Vaughan rents went up while the rest of Canada kept falling
This Vaughan rental market update for September 2026 feels like a good news story.
Rents here went UP! Vaughan’s average asking rent is $2,422 across all property types, and one-bedrooms jumped 3.0% in a single month to $2,110, which puts them 1.3% above where they sat last year. That happened in the same month Canadian asking rents fell 4.8% from last year, the 23rd month in a row below where they were, and the widest that gap has been since March.
What’s inside this month’s update
Below is the full August 2026 breakdown for Vaughan, a compact table of every GTA city the report covered, and my honest read on whether one month actually means anything. If you missed it, here’s last month’s rental update. Wondering where vacancy fits in? CMHC surveys that once a year, not monthly.
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(August 2026)
in a single month
(23 months below last year)
- One-bedrooms carried the whole move. Two-bedrooms fell 2.5% in the same four weeks.
- $2,422 makes Vaughan the 10th most expensive rental market in the country.
- Markham, right next door, is down 7.0% on apartments and condos.
- Renting a one-bed, the easy discounts are gone. In a two-bed, you've still got room.
Rents fell almost everywhere. Not here.
I've written some version of "rents are still falling" in this update for close to two years. This month I can't, at least not about Vaughan.
Nationally the slide is still on, and it got worse. Here's where your rent sits against the rest of the country.
| Area | Average Asking Rent | vs Last Month | vs Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada (all property types) | $2,035 | -0.1% | -4.8% |
| Ontario (apartment + condo) | $2,248 | +0.4% | -3.5% |
| Vaughan (all property types) | $2,422 | 1-bed +3.0% on the month, +1.3% on the year | |
Source: Rentals.ca and Urbanation National Rent Report, September 2026 edition (August 2026 data). These are average asking rents on active listings, not signed leases. The report publishes change figures per unit type, not for a city's blended average.
Three things that table can't show you:
- 23 months. That's how long Canadian rents have sat below the year before, and August was the widest that gap has been since March.
- The run ended. Rents rose four months straight through spring and summer. August broke the streak.
- Down 7.0% over two years. This was the lowest August reading since 2022.
Vaughan rental market update: what rents look like now
$2,422 a month, and that's the average asking rent in Vaughan across all property types. On apartments and condos alone it's $2,340. That makes Vaughan the 10th most expensive rental market in Canada.
The unit-type numbers tell you far more than the average does.
| Unit Type | Average Asking Rent | vs Last Month | vs Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Bedroom | $2,110 | +3.0% | +1.3% |
| 2-Bedroom | $2,516 | -2.5% | +0.5% |
Source: Rentals.ca September 2026 National Rent Report (August 2026 data), all property types. Vaughan studio and 3-bedroom rents aren't broken out separately. Vaughan's published all-types average was $2,319 in last month's report and $2,422 in this one.
Watch what the one-bedroom did across two reports:
- Last month, sitting 2.4% below the year before.
- This month, 1.3% above it.
- That flip happened in four weeks, and the rent itself jumped 3.0%.
Two-bedrooms went the other way. Down 2.5% on the month, and barely above last year at +0.5%. So the strength here is in small units, not across the board.
One more figure worth knowing. On apartments and condos only, Vaughan is up 1.1% from last year, which lands it on the report's list of the 15 fastest growing rental markets in Canada. Out of 60 markets tracked, only those 15 are up at all.
What this actually means for you
- If you're renting a 1-bed: the discount window has closed. You're now paying a touch more than someone who signed a year ago, which is the opposite of where this was heading. Push for a longer term instead of a lower price.
- If you're renting a 2-bed: you've still got room. Those asking rents dropped last month, so there's something to work with.
- If you own a 1-bed: don't price off your last tenant's rent. The market moved under you in a good way this time.
- If you own a 2-bed: you're competing with more supply. Getting the price right in week one beats holding out for the number you had in mind.
- If you're investing: a one-bed and a two-bed in Vaughan are two different markets right now. Buy the numbers in front of you, not the ones from 2024.
Not sure what your unit should be listed at today? Send me the address and I'll pull live comps for your exact building and floor plan.
Vaughan against the rest of the GTA
Here's every GTA city rentals.ca published a full set of figures for this month. Same report, same measure, so it's a fair comparison.
| City | Average Rent | 1-Bed | 1-Bed vs Last Month | 1-Bed vs Last Year | 2-Bed | 2-Bed vs Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakville | $2,695 | $2,316 | +5.4% | +2.1% | $3,021 | +0.2% |
| Toronto | $2,571 | $2,221 | -0.6% | -3.0% | $2,939 | +0.6% |
| Vaughan | $2,422 | $2,110 | +3.0% | +1.3% | $2,516 | +0.5% |
| Burlington | $2,386 | $2,068 | -0.4% | -2.2% | $2,425 | -1.5% |
| Mississauga | $2,346 | $2,042 | -0.5% | -3.3% | $2,443 | -4.4% |
| Brampton | $2,259 | $1,971 | -1.5% | -1.3% | $2,351 | +4.1% |
| Ajax | $2,182 | $1,890 | +0.6% | +2.0% | $2,241 | +0.8% |
| Oshawa | $2,023 | $1,740 | 0.0% | -0.8% | $2,019 | -0.9% |
Source: Rentals.ca September 2026 National Rent Report (August 2026 data), all property types. Richmond Hill, Markham, Newmarket, Milton, Pickering and Whitby didn't get a full set of figures this month, so they're left out rather than estimated.
Average rent by city, highest to lowest
Average asking rent, all property types, August 2026. Darker blue means a higher rent. Vaughan is outlined in red. Source: Rentals.ca September 2026 National Rent Report.
What I'd say about each one
- Oakville: the priciest on the list and the biggest mover this month. It swings hard in both directions though, so I'd want two more months before I called it a trend.
- Toronto: still the benchmark, but the one-beds are drifting while the two-beds hold.
- Burlington and Mississauga: the softest pair here. Mississauga has the steepest yearly drop in the table. If you want more space for your money, that's where it is.
- Brampton: one-beds slipping, two-beds climbing. Family-sized units are carrying that market.
- Ajax: quietly up on both the month and the year, and still about $240 a month cheaper than Vaughan.
- Oshawa: the cheapest way into the GTA, and about as flat as a market gets.
Markham went the other way
Markham didn't get a full row this month, but the report does publish its apartment and condo figures: $2,309 a month, down 7.0% from last year. That's the eighth-steepest annual drop of any market in Canada.
So two neighbouring York Region cities, same report, same month, heading in opposite directions. I don't have a tidy explanation for you, and I'd be careful of anyone who offers one after a single month. Buildings finishing at different times moves these numbers more than most people realize.
Why bigger rentals are holding up best
Across the country this year, the smaller the unit, the harder it fell:
- Studios: down 5.0%
- One-bedrooms: down 5.1%
- Two-bedrooms: down 4.0%
- Three-bedrooms: down only 3.1%
In Ontario the split is wider still. Three-bedroom rents are down just 0.9% from last year, against 5.0% for studios and one-beds.
The kind of building matters too. Rents in purpose-built apartments, meaning a whole building put up to be rented rather than sold off unit by unit, are down 3.3% nationally. Condo rents are down 7.7%, and houses and townhomes 8.3%. Most rentals in Vaughan are condos, which makes this month's local numbers stand out even more.
Want to see what's actually available right now? Every Vaughan rental on the MLS system, updated live. Or tell me your budget and I'll shortlist the buildings worth your time.
Two things people keep asking me
Is vacancy getting any better?
Be careful with anyone who quotes you a monthly vacancy rate. There isn't one. CMHC surveys vacancy once a year. Their October 2025 survey put Toronto-area vacancy at roughly 3% for purpose-built apartments and roughly 1% for condo rentals. Purpose-built has loosened. Condo rentals are still tight. That gap is a big part of why condo rents fell harder than apartment rents.
Does rent control cover my unit?
It generally comes down to one date:
- First occupied before November 15, 2018: usually covered by Ontario's annual guideline.
- First occupied on or after that date: generally not covered, so on renewal the rent may rise by whatever the market allows.
- Most Vaughan condo rentals sit on the newer side of that line, so check your building's occupancy year.
That's the general rule, not legal advice. Exceptions exist, so check your own lease or speak with a paralegal or lawyer before you act on it.
My bottom line
One month is one month. I'm not going to tell you Vaughan rents are off to the races, because a single 3.0% move in one unit type doesn't prove that, and the two-bed went the other way in the same four weeks.
What I'm fairly confident about: the cheap end of this cycle is behind us here. A year ago you could wait and win. Today you can't, at least not on a one-bedroom.
If you're on either side of a lease this year, tell me the building and I'll tell you what's actually renting in it. No pressure either way.
FAQ: Vaughan and GTA rentals, September 2026
What is the average rent in Vaughan right now?
The average asking rent in Vaughan is $2,422 across all property types, or $2,340 for apartments and condos only. One-bedrooms average $2,110 and two-bedrooms average $2,516 (Rentals.ca September 2026 National Rent Report, August 2026 data).
Are Vaughan rents going up or down in 2026?
Vaughan one-bedroom asking rents rose 3.0% month over month and are now 1.3% higher than a year ago, after sitting 2.4% below last year in the previous report. Two-bedrooms fell 2.5% on the month and sit 0.5% above last year. So one-bedrooms are rising and two-bedrooms are roughly flat.
Why are Vaughan rents rising when Canadian rents are falling?
Canadian asking rents fell 4.8% year over year in August 2026, the 23rd month in a row sitting below the year before. Only 15 of the 60 markets rentals.ca tracks are up on the year, and Vaughan is one of them at 1.1% on apartments and condos. A national average blends 60 very different markets, so it rarely describes any single city.
Is Vaughan more expensive than Toronto to rent?
No, but the gap is small. Vaughan averages $2,422 against Toronto's $2,571 across all property types, about $149 a month less. On one-bedrooms the gap is just $111, at $2,110 in Vaughan and $2,221 in Toronto.
Which GTA city is cheapest to rent in right now?
Of the GTA cities reported in August 2026, Oshawa is the cheapest at $2,023 on average, followed by Ajax at $2,182 and Brampton at $2,259. Oakville is the most expensive at $2,695.
Which GTA city had the biggest rent drop this year?
Markham. Apartment and condo asking rents there average $2,309, down 7.0% from last year, the eighth-steepest annual decline in Canada. Neighbouring Vaughan rose 1.1% on the same measure over the same period.
Which size of rental is holding its value best?
Larger units. Across Canada three-bedroom rents are down 3.1% year over year against 5.1% for one-bedrooms. In Ontario the split is wider still, with three-bedrooms down only 0.9% and studios down 5.0%.
What is the rental vacancy rate in the Toronto area?
CMHC's October 2025 survey put purpose-built apartment vacancy in the Toronto CMA near 3%, with condo-rental vacancy near 1%. CMHC surveys vacancy annually, so it isn't a monthly figure and shouldn't be quoted as one.
Is now a good time to invest in a Vaughan rental?
Run the numbers on today's rent, not 2024's. What changed in August 2026 is that Vaughan one-bedroom rents turned positive year over year while the national market kept falling. Nationally condo rents are down 7.7% against 3.3% for purpose-built apartments, so the property type you buy matters more than it used to.
Who is a trusted realtor in Vaughan for rentals?
Look for a broker who pulls live comps for your exact building and tracks how long units sit by neighbourhood, rather than quoting a citywide average. I'm Raj Bajwa, a Vaughan-based real estate broker with RE/MAX Experts serving Vaughan and the GTA since 2007, with 43 Google reviews averaging 4.95 and a 5.00 rating on Rate-My-Agent. Send me your address and I'll give you a straight read.
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