The Best Greater Vancouver Cities for Transit
If you don't want to own a car — or you want a short transit commute to downtown Vancouver — the choice of city matters a lot. Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond all have excellent SkyTrain coverage within their boundaries. Surrey and Coquitlam have limited SkyTrain coverage that's improving. North Vancouver has no SkyTrain at all, relying on the SeaBus and a bus network. This ranking considers SkyTrain coverage, bus network density, Walk Score, and commute time to downtown Vancouver from each city's main transit hub.
The ranking
Vancouver
Vancouver: 3 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 80.
Burnaby
Burnaby: 2 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 68.
Richmond
Richmond: 1 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 63.
North Vancouver
North Vancouver: No SkyTrain. Walk Score 60.
Coquitlam
Coquitlam: 1 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 51.
Surrey
Surrey: 2 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 45.
The top three in detail
Vancouver tops the list — it has the most SkyTrain stations, the highest Walk Score (80), and the densest bus network. Every Tier-1 neighbourhood in Vancouver is within a 15-minute walk of frequent transit. Burnaby takes second place despite its suburban character because both the Expo and Millennium lines run through it — 11 SkyTrain stations total, more than any Metro Vancouver city except Vancouver itself. Richmond ranks third: the Canada Line runs the full length of the city, and Richmond is completely flat, making it the best Metro Vancouver city for cycling as an alternative to transit. North Vancouver lands fourth despite having no SkyTrain because the SeaBus is a genuinely excellent 12-minute crossing to downtown Vancouver, with frequent service.
All six cities compared
Full data for all six Tier-1 Greater Vancouver cities, in ranked order for this category.
| Metric | Vancouver | Burnaby | Richmond | North Vancouver | Coquitlam | Surrey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population Stats Canada 2021 Census | 662,248 | 249,125 | 209,937 | 146,288 | 148,625 | 568,322 |
Land area | 115.18 km² | 90.61 km² | 128.96 km² | 172.9 km² | 122.3 km² | 316.41 km² |
Median age | 40 | 41.4 | 43.4 | 42.8 | 42.2 | 38.4 |
Foreign-born | 41.8% | 52.6% | 60% | 35.2% | 45.9% | 45.6% |
Top non-English language | Cantonese | Mandarin | Cantonese | Persian | Korean | Punjabi |
Median household income Stats Canada 2020 income year | $80,500 | $82,500 | $78,500 | $110,500 | $98,500 | $94,500 |
1BR rent (CMHC avg) CMHC purpose-built rental | $1,663 | $1,612 | $1,524 | $1,755 | $1,558 | $1,412 |
2BR rent (CMHC avg) | $2,181 | $2,062 | $1,902 | $2,238 | $1,938 | $1,748 |
1BR rent (market) Secondary market — new listings | $2,750 | $2,350 | $2,200 | $2,550 | $2,150 | $1,950 |
Transit pass (monthly) | $110 | $157 | $157 | $110 | $157 | $157 |
Annual rainfall | 1189 mm | 1323 mm | 1108 mm | 2477 mm | 1833 mm | 1255 mm |
Walk Score | 80 | 68 | 63 | 60 | 51 | 45 |
SkyTrain lines | Expo Line · Millennium Line · Canada Line | Expo Line · Millennium Line | Canada Line | None (SeaBus only) | Millennium Line (Evergreen Extension) | Expo Line · Surrey–Langley extension (under construction) |