Toronto is probably the most desirable location in Canada. Over 70% of newcomers land and stay back in Toronto. Owning a new home in Toronto for many seems like a dream that will never come true. Average house prices are in the eye-popping range of over 1m dollars.
While living in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) can be amazing, it is certainly not cheap and it comes at an extremely high price. This is true if you are renting a home or buying a home. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city of Toronto as of February 2019, is $2,270 CAD. The average rent for a two-bedroom in the City of Toronto is $2,850 CAD. While the average home price for a home in the Greater Toronto Area depending on where you are could range from $804,508 to $1.01 million for a detached home.
However all hope is not lost. JUSTO Toronto combed the Toronto GTA and fished out these affordable neighborhoods.
West Humber-Claireville (Toronto, Ontario)
The community of West Humber-Claireville is one of Toronto’s 140 neighbourhoods. It is located in the northwest corner of Toronto, in Wards 1 and 2 (Etobicoke North). This is an area known for being culturally diverse, the 2016 Toronto neighbourhood profile for West-Humber-Claireville noted that this neighbourhood is home to many immigrants and people whose first language is not English.
Rexdale-Kipling (Toronto, Ontario)
Rexdale-Kipling is another neighbourhood located in Ward 1, in the Etobicoke North area, in the City of Toronto. Rexdale-Kipling like West-Humber is also known for being culturally and linguistically diverse since residents speak many other languages in addition to speaking English. Rexdale-Kipling like West Humber-Claireville is also located in the northwest corner of Toronto. It also is close to Thistletown-Beaumond Heights, which is also located in the Etobicoke North area.
Thistletown-Beaumond Heights (Toronto, Ontario)
Thistletown-Beaumond Heights is another culturally diverse neighbourhood located in Ward 1, the Etobicoke North area. This area is also known for being culturally diverse with a high concentration of immigrants living here. It is also known for having the Franklin Carmichael Art Centre and the Albion Islington Square Business Improvement Area. The Albion Islington Square Business Improvement Area was created to represent and support the interests of the commercial and retail area found at Albion and Islington, which includes and jewellers, hair salons, ethnic grocers and a variety of restaurants.
Bendale (Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario)
Bendale is a community in Scarborough, a former suburb of Toronto that became a part of the Amalgamated City of Toronto on 1 January 1998. Bendale is located in the central part of Scarborough, south of the 401 between Markham Road and Brimley, with easy access to freeways, TTC, and GoTransit. It has close proximity to the Scarborough Town Centre mall, near some of the area’s best shopping centers, parks, clinics, and other amenities.
Morningside (Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario)
Toronto’s Morningside neighbourhood is located within the Scarborough area of the City of Toronto. This neighbourhood is known for having an abundance of valley, parkland, and creeks. The parkland in Morningside that is part of Highland Creek and East Highland Creek continues through a portion of heavily wooded land in a steep valley. There is also a bicycle path that traverses the park, running the same course as both East Highland Creek and Highland Creek. Neighbourhoods in this community include Curran Hall and Seven Oaks. The land in Curran Hall and Seven Hall backs up onto valley lands.
Rouge (Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario)
Rouge, is another neighbourhood that is a part of the former suburb of Scarborough in the City of Toronto. This neighbourhood is known for having affordable housing, shopping centres, schools, a community centre, and parks including the Rouge Beach Park and Marsh which represent the Eastern most beach in Toronto. Rouge offers close proximity to public transportation and highways for commuters. You can observe the natural beauty in this area along Sheppard Avenue, where you can find a fantastic view of the Rouge River Valley. Rogue is bordered by the Metro Toronto Zoo in the north, the Rouge River Valley in the east, and Highway 4o1 in the south.
Rockcliffe-Symthe (York, Toronto Ontario)
Rockcliffe-Symthe is a residential neighbourhood located in the former suburb of York, it is 15 kilometres from Toronto’s downtown city center. Rockcliffe-Symthe is known for having detached homes with yards and plenty of parking, as well as a ravine system as part of an abundance of green spaces offering multi-use trails and parks. It is surprisingly well-connected to transit given its connection to the St. Clair streetcar line, which is known as being the City of Toronto’s most efficient surface transit routes.
Keelesdale-Eglinton West (York, Toronto Ontario)
The Keelesdale-Eglinton West neighbourhood, located in the former suburb of York, is known for having affordable housing that ranges from bungalows to two-storey homes you can find along side streets. Many homeowners tend to buy in this neighbourhood before they eventually move onto buying larger properties. The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Train (LRT) is scheduled to run through this community along Eglinton Avenue, where 19 kilometres of new transit will be built from Weston Road to the Kennedy station.
Weston (York, Toronto Ontario)
Weston is another neighbourhood located in the former suburb of York. Weston is known for maintaining its small-town Ontario, rather than feeling like a neighbourhood in a major metropolis. Weston still feels like a small Ontario since two of its significant landmarks, the Humber River and the Canadian National Railway, which were important in Weston’s history are still important for this community.
Downsview-Roding (North York, Toronto, Ontario)
Downsview-Roding is another neighbourhood located in North York, in the northern section of Toronto. It is home to the Downsview-Roding Canadian Forces Base (CFB), it has a former Canadian Forces Base and a current Canadian Forces facility in the area, which gives the area an abundance of military history.
Glenfield-Jane Heights (North York, Toronto, Ontario)
Glenfield-Jane Heights is a neighbourhood that used to be a part of the former suburb of North York. Glenfield-Jane Heights as a neighbourhood includes the southern part of Jane Street and Finch Avenue. Jane-Finch was originally developed and conceptualized in the 1960s to be a model suburb, as a response to Toronto’s rapid urban growth and was planned to accommodate a socially diverse population, with a great amount of public housing. It is now home to a large immigrant population with many Spanish, Italian, and Vietnamese speakers. It is a neighbourhood known for shopping and having a lot of parks.
Black Creek (Toronto, Ontario)
Black Creek is a neighbourhood located in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue area of Toronto. It is known for having a large Jamaican, African, Italian, and South Asian population. Black Creek was a part of Jane-Finch, the model suburb built during to accommodate a socially and economically diverse population and a lot of public housing during the 1960s in response to Toronto’s rapid urban growth. Black Creek is part of the City of Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas which is based on the City of Toronto’s “equity score” which measures how liveable an area
You will find many Asian, Italian and especially African stores here, that will certainly remind you of home in many ways.
Essa (Essa, Ontario)
Essa is a rural area in the Township of Essa, located southwest of Barrie in Simcoe County in southern Ontario. The Township of Essa includes several small towns including Angus (Borden), Colwell, Egbert, Ivy, Thornton, Utopia, and Baxter, which has a distinct group of smaller communities which form part of one larger, inclusive community. People living in Essa can enjoy homes on spacious lots with scenic views and more affordable property taxes while still having access to major highways and amenities because of its proximity to city centres such as Barrie, Alliston, and Toronto.
Oshawa (Oshawa, Ontario)
Oshawa is a city located in southern Ontario, approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto, on the shores of Lake Ontario. Oshawa is frequently seen as the eastern anchor for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the Golden Horseshoe. It is the largest municipality within the Regional Municipality of Durham. Downtown Oshawa is an Urban Growth Centre which is part of the government of Ontario’s Places to Grow Initiative. There are many university students here and in 2016, Oshawa was recognized by StatsCan as the sixth best place in Canada to find full-time work.
Brock (Brock Township, Durham, Ontario)
The Township of Brock is located in Durham, 95 kilometres northeast of the City of Toronto which is why it is known as Durham’s “Gateway to the North”. While Brock is a predominantly rural township it does have three small urban centers, Beaverton, Cannington, and Sunderland.
Georgina (Georgina, York, Ontario)
Georgina is one of the fastest growing markets in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where home values are increasing quickly as people are getting priced out of the City of Toronto and cities closer to Toronto’s urban centre. Georgina is the northernmost municipality in the region of York, located 70 kilometres north of Toronto and now with the extension of the 404 Highway to Keswick, it is now more accessible than ever.
Georgina is in a beautiful location on the southern edge of Lake Simcoe. While Georgina might seem like one municipality it consists of a number of communities including Keswick (the most populated), Sutton (a more cottage focused town), Jackson’s Point, Baldwin, and Pefferlaw. The further inland you go into Georgina you will find farmland and now more areas which resemble more traditional Toronto suburbs with subdivisions, shopping centers, and more, this is particularly true in areas such as Keswick, which is the most populous area in Georgina.
Source: JUSTO Toronto Life
Last word
While living in the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) can be expensive, there are deals to be found if you look in areas that are not as high-end, popular or less desirable.
Condos might also be the cheaper option of getting into the housing market in Toronto. Condo prices start from 300,000$ but can also cost over $1million, based on the location.
In our next article, we will tell you the best condo deals in a Toronto.
