Canada Renter Interest Report: Moncton, NB, leads in Q3 2025 as Vancouver blazes through the charts

With the peak rental season coming to a close, renter activity across Canada remained strong through the third quarter of 2025, even as signs of seasonal cooling appeared in select major markets. Nationwide, search data shows steady interest in rentals, driven by affordability pressures and limited housing supply.

While demand remained solid in key cities, some areas experienced mild slowdowns after the summer moving rush. Still, competition for available units persisted, further highlighting how high home prices and tight inventory continue to steer Canadians toward renting.

To identify Canada’s top-trending rental markets, we analyzed millions of interactions on RentCafe.com during the third quarter of 2025. Specifically, we focused on four key indicators from Canadian properties listed on our website to rank the cities attracting the most interest from apartment-seekers, including:

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

 

The third quarter of 2025 brought significant shifts among Canada’s most sought-after rental cities: Moncton, NB, reclaims the top position, ranking #1 with a perfect score of 100. Halifax, NS, follows closely behind, advancing three places to become the national runner-up.

In the Prairies, Regina, SK, makes a strong showing with a six-position jump to #3, while Winnipeg, MB, slips three positions to settle at #4. Kingston, ON, rounds out the top five after a modest, two-spot decline.

This report showcases trending Canadian cities experiencing growing renter interest in the third quarter of the year. While major hubs like Montréal and Vancouver continue to attract strong attention from apartment-hunters, their year-over-year changes remain moderate, reflecting the maturity and stability of their rental markets.

Moncton tops Canada’s renter interest rankings

Moncton, NB, reclaims the top spot as Canada’s most sought-after rental market. The city has overtaken Winnipeg, MB, after advancing one position from the previous quarter, fuelled by sharp increases in renter engagement:

• Page views rose 58% year-over-year — the highest increase among all Canadian markets.
• Availability fell 53%.
• Saved searches remained #1.
• Favourited listings hold steady, showing consistent interest from apartment seekers.

These results confirm Moncton’s strong appeal among renters, driven by its affordability, livability and expanding opportunities across Atlantic Canada.

The most interest in apartments in Moncton comes from locals, as well as renters in Halifax, NS; Montréal, QC; and Toronto, ON.

Edmonton & Calgary slip in top 10, Toronto hangs back

Canada’s largest rental market shows mixed activity as the summer peak tapers off. While Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, and Calgary continue to attract significant attention, engagement trends vary, with some cities maintaining steady activity and others experiencing a cooldown after mid-year highs.

Edmonton, AB

Edmonton remains one of the country’s most in-demand large rental markets, ranking #6 nationally with a score of 73.97.

• Page views declined 12% year-over-year.
• Favourited listings dropped 25%.
• Saved searches rose 3%, showing continued renter interest.

Edmonton’s steady renter activity underscores its position as a key rental hub in Western Canada, offering a balance of affordability and opportunity.

Calgary, AB

Calgary ranks #9 in Canada with a score of 68.95 after slipping one spot from the previous quarter.

• Page views fell 4% year-over-year.
• Saved searches increased 15%.
• Favourited listings rose 6%.

Calgary’s consistent top-10 presence reflects strong renter confidence with demand supported by the city’s affordability and economic stability.

Vancouver, BC

Vancouver — typically positioned near the lower end of the national ranking — made a remarkable leap this quarter, rising 11 spots straight to #11 with a score of 65.02.

• Favourited listings rose 83% year-over-year.
• Saved searches surged 92%.

These sharp increases in activity point to renewed momentum in Vancouver’s rental market, signaling growing interest after earlier slowdowns.

Toronto, ON

Toronto slipped two positions to #14 with a score of 58.36.

• Page views declined 23% year-over-year.
• Favourited listings dipped 4%.
• Saved searches grew 32%.

Despite softer engagement overall, Toronto remains a hotspot for rental apartments in Canada, driven by job growth and sustained population inflows.

Montréal, QC

Montréal dropped three spots to #24 with a score of 31.26, marking one of the sharpest declines in renter interest among Canada’s large cities.

• Page views fell 42% year-over-year.
• Favourited listings declined 48%.
• Saved searches dropped 38%.

These steep declines point to softer renter demand in Montréal this quarter after several periods of strong engagement.

Punching above their weight: Smaller cities in national spotlight

Several smaller and mid-sized cities stand out this quarter, attracting renter attention well beyond what their populations would suggest. Backed by strong engagement and steady upward movement in the rankings, these markets continue to position themselves as appealing alternatives to Canada’s largest urban hubs.

Halifax, NS

Halifax advances three spots to #2 nationally with a score of 99.89, reflecting a major rise in renter interest this quarter.

• Page views rose 45% year-over-year.
• Favourited listings surged 241%.
• Saved searches ranked within the top two nationally.

That said, Halifax remains a high-interest destination for renters who are drawn by the city’s growing job market, lifestyle appeal and expanding housing options.

Regina, SK

Regina climbs six positions to #3 with a score of 79.92, reflecting renewed renter interest across the Prairie region.

• Page views increased 20% year-over-year.
• Favourited listings saw modest activity.
• Saved searches held steady.

Regina’s activity highlights its affordability and reliable rental demand, keeping it attractive for renters seeking balance and value.

Victoria, BC

Victoria moves up two spots to secure #8 with a score of 71.32, maintaining a solid presence among Canada’s top 10 rental markets.

• Page views grew 16% year-over-year.
• Favourited listings increased 18%.

This activity reflect steady renter demand for Victoria’s coastal lifestyle, reinforcing its position as one of western Canada’s most desirable smaller cities.

Stepping up: Cities making big leaps this quarter

Select cities outside of the top 10 also achieved substantial advances this quarter, thereby demonstrating renewed renter interest and stronger engagement. These fast-moving markets highlight how demand continues to expand beyond Canada’s largest centres.

Vancouver, BC

Vancouver climbed 11 spots from the previous quarter to rank #11 nationally with a score of 65.02.

• Favourited listings increased 83% year-over-year.
• Saved searches rose 92%.

This increased interest reflects renewed renter intent and a rebound in activity across Vancouver’s competitive rental market. The surge comes at a time when the city has nearly 20,000 purpose-built units under construction — a scale of pipeline growth not seen in the last decade.

Interest in apartments in Vancouver originates locally as well as from renters in Burnaby, BC; Surrey, BC; and Toronto, ON.

Hamilton, ON

Hamilton surged 12 positions to #12 with a score of 61.69, marking the biggest leap in the ranking compared to the previous quarter.

• Favourited listings rose 32% year-over-year.
• Page views and saved searches showed modest declines.

This mixed interest suggests that renter engagement remains solid, with Hamilton’s listings continuing to attract attention — just not enough to place the city in the top 10. Here, renter interest comes from renters in Toronto; Burlington, ON; and Mississauga, ON.

All of this highlights how Vancouver and Hamilton are emerging as two of the most searched cities beyond Canada’s leading rental hubs, showing steady growth in renter interest heading into the next quarter.

Cooling off: Where renter interest took a hit

While some cities gained momentum this quarter, others experienced reduced renter activity as attention shifted to new markets. Notably, most slowdowns occurred in Ontario and Québec, where seasonal trends led to softer engagement.

These slowdowns may also mirror broader market trends highlighted in the latest Yardi Canadian National Multifamily Report, which noted that Canada’s national vacancy rate rose to 4.3%, while turnover increased to 25%. At the same time, the average resident length of stay extended to 36 months — up from 34 months a year earlier — indicating that more renters are choosing to remain in their current homes longer.

Niagara Falls, ON

Niagara Falls fell six spots to #21 with a score of 44.10.

• Page views dropped 48% year-over-year.
• Favourited listings and saved searches held steady.

After a period of strong growth, renter activity in Niagara Falls appears to be stabilizing as demand balances across Ontario.

Guelph, ON

Guelph slipped five positions to #23 with a score of 34.21.

• Page views declined 39% year-over-year.
• Engagement weakened across major metrics.

Provincial overview: Ontario attracts most renter interest

At the provincial level, Ontario leads with 12 cities in the national ranking — the highest representation among all provinces. However, a deeper dive reveals that while their presence is strong, only two of these cities managed to break into the top 10: Kingston (#5) and Ottawa (#10).

British Columbia follows in second place with four cities in the ranking, reflecting steady renter interest across its markets. Meanwhile, Québec, Saskatchewan and Alberta each contribute two cities to the ranking, indicating balanced but focused pockets of engagement in their respective rental markets.

Finally, the remaining provinces of Manitoba, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are each represented by one city.

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 analyzed RentCafe.com’s rental listing data across 25 cities in Canada 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 worst city’s value. Cities that lacked sufficient information regarding specific metrics were awarded zero points.

The city that obtained the highest total score was awarded 100 points and all total scores of the following cities were adjusted accordingly.

To calculate each city’s score, we ranked them according to four metrics and their averages as of the third quarter of 2025 (July through September) versus 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 2025 by the total units and a quarter-over-quarter 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 2025 at the city level divided by the total renter population in the city and a quarter-over-quarter 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 2025 divided by the total renter population in the city and a quarter-over-quarter 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 2025 divided by the total renter population in the city and a quarter-over-quarter comparison of the same. A saved search is defined as a filtered/personalized apartment search saved by a website visitor.

Fair use & redistribution

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