10 cheapest major cities for rent in North America; Canadian city tops it

One of the cheapest major cities for rent in North America is in Canada.

As housing prices soar, it is difficult for many people to find an affordable Canadian city. Rent is particularly high in the country’s largest cities.

The most recent National Rent Report lists Mississauga as the fifth-most expensive city in Canada and third in Ontario. Vancouver, Burnaby, Toronto and Oakville took the top four spots on the list in October.

But when ranking cities across North America, a new report finds Canadian cities are actually much cheaper for rent.

When looking at the top 50 major cities for digital nomad workers, online slots site Betway found the cheapest places to live are in Canada.

The report looked at factors important to digital nomads such as rent, Wifi speeds, number of cafes, access to national parks and average temperatures in the rankings.

At the top of the list for lowest rent of major cities is Quebec City.

The latest rental report from Zumper finds, as of November 2023, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Centre-ville Québec City, Québec, QC is $1,750.

Betway put Québec City’s average monthly rent (all types of rentals) at $1,920. Next is Edmonton at $2,220.

In Ontario, Hamilton tops the list for cheapest rents at $2,700 and Toronto and Vancouver are in the sixth and seventh spots.

Perhaps not surprisingly New York, Miami and Los Angeles are much more expensive.

When considering all factors, Toronto topped the list as the best place for digital nomads.

“While not offering the widest selection of cafes and bars to work in (though there are still 471 to choose from), Toronto boasts the best internet speed of any city we ranked, running at an excellent 111.87mbps,” the report notes.

Betway incorrectly suggests the nearest national park is 23 miles away from Toronto. Rouge National Urban Park is actually in Toronto.

New York and Los Angeles came in second and third place for remote workers.

And Montreal and Edmonton were fourth and fifth.

“Famous for bagels and poutine, you can enjoy both of these Canadian treats alongside a cheap average monthly rent of $2,880, which gives you plenty of spare change to hit up all those tourist hotspots,” Betway notes about Montreal.

Highlights for Edmonton include Canada’s largest mall and even lower rent than Montreal at $2,220.

Sadly, Kitchener came in at the bottom of Betway’s ranking. It has just 31 cafes and bars for working, which ties it with Riverside for the lowest number of cafes for any of the cities, the report notes. It is also far from any national park.

To see the full study, visit the Betway website here.