Best places to live in Toronto

Toronto is a city known for its cosmopolitan spirit, diversity, and many other things that make it a great place to live. Currently, Toronto is spread on over 630.20 km2 and features many neighborhoods, each with its charm and characteristics. Buying or renting a house is pretty much straightforward as all you need is to work with a reputable real estate agency such as Condo Mapper International.

However, because Toronto is so big, the more challenging aspect of your quest for your new home is choosing the right area to live. That is why we’ve made this mini-guide of the best places to live in Toronto.

Here’s our list of the best places to live in this Toronto.

Leaside

Leaside is a leafy, wealthy area, considered as one of the best ones for living in Toronto. Some of the best schools are within its borders, features top infrastructure, and is well-connected to the inner city, the Bayview extension.

But like many great things, all that comes with a hefty price attached to it. For example, the average two-bedroom townhouse will cost you as little as $1.1 million. Then there is the average, detached home in Leaside that can run you down for more than $2.2 million.

This area is very popular with wealthy British immigrants, and only one-tenth of its population are minorities.

The Beaches

The Beaches sits along the shore of Lake Ontario, only a few miles from Toronto’s commercial district. It is a family-friendly area with rich cafe culture and many restaurants.

On average, you need $1.7 million to purchase a detached home in this area, whereas for a typical townhouse, you will need to chunk out $1.3 million. Two-bedroom condos are typically within the $900,000 price range. Most of the Beaches’ 20,000 residents are Britons and other Europeans. Around 10% of the entire population in Beaches are minorities coming from South East Asia or China.

Burlington

Burlington sits on the shore of Lake Ontario, south-west of Toronto. It’s another small city whose population is primarily made of Britons, whereas minorities account for less than 10% of the census.

What makes this city very special are the 3,000 acres of parks, two outdoor pools, four indoor pools, six community centers, seven ice pads, eight golf courses, and three splash pads.

The average townhouse in the city of Burlington costs around $700,000, whereas one-bedroom apartments go for $400,000.

Markham

Three decades ago, Markham was a small community. But since then, it has grown exponentially and has turned into an excellent living area. The town of Markham is only 10 miles from the Toronto commercial and financial centers. The Go-train can take you to the Toronto center in just 30 minutes.

A two-bedroom condo in Markham, on average, costs around $600,000, whereas the typical three-bedroom house tends to sell for more than $850,000.

Unlike the areas mentioned earlier, two-thirds of the population in Markham consists of minorities. More than half of the Markham residents come from South Asia or China. Markham is also very popular with Hong Kong immigrants.

Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill is very similar to Markham in many regards. For one, it is just 15 miles from Toronto’s commercial center, half of its population consists of minorities. The vast majority of its minority residents are from China or South Asia.

There are over 166 parks in Richmond Hill, numerous nature trails, athletic and sports fields, tennis courts, playgrounds, and picnic areas. All in all, there are more than 1360 acres of recreation areas within Richmond Hill borders.

The typical detached house can cost from $1.1 to $1.9 million, whereas a townhouse tends to cost between $750,00 and $1 million. On average, two-bedroom condos start at $600,000.

Oakville

Among the many communities spread on the shore of Lake Ontario, you can find the Town of Oakville. This little town is just 22 miles south-west of Toronto’s center. Most of its residents are immigrants from the UK, whereas minorities make less than 20% of the 200,000 residents.

Oakville features over 2,500 acres of areas covered by parks, playgrounds for children, picnic areas, two boating marinas, sports fields, and so on.

The southern part of the town is where you can find the oldest houses, which are close to the lake. As expected, they tend to cost more than the new units built in the northern area of the town.

On average, a four-bedroom house sells for $1,7 million. That’s the average asking price for new units built in the northern part of Oakville. The average asking price for detached houses or any other property tends to increase as you move to the southern parts of the city.

In Conclusion

This is far from a definite list of the best places to live in Toronto as there are many other great neighborhoods not mentioned above. If you want a more in-depth look at the top places to live in Toronto, what each of them can offer, make sure you find a great realtor that can help you with your quest.