These Ontario cities offer the lowest housing fees in the province: report

Iheartradio.ca
Jan. 11, 2023
Alex Arsenych

Homeowners and renters in Ontario pay some of the most expensive fees across the country, but a few cities in the province have more affordable prices.

Point2Homes, an online real estate search portal, looked at the country’s 50 largest cities to see how much homeowners and renters are shelling out each month to pay for where they live. For homeowner costs, the study accounted for property taxes, condo fees, and mortgages (where applicable) based on data from the latest census.

Ontario cities boast some of the most expensive shelter costs -- “particularly given their high rent prices and share of households spending 30 per cent or more of income on housing costs.”

Oakville, Ont., is the most expensive city in Canada for both homeowners and renters alike when it comes to living fees, setting residents back $2,384 and $2,146 per month, respectively.

Many cities across the Greater Toronto Area are pricy for homeowners, with Brampton, Milton, Vaughan, Ajax, Markham, Whitby, and Toronto rounding out the top 10 list. However, for renters, Mississauga and Burlington are more expensive, according to the report.

But, there are some spots across the province where residents pay more affordable prices, like St. Catharines, Windsor, and Greater Sudbury.

Those in St. Catharines pay $1,306 for their overall housing costs, while renters pay $1,168 per month, making it one of the smallest price margins between both shelter types across the country with a $138 difference.

The report also shows how much of a difference it would cost renters who wish to become homeowners with mortgages.

Those who want to make the change in Toronto will see the biggest jump of roughly $1,230, going from an average of $1,618 for rent a month to $2,852 for monthly mortgage house payments. In Hamilton, it’s a $988 jump, and in Ottawa, it’s $772.

For December, the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) said home sales were down by roughly 48 per cent from last year.

“Following a very strong start to the year, home sales trended lower in the spring and summer of 2022, as aggressive Bank of Canada interest rate hikes further hampered housing affordability," TRREB President Paul Baron said in a statement accompanying the latest data.