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2mo ago

Lethbridge Named Most Affordable City in Royal LePage 2026 Rankings

Royal LePage’s late‑June report credits price moderation in high‑cost markets for broad affordability gains, and a linked survey finds many Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver residents would consider relocating if they could secure local work or keep working remotely.

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The City of St. John's Economic Outlook 2026 Report shows that the population of the St. John's metro area is expected to reach 245,617 people in 2026, an increase of 0.9 per cent.
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Overview

  • Royal LePage’s 2026 Most Affordable Canadian Cities report, released in late June 2026, ranks Lethbridge, Alta., top with mortgage costs equal to 18.9% of median household income based on Q1 2026 prices and 2024 provincial income data.
  • No British Columbia city appears in the top 15 list, which otherwise includes Saint John, Thunder Bay, Red Deer and Regina among mid‑sized markets with lower home‑ownership costs.
  • The report finds affordability improved in 61 of the 62 cities it studied between 2024 and 2026, a change Royal LePage attributes mainly to price easing in expensive urban centres rather than big gains in already affordable markets.
  • A Burson survey of 900 adults in the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver regions shows about half of respondents would consider moving to one of the 15 most affordable cities if they could find local employment or keep working remotely, with much higher willingness among Gen Z (77%) and millennials (56%).
  • Practical barriers such as local job availability, family ties, tight housing supply in some smaller markets, and a shrinking remote‑work advantage mean stated interest in relocating may not translate into large migration flows.