This Is What $500 Rent Can Get You In Cities Across Canada
$500 can you get a lot in some places, and just a little in others.
Curious to see how what you get for your rent stacks up to rent in other cities? Canada is a big country, so it's expected that there are some big differences in rent value between cities. Considering the average rent for a one bedroom can be as high as $2200 in some cities (cough, cough Toronto) and much lower in others, it's crazy to see just how different $500 rent means in various Canadian cities.
READ ALSO: Vancouver Housing Prices Are Finally Dropping Significantly And We Are Shocked
$500 a month rent can get you a nice apartment centrally located in some cities (hello Montreal!), and very little space in others. You're about to find out just how big that gap is. Check out what $500 a month can get Canadians in various cities across the country.
*Disclaimer: all of these listings were found on Craigslist and Kijiji and information provided in the article is based on the information presented on these websites.
Toronto
It's pretty impossible to find a one bedroom in the center of Toronto right now that is $500 or lower. It's well known that rent in Toronto is seriously expensive–last month, in September 2018, the average cost of a one bedroom rental in Toronto hit $2200 and was the most expensive in the whole country. We were able to find on Kijiji a basement suite on the outskirts of Toronto in Scarbourough.
Rent: $500
Type: Shared basement suite
Size: Not listed
Neighbourhood: Scarborough, Toronto
Features: Laminate floors, Separate entrance, Close to TTC and School, Separate Laundry, 4 piece washroom, A/C
Montréal
In Montréal, there are apartments that are more affordable, such as this 3 1/2 apartment. Compared to other big Canadian cities like Vancouver or Toronto, Montréal has noticeably more affordable rent. The average rent for an one bedroom apartment in Montréal was $830 in September 2018, which is over half the price of Vancouver and Toronto's average one bedroom rent.
Rent: $590
Type: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment
Size: Not listed
Neighbourhood: Montréal-Nord, Montréal
Features: Renovated bathrooms, repainted apartment and new hardwood floor, Buses, a hospital, malls, grocery stores and schools nearby, heat and hot water included, Security cameras installed in the building, Concierge in building.
Greater Vancouver Area
Unfortunately, right now, it's pretty near impossible to rent a bedroom in the city of Vancouver, such as downtown, for $500 or under. Vancouver currently has the second most expensive average rent in the country, after Toronto. However, there are options in the Greater Vancouver Area, such as this shared house in Surrey.
Rent: $350 for reference but negotiable
Type: 1 bedroom in shared house of 4 bedrooms
Size: 2000 sq. feet house
Neighbourhood: Surrey, Metro Vancouver
Features: Stove, Fridge, Oven, Washer/Dryer, Dish Washer, four minutes walking from bus stop, close to mall.
Calgary
When we tried to search up places for rent in Calgary for under $500, this is what we got as a result: "Zero local results found. Here are some from nearby areas. Checking 'include nearby areas' will expand your search." So we had to increase the price until we found any properties as a result. After increasing to $700, the search still returned only three available places, including this two bedroom apartment. But if you think about it, if you split the apartment, it's only $350 each.
Rent: $700 for the whole apartment or $350 per person.
Type: 2 bedroom apartment
Size: Not listed
Neighbourhood: University of Calgary, Calgary
Features: Walking distance to university and Brentwood C-Train station, two bedrooms and two bathroom suite, balcony, open kitchen and living room, in-suite laundry.
Edmonton
Similar to Calgary, it was difficult in Edmonton to find many listings at $500 or under a month rent. We did however find this basement bachelor suite located in Little Italy of Edmonton. Then again there were only 294 listings available for rent in Edmonton on Craigslist (similar to the 242 in Calgary), which is only about 10 percent of the number of listings in Toronto and Vancouver–both cities had around 3000.
Rent: $425
Type: Basement bachelor suite
Size: Not listed
Neighbourhood: Little Italy, Edmonton
Features: Rent includes all utilities, heat and hot water, refurbished suite, low maintenance tile flooring, brand new kitchen and bath, gas stove, renovated suite with new flooring, new kitchen cabinets, new appliances, new bathroom fixtures.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg only has 85 total listings for rent on Craigslist, which is minute compared to the 2296 listings in Montreal and 3000 in Toronto and even less than those in Calgary and Edmonton. Of the 85, we found this one bedroom condo.
Rent: $500
Type: One bedroom condo
Size: 685 sq. ft
Neighbourhood: Ft. Richmond, Winnipeg
Features: Close to University of Manitoba and includes all amenities, balcony, in suite laundry, water, heat, and parking are included in rent.
Disclaimer: This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.