Canada's top 5 'most expensive cities' are all in this one province and the prices are wild

Things are looking especially pricey for one Canadian province, with the top five most expensive cities to rent in all within it's borders.

While Vancouver is notorious for sky-high rental costs, its neighbouring cities aren’t offering much relief either. According to liv.rent's 2025 Rental Market Trend Report, which provides a look back at the 2024 rental market and key factors shaping 2025, B.C. continues to dominate the list of priciest places to live.

The report highlighted both the most expensive and the most affordable rental markets in the country — and if you guessed that most B.C. cities landed on the pricey side, you'd be right.

In fact, the entire list of the “Top 5 Most Expensive Cities in Canada” was made up of B.C. spots, based on the average monthly rent for an unfurnished one-bedroom unit.

West Vancouver came in first place with a eye-watering rent price of $2,751. Next up was it's neighbouring city of North Vancouver, which sat at $2,675. Vancouver was third at $2,571, followed by Burnaby at $2,431, and then Richmond at $2,401.

Not exactly great news for Metro Vancouver renters! However, one B.C. city did break the trend — Abbotsford. Located just an hour outside Vancouver, it was the only B.C. city to make the list of the "Top 5 Cheapest Cities in Canada."

Maybe it's time to start looking beyond the big-city limits!

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