Canada Renter Interest Report: Moncton, NB, holds #1 in Q3 2026, Victoria climbs to #2 & Oshawa, ON, makes biggest leap

Moncton, NB, tops our Canada renter interest ranking for the fifth consecutive quarter, extending its run as the country’s most in-demand rental market. The Q3 Canada Renter Interest Report also shows smaller and mid-sized cities holding the entire top 10 for the second quarter in a row, with Victoria, BC, climbing to its best position on record and Oshawa, ON, making the quarter’s biggest leap.

The summer quarter brought a reshuffle near the top of the list rather than a new leader. According to Yardi data, the national vacancy rate held steady at 4.7% in Q3 2026 and in-place rents grew at their slowest pace since 2020 as most tenants stayed put. Browsing activity kept declining year-over-year in most cities, but renters in several smaller markets saved far more listings than a year ago — a sign that those still searching are quick to act when they find an apartment they like.

Canada’s top 10 cities for renter interest in Q3 2026

To determine which rental markets attracted the most attention, we reviewed millions of renter interactions on RentCafe.com during the third quarter of 2026. We ranked cities based on four main indicators of renter activity:

• available listings
• listing views
• apartments saved as favourites
• saved personalized searches

The third quarter of 2026 rearranged the top five of Canada’s most in-demand rental markets. Moncton, NB, ranked #1 nationally, maintaining its lead in our Canada Renter Interest Report. Victoria, BC, and Hamilton, ON, swapped places with Victoria taking #2 and Hamilton settling at #3.

Elsewhere, Halifax, NS, climbed two spots to #4 and Kitchener, ON, also moved up two places to #5 to round out the top five. Last quarter’s #4, Windsor, ON, eased to #9 but held onto a top-10 spot for the third straight quarter.

Canada’s top 10 cities for renter interest in Q3 2026

Ten cities ranked nationally • Marker size and colour reflect total score

1. 1MonctonNB100.00
2. 2VictoriaBC75.38
3. 3HamiltonON68.71
4. 4HalifaxNS64.74
5. 5KitchenerON59.55
6. 6WinnipegMB58.78
7. 7SaskatoonSK55.30
8. 8OshawaON53.81
9. 9WindsorON52.62
10. 10NanaimoBC51.79

Source: RentCafe.com proprietary data as of October 2026 • All data is accurate as of the date of publication.

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This points to renter demand staying concentrated outside Canada’s largest cities in the third quarter, with Ontario’s mid-sized markets and Vancouver Island once again seeing the strongest apartment search activity.

Moncton, NB, claims top spot for 5th quarter running

Moncton, NB, maintained its position as Canada’s top rental market in Q3 2026, leading the ranking for the fifth straight quarter with a perfect score of 100.00. The city ranked #1 nationally on three of the four indicators we track — page views, favourites and saved searches. Three trends help explain its lead:

• Page views rose sharply year-over-year, once again bucking the national trend of declining browsing activity across most markets.
• Favourited listings rose 60%, a sign that apartment-hunters are acting on the listings they find.
• Availability dropped 13% compared to the same quarter last year, keeping the pool of listings tight.

Saved searches were the one indicator that softened, down 36% year-over-year, although Moncton still ranked #1 nationally on this metric relative to its renter population.

Yardi data helps explain Moncton’s staying power: New Brunswick, newly covered in the Yardi Canadian National Multifamily Report, posted the strongest new-lease rent growth of the nine provinces tracked (up 3.7%) and the lowest provincial vacancy rate (2.2%).

Moncton has now led the ranking in six of the nine quarters published so far, including the last five in a row — the longest streak at the top since the ranking began. Aside from locals, the most interest in apartments in Moncton comes from renters in Halifax, NS, followed by Montréal and Toronto.

Canada’s largest cities shut out of top 10

For the second consecutive quarter, none of Canada’s largest rental markets placed in the national top 10. Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal, Edmonton and Calgary remain in high demand, but year-over-year engagement continued to fall across the group. One significant change: Edmonton, AB, is now the highest-ranked of the large cities at #14, overtaking Vancouver for the first time since Q3 2025.

Edmonton, AB

Edmonton moved up two positions to #14 nationally with a score of 47.94 — the best result among Canada’s largest cities this quarter.

• Saved searches fell 44% year-over-year, yet Edmonton still ranked #4 nationally for this metric relative to its renter population.
• Favourited listings slipped just 7% in one of the mildest declines among major markets, placing the city #7 for favourites.
• Page views declined 59% and availability rose 10%, giving renters more options and less reason to hurry.

Besides locals, most renter interest in apartments in Edmonton comes from Calgary and Vancouver.

Renter interest in Canada’s large cities in Q3 2026

National ranking positions • Change compared with Q2 2026

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5 of 5 cities

Renter interest in Canada’s large cities in Q3 2026. The ranks are national positions, not ranks within these five cities. Column headings can be used to sort.

Overall rank▲	City⇅	Province⇅	Total score⇅	Change in rank vs. Q2 2026⇅	Availability rank⇅	Page views rank⇅	Favourites rank⇅	Saved searches rank⇅
14	Edmonton	AB	47.94	+ 2	22	15	7	4
16	Vancouver	BC	46.39	– 3	11	10	18	11
21	Calgary	AB	37.96	– 4	20	21	12	12
22	Toronto	ON	37.50	+ 0	19	20	14	15
23	Montréal	QC	22.91	+ 2	23	22	23	23

The final ranking is based on the sum of scores across all categories: availability of apartments (maximum of 40 points), page views (maximum of 30 points), apartments saved as favourites (maximum of 15 points) and saved personalized searches (maximum of 15 points). For each score, we considered year-over-year percentage change and overall volume.

Source: RentCafe.com proprietary data as of October 2026 • All data is accurate as of the date of publication.

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Exports include all matching cities in the current sort order. Get Data downloads a CSV.

Vancouver, BC

Vancouver slipped three positions to rank #16 nationally with a score of 46.39 (its second quarter outside the top 10).

• Availability rose 4% compared to the prior year, the first increase after sharp declines in the first half of 2026.
• Page views declined 34%, favourited listings fell 52% and saved searches dropped 37%, a continued pullback across all engagement metrics.

Aside from locals, interest in apartments in Vancouver comes primarily from renters in Calgary, followed by Surrey, BC, and Toronto.

Calgary, AB

Calgary fell four positions to rank #21 nationally with a score of 37.96, reversing last quarter’s gains.

• Page views fell 71% year-over-year — the steepest decline in browsing activity among the large cities.
• Saved searches dropped 59%, while availability edged down 2%, a warning that the supply growth seen at the start of the year is levelling off.

Aside from local searches, renter interest in apartments in Calgary comes from Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto.

Toronto, ON

Toronto held at #22 nationally with a score of 37.50, matching its lowest position on record.

• Availability rose 34% compared to the prior year, continuing to add to the city’s available inventory.
• Page views declined 54%, favourited listings fell 27% and saved searches dropped 57% as engagement retreated across every metric.

Other than locals, the most interest in apartments in Toronto comes from renters in Ottawa, followed by Montréal and Mississauga, ON.

Montréal, QC

Montréal climbed two positions to #23 with a score of 22.91, moving off the bottom of the national ranking for the first time since Q3 2025.

• Availability rose 19% from the prior year, giving apartment-hunters more options.
• Page views fell 69% and favourited listings declined 49%, signalling that many renters continue to stay put rather than move.

Interest in apartments in Montréal comes from renters in Toronto, in addition to locals.

Holding on: Smaller cities keep entire top 10

Smaller and mid-sized cities swept the top 10 for the second quarter in a row. Specifically, eight of the 10 returned from last quarter’s list, joined by Saskatoon, SK, and Oshawa, ON, which replaced London, ON, and Regina, SK. With listings still scarce in most of these markets and favourited listings up sharply in several of them, they remain strong alternatives to Canada’s largest urban centres.

Victoria, BC

Victoria climbed one position to rank #2 nationally with a score of 75.38 — its best placement since the ranking began.

• Availability fell 57% from the prior year — one of the sharpest supply contractions among the 25 cities tracked, behind Windsor and Guelph, ON — and Victoria’s already low availability rate placed it #1 for this metric.
• Saved searches slipped 13%, but still ranked #2 nationally relative to the city’s renter population, while favourites edged up 3%.
• Page views declined 27% for a milder pullback than in most markets.

Aside from locals, the most interest in apartments in Victoria comes from renters in Vancouver, followed by Calgary and Oak Bay, BC.

Hamilton, ON

Hamilton ranks #3 nationally with a score of 68.71, stepping down one spot after three consecutive quarters at #2. The slip reflects a larger pool of listings rather than fading interest, indicating that renter demand here remains among the strongest in the country.

• Favourited listings surged 139% from the prior year, ranking second nationally for this metric.
• Page views rose 27% year-over-year. It’s worth noting here that Hamilton and Moncton, NB, were the only cities where browsing activity grew compared to the same quarter last year.
• Availability rose 27% (a reversal from the steep decline recorded last quarter), dropping Hamilton from #4 to #15 for this indicator.

Interest in apartments in Hamilton comes from renters in Toronto, followed by Brampton, ON, and Montréal.

Halifax, NS

Halifax climbed two positions to rank #4 nationally with a score of 64.74 — its eighth consecutive quarter in the top 10.

• Page views dipped just 4% year-over-year, in one of the most resilient readings in the country, ranking Halifax #3 for this metric.
• Favourited listings rose 4%, while availability increased 33% from the prior year, loosening a market that had been among the tightest in Canada.
• Saved searches fell 41%.

The most interest in apartments in Halifax comes from renters in Toronto, followed by Dartmouth, NS, and Montréal, along with local apartment-hunters.

Renter interest in Canada’s top trending cities in Q3 2026

Full national ranking • Change compared with Q2 2026

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25 of 25 cities

Renter interest in Canada’s top trending cities in Q3 2026. Column headings can be used to sort.

Rank▲	City⇅	Province⇅	Total score⇅	Change in rank vs. Q2 2026⇅	Availability rank⇅	Page views rank⇅	Favourites rank⇅	Saved searches rank⇅
1	Moncton	NB	100.00	+ 0	9	1	1	1
2	Victoria	BC	75.38	+ 1	1	5	8	2
3	Hamilton	ON	68.71	– 1	15	2	2	6
4	Halifax	NS	64.74	+ 2	12	3	5	8
5	Kitchener	ON	59.55	+ 2	10	7	9	5
6	Winnipeg	MB	58.78	– 1	8	9	13	3
7	Saskatoon	SK	55.30	+ 4	17	14	4	7
8	Oshawa	ON	53.81	+ 11	21	4	3	13
9	Windsor	ON	52.62	– 5	5	6	25	22
10	Nanaimo	BC	51.79	– 2	3	12	15	19
11	Kingston	ON	50.93	+ 1	18	8	6	10
12	London	ON	50.02	– 3	7	13	16	9
13	Barrie	ON	49.06	+ 7	4	11	19	25
14	Edmonton	AB	47.94	+ 2	22	15	7	4
15	Guelph	ON	47.93	+ 0	2	23	20	17
16	Vancouver	BC	46.39	– 3	11	10	18	11
17	Ottawa	ON	45.32	– 3	13	18	11	14
18	Regina	SK	42.47	– 8	16	16	10	16
19	Niagara Falls	ON	41.32	– 1	6	24	24	24
20	Kelowna	BC	38.69	+ 1	14	19	17	18
21	Calgary	AB	37.96	– 4	20	21	12	12
22	Toronto	ON	37.50	+ 0	19	20	14	15
23	Montréal	QC	22.91	+ 2	23	22	23	23
24	St. Catharines	ON	19.34	– 1	24	25	21	20
25	Gatineau	QC	14.30	– 1	25	17	22	21

The final ranking is based on the sum of scores across all categories: availability of apartments (maximum of 40 points), page views (maximum of 30 points), apartments saved as favourites (maximum of 15 points) and saved personalized searches (maximum of 15 points). For each score, we considered year-over-year percentage change and overall volume.

Source: RentCafe.com proprietary data as of October 2026 • All data is accurate as of the date of publication.

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Exports include all matching cities in the current sort order. Get Data downloads a CSV.

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Kitchener, ON

Kitchener moved up two positions to rank #5 nationally with a score of 59.55 — its highest rank on record and its second straight quarter in the top 10, after debuting at #7 in Q2.

• Availability declined 34% year-over-year, keeping competition for apartments high.
• Favourited listings rose 68% and saved searches edged up 6%, lifting Kitchener from #17 to #5 for saved searches.
• Page views declined 20%.

Kitchener’s momentum reflects the Tri-Cities’ strong job base and proximity to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Renter interest in Kitchener comes primarily from local searches, along with renters from Toronto; Waterloo, ON; and Brampton, ON.

Winnipeg, MB

Winnipeg slipped one position to #6 nationally with a score of 58.78, extending its streak as a fixture of the top 10. As a matter of fact, Winnipeg and Victoria are the only two cities to have appeared in every top 10 we’ve published.

• Availability fell 21% year-over-year, keeping supply among the tightest of major Canadian cities.
• Saved searches declined 38% but Winnipeg still ranked #3 nationally for this metric, even as favourites fell 51% and page views dropped 56%.

Winnipeg attracts strong interest from local renters and apartment-seekers in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Nanaimo, BC

Nanaimo slipped two positions to #10 overall with a score of 51.79, holding onto a top-10 spot for the second quarter in a row.

• Nanaimo posted the lowest availability rate of all 25 cities tracked, with listings down 28% year-over-year.
• Page views declined 39%.

Although Nanaimo has the lowest availability rate of all 25 cities — the fewest listings relative to the size of its rental market — it ranks third for this metric, behind Victoria and Guelph, ON. That’s because the availability score also reflects the year-over-year change in the share of available apartments, and listings in both of those cities fell far more sharply than in Nanaimo.

Together with Victoria’s #2 finish, Nanaimo’s result keeps two Vancouver Island markets in the top 10 for the second straight quarter. Besides local searches, interest in Nanaimo comes primarily from renters in Vancouver and Calgary.

Stepping up: Cities making biggest leaps this quarter

Two Greater Golden Horseshoe commuter markets and a Prairie city powered this quarter’s biggest gains, as Oshawa, ON, and Barrie, ON, climbed 11 and seven places, respectively, and Saskatoon, SK, returned to the top 10.

Oshawa, ON

Oshawa recorded the largest jump by climbing 11 positions to #8 overall with a score of 53.81. This marks its highest position on record and its first appearance in the top 10 since Q4 2024.

• Favourited listings more than doubled, up 129% compared to the same quarter last year, ranking Oshawa #3 nationally for this metric.
• Page views held nearly steady, down just 1% year-over-year, to place the city at #4 for page views at a time when most markets saw double-digit declines.
• Availability rose 10%, so the gain is driven by renter engagement rather than a shrinking pool of listings.

Oshawa’s rebound reverses the five-spot drop it recorded last quarter and points to renewed demand along the GTA’s eastern commuter belt. Notably, more of the interest in Oshawa listings came from renters in Toronto than from Oshawa itself, with renters in Whitby, ON, and Brampton, ON, next in line.

Barrie, ON

Barrie climbed seven positions to #13 with a score of 49.06, continuing its recovery from #24 in Q1 2026, when it posted the steepest decline among the 25 cities tracked.

• Availability declined 35% year-over-year (a sharp reversal from the 50% increase recorded in the first quarter), ranking Barrie #4 for this indicator.
• Page views fell 37% for a milder decline than in many markets, lifting the city from #24 to #11 for this metric.

Barrie’s turnaround suggests that the listings that piled up at the start of the year have since been leased. Renter interest in Barrie comes primarily from locals and searches from Toronto.

Saskatoon, SK

Saskatoon climbed four positions to #7 overall with a score of 55.30 to return to the top 10 after a one-quarter absence.

• Favourited listings rose 50% year-over-year, ranking Saskatoon #4 nationally for this metric.
• Availability rose 10% — a far gentler increase than the 43% recorded last quarter — while page views declined 59% and saved searches fell 33%.

Saskatoon’s return puts it ahead of its Saskatchewan neighbour, Regina, for the first time since Q4 2025. Besides locals, most renter interest in apartments in Saskatoon comes from Winnipeg, Calgary and Regina.

Cooling off: Where renter interest softened

The third quarter also saw several markets lose ground. Specifically, Regina, SK, dropped out of the top 10 after six quarters; Windsor, ON, eased from #4 to #9; and London, ON, slipped just outside the top 10. Meanwhile, Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary each lost three or four positions.

These changes in renter behaviour reflect broader market conditions outlined in the latest Yardi Canadian National Multifamily Report. The national vacancy rate was unchanged at 4.7% in Q3 2026, while annual turnover rose to 26.4%, up from 25.0% a year earlier. In-place rents grew just 1.7% from the prior year to $1,790 — the smallest increase since Yardi began tracking rents in 2020 — and rent growth on newly signed leases was negative for a third straight quarter, though the decline is moderating.

Regina, SK

Regina recorded the steepest decline this quarter, falling eight positions to rank #18 nationally with a score of 42.47 and ending a six-quarter run in the top 10.

• Availability rose 42% year-over-year, relaxing what had been one of the Prairies’ tighter rental markets.
• Page views declined 53%, although favourited listings edged up 7% as the renters still searching continued to shortlist units.

Regina’s pullback contrasts with Saskatoon’s return to the top 10 and leaves the city well below the #3 peak it reached in Q3 2025. Most renter interest in apartments in Regina comes from Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto, as well as those searching locally.

Windsor, ON

Windsor slipped five positions to #9 overall with a score of 52.62, cooling after two quarters of strong gains but holding a top-10 spot for the third quarter in a row.

• Availability declined 68% from the prior year — the steepest supply contraction among all 25 cities tracked.
• Page views fell just 4% in a far milder pullback than most markets, suggesting that renters remain engaged despite a shrinking supply of listings.

Relatively low rents continue to anchor demand in Canada’s southernmost market in our ranking, and the modest drop in page views implies that renters are still watching closely in spite of dwindling listings. Renter interest in Windsor comes primarily from local searches and Toronto.

London, ON

London fell three positions to #12 nationally with a score of 50.02, dropping out of the top 10 just one quarter after returning to it.

• Favourited listings declined 41% and saved searches fell 33% as the engagement that powered last quarter’s climb faded.
• Availability declined 9% year-over-year, keeping London at #7 nationally for this metric, while page views fell 44%.

London’s dip is modest, and the city remains within reach of the top 10. Most interest in London comes from local apartment-hunters and renters in Toronto, followed by Brampton, ON, and Montréal.

Ottawa, ON

Ottawa slipped three positions to #17 with a score of 45.32.

• Saved searches dropped 69% year-over-year, the steepest decline in this metric among all cities tracked.
• Page views declined 58%, while availability was flat compared to the same quarter last year.

Aside from locals, the most interest in apartments in Ottawa comes from renters in Toronto, followed by Montréal and Gatineau, QC.

Provincial overview: Ontario maintains its lead

Looking at the provincial breakdown, Ontario leads again in Q3 2026 with four cities in the top 10 — Hamilton (#3), Kitchener (#5), Oshawa (#8) and Windsor (#9) — matching the record it set last quarter. British Columbia placed two cities (Victoria and Nanaimo), while New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan each contributed one (Moncton, Halifax, Winnipeg and Saskatoon, respectively).

Canada’s top provinces for renter interest in Q3 2026

Provinces by number of cities in the top 10 national ranking

04 cities

• Ontario4
• British Columbia2
• Manitoba1
• New Brunswick1
• Nova Scotia1
• Saskatchewan1
• Alberta0
• Québec0
• Newfoundland and Labrador0
• Prince Edward Island0

Source: RentCafe.com proprietary data as of October 2026 • All data is accurate as of the date of publication.

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Notably, Alberta missed the top 10 for the third consecutive quarter, even as Edmonton (#14) became the highest-ranked of Canada’s largest cities. Calgary (#21) also continued to slide. Québec also placed no cities in the top 10, with Montréal (#23) and Gatineau (#25) occupying two of the bottom three spots.

FAQ

Methodology

RentCafe.com is a nationwide apartment search website that enables renters to easily find apartments and houses for rent throughout Canada.

To compile this report, the research team analysed RentCafe.com’s rental listing data across 25 Canadian cities with a relevant listing inventory sample. The regions are defined according to Statistics Canada.

The cities were ranked based on a city-level rental interest score. Full points were awarded to the most desirable city for a particular metric, while the zero-point level was set slightly below the lowest-ranking city’s value. Cities that lacked sufficient information regarding specific metrics were awarded zero points.

The city with the highest total score was awarded 100 points and all other cities’ total scores were adjusted accordingly.

To score each city, we tracked year-over-year changes across four metrics, ranked the cities based on those results and tracked how each city’s position changed from the previous quarter.

1. Availability rate (Maximum score: 40 points)

The availability rate score was calculated by dividing the total vacant units at the city level for the third quarter of 2026 by the total units and adding a year-over-year comparison of the same. The lowest rate received maximum points.

2. Page views (Maximum score: 30 points)

The page views score was calculated as the total number of page views during the third quarter of 2026 at the city level divided by the total renter population in the city and adding a year-over-year comparison of the same. Page views are defined as a unique visitor interaction on a specific page in a 30-minute window.

3. Favourites (Maximum score: 15 points)

The favourites score was calculated as the total rental listings added to favourites at the city level for the third quarter of 2026 divided by the total renter population in the city and adding a year-over-year comparison of the same. A favourite is defined as a rental listing saved to favourites by a website visitor.

4. Saved searches (Maximum score: 15 points)

The saved searches score was calculated as the total number of saved searches at the city level for the third quarter of 2026 divided by the total renter population in the city and adding a year-over-year comparison of the same. A saved search is defined as a filtered/personalized apartment search saved by a website visitor.

Fair use and redistribution

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