3 in 10 Canadians May Leave Their Home Provinces for Cheaper Housing

With housing costs remaining high in many markets, some Canadians have had enough. Now, a recent survey suggests, a significant number of them are considering moving out-of-province or even abroad.

By Josh Sherman | 2 minute read

Are you willing to pack up everything and leave your home province in search of more affordable housing? A recent survey suggests many Canadians — especially renters and newcomers — would.

Sky-high property values and rents are testing Canadians’ loyalty to their home provinces and, in some cases, the country.

Some 28% of Canadians say housing costs are driving them to seriously think about leaving the province in which they currently reside, according to a recent Angus Reid survey.

“The rapidly rising cost of housing has become a cross-country story in recent years,” says Angus Reid. “Last year, the housing market cooled somewhat as higher interest rates took hold, but there is an expectation that it will heat up again with the Bank of Canada now looking at cutting rates instead of raising them further,” the pollster continues.

Unsurprisingly, those living in the country’s most expensive provinces were most likely to be considering a move. Ontarians had the strongest intentions of ditching their province, with 39% either agreeing or strongly agreeing that housing costs have them open to relocation, followed by B.C. residents at 36%.

The sentiment was weakest in Saskatchewan, where just 15% of respondents were potentially plotting to put down roots elsewhere. In Alberta — which has been attracting residents from BC and Ontario who are seeking cheaper housing — about 19% of residents are eyeing other locales. 

At the city level, Torontonians were far and away the most enthusiastic about striking out, with 44% open to the idea. Those living in Metro Vancouver were somewhat less sold on the idea, as one third of respondents expressed similar province-abandoning intentions.

Renters are more interested in moving than homeowners, the survey suggests. Some 38% of renters are seriously mulling interprovincial or international migration, compared to 28% of homeowners who have a mortgage and 16% of those who have paid off their homes.

“Though the countrywide ramp up of home prices has slowed, rent has continued to rise across the country,” notes Angus Reid.

While the index price of a Canadian home in June was down 3.4% annually, as per data from the Canadian Real Estate Association, the average asking rent in Canada was $2,815 per month, up 7% on a year-over-year basis, according to Rentals.ca.

In general, newcomers demonstrated a greater openness to moving: 39% of respondents who moved to Canada over the past decade were weighing relocation, while a possible provincial or international move was on the table for 27% of Canadian-born survey participants.

For Canadians who say they are going to leave their home province, planning to move elsewhere in Canada is the common choice (45%), followed by abroad but not stateside (27%), and the US (15%). An additional 12% aren’t sure where they’d live.  

Canada’s housing-affordability crisis may be sending some packing, but some remain optimistic that the situation will get better. In fact, most Canadians (53%) say they’re “hopeful that housing affordability will improve over the next few years.”

Responses were most optimistic in Newfounderland, where 73% saw reason to hope for better affordability in the coming years. Quebec was far and away the most pessimistic province, with barely a third (34%) of residents voicing such hopes.