These are the top cities people want to move to in Ontario and beyond

The real estate market slowed in 2023 but many people were still thinking of making a move.

A new report from real estate brokerage Zoocasa lists the cities where people were searching for a new home in Ontario and across Canada.

As the most populous city in Canada, it’s no surprise that Toronto took the top spot for the most searched-for city in 2023 on the Zoocasa website, the report notes.

But with inflation and rising borrowing costs, Toronto may not be a good choice for many people.

Benchmark home prices reached a peak of $1,171,300 in Toronto in 2023, according to Zoocasa.

So, homebuyers seemed to be expanding their search in 2023.

For those who wanted to stay in the GTA, Mississauga was the top choice, according to the report.

Mississauga was the most searched-for city in the GTA, followed by Hamilton, Oakville, Oshawa and Brampton. The average price of all home types in Mississauga was $993,352 in November. But a single-detached home was at $1,398,829 in November.

Single-detached home prices in most of the GTA are still around the $1 million mark or higher depending on where you are looking. So many people sought out more affordable options in the province.

After Toronto, London came out as the second-most searched-for city in Ontario in 2023, according to the report.

The benchmark price (not seasonally adjusted) in London and St. Thomas was $577,400 in November 2023, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

As this price is over $500,000 less than the GTA’s November benchmark, it’s no surprise homebuyers sought out London.

London also benefited from more choices as compared to other Ontario cities, with the city experiencing a 5.9 per cent year-over-year increase in new listings in November 2023.

Guelph, Barrie and St. Catharines rounded out the most-searched-for cities list in Ontario. Of the three, St. Catharines had the most affordable benchmark price (not seasonally adjusted) at $584,200, according to Zoocasa.

And for those who wanted to make a move farther afield, searchers had Calgary as their top choice, according to Zoocasa.

Calgary was followed by Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax and Moncton.

Edmonton and Moncton are also lower cost options as both cities boast benchmark prices below $370,000.

It’s also interesting to note where most of the searchers are from — Toronto, Montreal, Mississauga, Ottawa and Vancouver. Zoocasa suggests many people in these large cities are “potentially driven to look outside of their current cities because of rising mortgage costs.”

See the full report from Zoocasa here.