s the City developed a large tract of land here as co-ops and strata clusters of row housing laid out around green corridors rather than a conventional street grid. The result is that about 30% of the homes in Killarney are row houses, against 3.5% across Vancouver, and the neighbourhood with the next highest share manages 7%. For renters it means a real chance at a multi bedroom home with a front door and a patch of grass, which is rare elsewhere in the city.
Is Killarney affordable?
It is about average for purpose built apartments and good value on space. CMHC's October 2025 survey put the average rent at $1,968 in its Southeast Vancouver zone, essentially level with the $1,970 citywide figure, on 2.4% vacancy against 3.7% across Vancouver. The advantage here is what you get for it: the average household is 2.6 people, most homes have real bedrooms, and townhouses and house suites make up a large share of the supply. The newer River District towers price above the zone average.
What is River District?
The redevelopment of the old East Fraser Lands on the waterfront at the southern edge of Killarney, and effectively a neighbourhood of its own. It has mid rise and high rise buildings, a Save-On-Foods and a small restaurant row, a riverfront park and seawall, and its own bus, the 31, which runs to Metrotown Station. It is where most of the newer purpose built rental in Killarney is, and it accounts for most of the 13% population growth the local area recorded between 2016 and 2021. It is also a half hour walk from the Killarney community centre, so treat it as a separate location when you are comparing listings.
How bad is the commute from Killarney?
Honest answer: it is one of the longer ones in the city. There is no SkyTrain station in Killarney, and Joyce–Collingwood is about twelve minutes away by bus. Downtown is comfortably three quarters of an hour door to door on transit. If you are heading to Burnaby or Metrotown instead, the 49 gets you there in about twenty minutes and the picture looks much better. A lot of households here keep a car.
Is Killarney a good neighbourhood for families?
It is one of the better ones for space and facilities. Killarney Secondary, the community centre, an ice rink, a leisure pool and Killarney Park are all within a five minute walk of each other, there are half a dozen elementary schools inside the boundary, and the housing is dominated by townhouses and suites rather than studios. The trade offs are the commute and the thin retail: a proper shop usually means Champlain Mall, Kingsway or Metrotown.
What green space is there in Killarney?
More than most of Vancouver. Killarney Park sits beside the community centre, Champlain Heights is threaded with green corridors and small parks, and Everett Crowley Park at the southeastern edge is a 38 hectare second growth forest on a reclaimed landfill, with proper trails and almost no crowds. The River District end adds a riverfront park and a stretch of seawall along the Fraser.
Ready to look? Browse Killarney rentalsStudios from $1,744 to 4+ beds from $4,700
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