How much do rooms for rent in Toronto cost in 2026?
The headline number keeps climbing. Toronto's average asking rent for shared or roommate accommodation ran between CA$1,186 and CA$1,244 through 2025, landing at CA$1,213 in November — up 1.4% year-over-year, per Rentals.ca's National Rent Reports. The University of Toronto's off-campus housing team puts the GTA-wide average slightly lower, at CA$1,146 to CA$1,220 a month, citing CMHC data through early 2026.
Location splits the market hard. Moving2Canada's April 2025 breakdown pegs shared rooms downtown at CA$1,100 to CA$1,500, while areas past Coxwell, Roncesvalles, or Lawrence start around CA$850. For contrast, a purpose-built one-bedroom in the Toronto CMA averaged CA$1,761 in CMHC's October 2025 data — so a shared room stays the cheaper path into the city. There is even a rare tailwind: CMHC recorded a 3.0% purpose-built vacancy rate that same month, the highest since 2021, as migration slowed and condo supply grew. More empty units means more room to negotiate than tenants have had in years.
What can one entry-level income actually afford in Toronto?
📷 Donald Nicholson / Pexels
Start with the paycheque. Ontario's general minimum wage rose to CA$17.60 an hour on October 1, 2025, per the Ministry of Labour. A full-time worker at 40 hours a week takes home roughly CA$2,448 a month after CPP, EI, and income tax, based on Ontario net-pay estimates.
Apply the 30%-of-income affordability rule that CMHC and the Ontario Human Rights Commission both recognise, and that leaves about CA$734 a month for rent. Set that against reality: the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives calculated a renter needs CA$38 an hour — CA$78,333 a year — to keep a Toronto one-bedroom within 30% of income, per its 2024 rental wage update. That is more than double minimum wage.
A living wage does better. The Ontario Living Wage Network set the 2025 GTA figure at CA$27.20 an hour, up from CA$26.00, with shelter alone making up roughly 40% of the calculation. At the same 30% rule, CA$27.20 an hour works out to about CA$990 a month — enough for a shared room in the right neighbourhood, not a solo lease. That single number is the filter for everything below.
The 5 neighbourhoods where one income covers a shared room
📷 Ahnaf Piash / Pexels
Aspirational lists put you in Leslieville or Roncesvalles. The affordability math puts you here — five outer areas where advertised rooms fall inside a living-wage budget, and one that a minimum-wage earner can clear.
1. West Hill (eastern Scarborough). liv.rent ranks West Hill Toronto's cheapest neighbourhood, with an average one-bedroom at CA$1,949 (Zumper, August 2024). Shared rooms on Kijiji start at CA$700 to CA$1,000 — the lowest floor in the city.
2. Rexdale-Kipling (northwestern Etobicoke). The second-cheapest neighbourhood by the same ranking, at CA$1,952 for a one-bedroom. TenantPay lists Etobicoke rooms broadly at CA$800 to CA$1,100 as of July 2025.
3. Agincourt-Malvern (central and northern Scarborough). TenantPay puts Scarborough rooms at CA$700 to CA$950. liv.rent's October 2025 report also found Scarborough has the GTA's lowest rent per square foot, at CA$1.81 — you get more room for the money here than anywhere else.
4. Humber College North (Etobicoke). TenantPay flagged private rooms near the campus at CA$600 a month, utilities included — the only figure on this list a minimum-wage earner clears comfortably. Expect a student-heavy market with frequent turnover between semesters.
5. Mount Dennis / Weston (west end). No tracked room average exists here, but it sits in Moving2Canada's outer band from CA$850, and its transit just leapt forward — more on that below.
Why are these neighbourhoods cheaper — and what's the catch?
Distance is the trade. Every area on this list sits well outside the downtown core, which means longer TTC commutes — usually a bus-to-subway or bus-to-LRT connection rather than a walk to the platform. That is the discount you are buying, and for many people it is a fair one.
Scarborough's CA$1.81 per square foot (liv.rent, October 2025) tells the real story: lower demand, older low-rise stock, and fewer condo towers keep prices down. The upside is space — a room out here is usually bigger than a downtown equivalent at the same price.
The catch is verification. Neighbourhood room prices come from listing snapshots on Kijiji and similar boards, not tracked averages, so treat CA$700 as a starting point, not a guarantee. Always view in person, confirm in writing which utilities are included, and be wary of basement units advertised below CA$700 — the deepest discounts often hide the fewest legal protections.
Is Mount Dennis the smartest value bet right now?
Possibly. Mount Dennis and neighbouring Weston have long been among the west end's cheaper pockets, but they were transit-poor — part of the reason prices stayed low. That changed when Mount Dennis station opened as an intermodal hub, connecting the Eglinton Crosstown Line 5 LRT, GO Transit's Kitchener line, and the UP Express airport link, per Wikipedia.
For the first time, a rider here can reach midtown by LRT or Union Station by GO in a single seat. Historically, transit access is what closes the price gap between an outer neighbourhood and downtown — so today's outer-band rents (from CA$850, per Moving2Canada) may not hold for long. If you can sign a lease before the market fully reprices the connection, this is the value play on the list.
One honest caveat: there is no neighbourhood-specific room average in the data yet, so budget from the CA$850 outer-area floor and negotiate hard on anything above it.
What are your rights when renting a room in Toronto?
Ontario law tilts toward tenants — but not every room qualifies. Landlords may collect a deposit of no more than one month's rent, and it can only be applied to your final month; damage deposits are illegal under the Residential Tenancies Act, per CLEO. The 2026 rent increase guideline is 2.1%, the lowest in four years, and landlords must give 90 days' written notice, according to the Government of Ontario.
The trap: if you share a kitchen or bathroom with your landlord or their immediate family, the RTA does not cover you at all, the City of Toronto confirms — no guideline cap, weaker eviction protection. Many room listings gloss over this, so ask directly before you sign.
Finally, Toronto's multi-tenant house bylaw, in force since March 31, 2024, requires operators of buildings with four or more rented rooms to be licensed — capped at six rooms in Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough, and up to 25 in higher-density Toronto zones. An unlicensed rooming house is a red flag worth walking away from.
Prices this low move fast, so line up your search before you commit. Set alerts on Kijiji and Facebook housing groups, and cross-check any listing against these neighbourhood ranges. Coinquilino — a free room and roommate app built in Italy and now available in Canada — is one more place to look (full disclosure: it is our app). For more on renting across the country, see the coinquilino blog.
What is the cheapest neighbourhood in Toronto for a room?
By average one-bedroom rent, liv.rent ranks West Hill in eastern Scarborough the cheapest in Toronto at CA$1,949 (Zumper, August 2024), with shared rooms there starting around CA$700. For rooms specifically, TenantPay's July 2025 figures put Scarborough at CA$700 to CA$950 and flag private rooms near Humber College North at CA$600 with utilities included.
Can you rent a room in Toronto for under CA$1,200?
Yes, in the outer neighbourhoods. Toronto's shared-room average was CA$1,213 in November 2025 (Rentals.ca), but Scarborough and Etobicoke rooms routinely list below CA$1,000. Downtown is where you will struggle — Moving2Canada puts shared rooms there at CA$1,100 to CA$1,500.
How much do you need to earn to afford a room in Toronto?
For a shared room in an outer neighbourhood, a living wage roughly does it: the Ontario Living Wage Network's 2025 GTA rate of CA$27.20 an hour leaves about CA$990 a month at the 30% rule. A whole one-bedroom is a different league — the CCPA calculated you would need CA$38 an hour, or CA$78,333 a year.
Is a damage deposit legal in Ontario?
No. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords can only collect a rent deposit of up to one month, applied to your last month; damage deposits are illegal, per CLEO. If a landlord demands one, treat it as a warning sign about how the rest of the tenancy will go.
Do room renters have the same rights as apartment tenants?
Not always. If you share a kitchen or bathroom with your landlord or their immediate family, the City of Toronto confirms you are exempt from the RTA — meaning no rent-increase cap and weaker eviction protection. Rooms in a separate unit or a licensed multi-tenant house generally keep full protections.
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This article was produced with the help of AI tools and reviewed by the Coinquilino editorial team.
