This City Is The Best Place To Live In Canada In 2024, With Low House Prices & High Salaries

The best places to live in Canada will vary depending on what you're looking for — however, if it's low house prices and high salaries you're after, one Canadian city is apparently a cut above the rest.

A new study ranked the best places to live in Canada based on the price of housing, cost of living, and the city's average monthly salary.

The study found that one Canadian city offered the best bang for Canadians' bucks when it came to the cost of housing and how much citizens can expect to get paid.

TopMove, a Canadian moving company marketplace, ranked 10 Canadian cities according to which offered the lowest housing prices, highest salaries, and cheapest cost of living.

Each city was given a score from one to 10 based on these factors. Lower house prices and cost of living in a city contributed to a higher score, while lower average salaries decreased the score of a city.

The company found Calgary, Alberta, to be the best place in Canada to live, thanks to the city's low house prices and high salaries.

Calgary, Alberta. Nataliia Kvitovska | Unsplash

Calgary earned its top place with affordable house prices of around $745 per square metre, the lowest on the list.

Those who work in the city can expect a high salary of $4,500, per month, on average, one of the highest in the ranking, according to TopMove.

Beyond the costs of housing and what prospective Calgarians can potentially earn, Calgary also boasts stunning natural beauty, including proximity to several iconic national parks like Banff National Park, Elk Island National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park, all of which are located 3 hours or less from the city.

Banff National Park. Jacky Huang | Unsplash

The second best city in Canada to live in was found to be Halifax, Nova Scotia, which boasts a low cost of living at $1,454 for one person, average house prices of $881.23 per square metre, and an average monthly salary of $3,670.57.

Following Halifax, Ottawa was ranked as the third-best city to live in Canada. The capital city scored well for its high average monthly salary ($4,161.16), and low house prices ($938.18 per square metre), though it did record the highest cost of living out of the 10 cities listed at $1,652.50 per month for one person.

At the tail end of the list was Vancouver, which ranked last on the list of best cities to live in Canada due to having the highest house price at $20,568.53 per square metre and the third highest cost of living at $1,595.80 per month for a single person.

While Toronto fared better than Vancouver, it wasn't by much — the city was ranked fifth out of 10 with the third-highest house prices on the list ($14,933.18 per square metre), though its high average salary ($4,590.98 per month) and relatively low cost of living ($1,541.50 per month for one person) improved its score.

The best places to live in Canada

Here's how other Canadian cities performed in the ranking, according to TopMove:

1. Calgary - Cost of living: $1,620.90, House price: $745.41, Salary: $4,534.13
2. Halifax - Cost of living: $1,454.50, House price: $881.23, Salary: $3,670.57
3. Ottawa - Cost of living: $1,652.50, House price: $938.18, Salary: $4,161.16
4. Montreal - Cost of living: $1,344.1, House price: $11,376.19, Salary: $3,643.35
5. Toronto - Cost of living: $1,541.50, House price: $14,933.18, Salary: $4,590.98
6. Victoria - Cost of living: $1,578.50, House price: $981.28, Salary: $3,513.67
7. Edmonton - Cost of living: $1,479, House price: $7,507.82, Salary: $3,991.33
8. Winnipeg - Cost of living: $1,392.10, House price: $17,185.21, Salary: $3,183.81
9. Quebec City - Cost of living: $1,490.50, House price: $14,375, Salary: $3,636.07
10. Vancouver - Cost of living: $1,595.80 House price: $20,568.53, Salary: $4,042.45