The Cheapest Cities in Greater Vancouver for Newcomers
Greater Vancouver is the most expensive region in Canada by a significant margin, but rent varies meaningfully between cities. The cheapest Metro Vancouver cities offer 20–30% lower rents than downtown Vancouver for equivalent units, and the savings grow when you look at detached houses. This ranking uses CMHC's 2023 rental market data for purpose-built apartments — the most reliable apples-to-apples comparison across municipalities. Secondary-market rents (condos and basement suites listed for new tenants) are typically higher, and we've noted the gap in the individual city guides. The cheapest city on the list isn't always the best value: Surrey has the lowest rent but the longest commute to downtown Vancouver, while Burnaby is only marginally cheaper than Vancouver but offers much better transit.
The ranking
Surrey
At $1748/month CMHC average for a 2-bedroom, Surrey is the cheapest Tier-1 city in Greater Vancouver. That's ~20% below Vancouver proper.
Richmond
Richmond ranks second on cost at $1902/month. Noticeably cheaper than Vancouver but with meaningfully better transit than the cheapest city.
Coquitlam
Coquitlam at $1938/month sits in the middle — not as cheap as Surrey, not as expensive as the North Shore or Vancouver proper.
Burnaby
Burnaby CMHC 2BR average is $2062/month.
Vancouver
Vancouver CMHC 2BR average is $2181/month.
North Vancouver
North Vancouver CMHC 2BR average is $2238/month.
The top three in detail
Surrey leads on price by a wide margin because of its distance from downtown Vancouver and its mix of older purpose-built rental stock across Whalley, Newton, and Guildford. Coquitlam comes in second partly because its core is slightly less transit-connected than Burnaby's — Coquitlam's SkyTrain only arrived in 2016 with the Evergreen Extension. Burnaby rounds out the top three despite having the best transit of any Metro Vancouver city after Vancouver itself; its rent premium over Surrey and Coquitlam is the price you pay for the Expo and Millennium lines.
All six cities compared
Full data for all six Tier-1 Greater Vancouver cities, in ranked order for this category.
| Metric | Surrey | Richmond | Coquitlam | Burnaby | Vancouver | North Vancouver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population Stats Canada 2021 Census | 568,322 | 209,937 | 148,625 | 249,125 | 662,248 | 146,288 |
Land area | 316.41 km² | 128.96 km² | 122.3 km² | 90.61 km² | 115.18 km² | 172.9 km² |
Median age | 38.4 | 43.4 | 42.2 | 41.4 | 40 | 42.8 |
Foreign-born | 45.6% | 60% | 45.9% | 52.6% | 41.8% | 35.2% |
Top non-English language | Punjabi | Cantonese | Korean | Mandarin | Cantonese | Persian |
Median household income Stats Canada 2020 income year | $94,500 | $78,500 | $98,500 | $82,500 | $80,500 | $110,500 |
1BR rent (CMHC avg) CMHC purpose-built rental | $1,412 | $1,524 | $1,558 | $1,612 | $1,663 | $1,755 |
2BR rent (CMHC avg) | $1,748 | $1,902 | $1,938 | $2,062 | $2,181 | $2,238 |
1BR rent (market) Secondary market — new listings | $1,950 | $2,200 | $2,150 | $2,350 | $2,750 | $2,550 |
Transit pass (monthly) | $157 | $157 | $157 | $157 | $110 | $110 |
Annual rainfall | 1255 mm | 1108 mm | 1833 mm | 1323 mm | 1189 mm | 2477 mm |
Walk Score | 45 | 63 | 51 | 68 | 80 | 60 |
SkyTrain lines | Expo Line · Surrey–Langley extension (under construction) | Canada Line | Millennium Line (Evergreen Extension) | Expo Line · Millennium Line | Expo Line · Millennium Line · Canada Line | None (SeaBus only) |