Canada offers a diverse range of cities and regions, each with its unique charm and appeal, making it challenging to pinpoint the single most enticing spot to set down roots with our northern neighbors. However, some of the most coveted destinations include communities known for stunning natural beauty, a mild climate, diversity, and a rich culture. Ultimately, the best places to live in Canada depend on individual preferences, from bustling urban life to serene countryside living.
Recent years have seen more and more people moving to Canada. Over 1.3 million new people permanently moved to the country between 2016 and 2021, setting a new record in the Canadian census. And with remote work growing more prevalent, there are more people than ever that are able to make the move.
A recent survey of 2,000 participants revealed that a whopping 62 percent of remote workers are considering moving to another country. Now that they’re working from home, 70 percent of respondents feel like they finally have the opportunity to travel and live wherever they want. Another study reveals that among those relocating, the top countries Americans have been moving to lately are Mexico, The U.K., Canada, and Australia.
If you are ready to make the move to the “Great White North,” you’ll find no shortage of options. And whether you dream of life in a high-rise apartment or a cozy cottage in the woods, Canada has the place for you. To help you narrow down your search, StudyFinds sought out expert opinions from across the internet to bring you our top picks for the best places to live in Canada. But of course, if you have a favorite that we didn’t include, share it in the comments below!
The List: Best Places To Live In Canada, Most Recommended By Experts
1. Ottawa, Ontario
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Canada’s capital city makes for a great place to call home. “The city consistently ranks highly for the quality of life, cleanliness and is one of the best communities to live in worldwide,” says Expatra.
“It is a vibrant and youthful city with beautiful architecture and a bustling city center. It is very green, clean, and bike-friendly,” adds Savvy New Canadians. “Ottawa offers many jobs and opportunities in the tech industry, government, and health and education sectors.”
“Not only does Ottawa offer higher salaries than that of other Canadian cities, but it also presents a particularly attractive work-life balance,” notes 1st Move International.
2. Quebec City, Quebec
Often regarded for its European-like feel, Quebec City is beloved by tourists and residents alike. “Quebec City is one of the most picturesque and best cities to live in Canada,” claims LeapScholar.
As one of North America’s oldest cities, Quebec City has an old-world feel with modern amenities. “Quebec City is a hub of culture, art, and history with cobbled streets, historical landmarks, plenty of parkland and museums,” says Expatra. “In general, life in Quebec City is cheaper than in other similar-sized cities. Everything from rent to groceries sits below average, making it an inexpensive place to emigrate to.”
Quebec City is more affordable than most of Canada’s major cities. “The city has an affordable cost of living with many study and job opportunities, which is great for international students moving to Canada,” adds Savvy New Canadians.
3. Calgary, Alberta
With its impressive skyline and nearby access to Banff National Park, Calgary offers the best of both worlds. “Calgary is a bustling city that is always full of life but also largely connected to nature and surrounding landscapes,” says Savvy New Canadians. “Calgary initially grew from a small town into a city as the railway expanded out west. As such, it has all the charm of a mountain village with all the amenities of a fast-paced city,” adds Expatra.
Even in years of widespread economic downturn, Calgary has remained a fairly stable economy and job market. “Calgary has often received praise for the stability of its economy, but this particularly rang true in its economic recovery coming out of the pandemic,” writes Canadian Real Estate Magazine.
“One of the best places to live in western Canada, Calgary has many great employment opportunities with jobs in tourism, film, aerospace, health, and financial sectors,” states Savvy New Canadians.
4. Vancouver, British Columbia
A popular city for television and filmmakers, Vancouver is as beautiful as it is exciting. “From beautiful sandy beaches and stunning sea views to soaring mountains with hiking trails and snowsports to enjoy, it is a thriving modern city on the doorstep of some of the most stunning scenery in the country,” says A Broken Backpack.
In addition to the natural and architectural sites, Vancouver is a great place for everyone from young students to seasoned professionals. “Vancouver has the best schools, best hospitals and medical care, best public transport, best shopping districts, best harbor and maintained parkland in most of Canada,” claims Expatra.
“This city is also home to many great educational institutions that can catapult the careers of international students excelling in their academics, adding it to the list of best cities to live in Canada,” adds LeapScholar.
5. Oakville, Ontario
Oakville residents enjoy both the slower pace and comfort of suburban life and the convenience of access to the vibrant city of Toronto. “Oakville is just 30 minutes from downtown Toronto and an hour’s drive from Niagara Falls and the United States border,” notes Expatra.
“The residents of Oakville enjoy nature’s beautiful creations in their most natural forms as they are situated on the banks of Lake Ontario,” adds LeapScholar.
Though Oakville is a suburb, no resident is short on things to do. “It has a vibrant creative scene and is ideal if you’re into arts, culture and music, hosting performances at the local Oakville Centre for Performing Arts and fantastic festivals including Oakville’s Waterfront Festival,” says 1st Move International. “Often described as feeling like a village, it is repeatedly voted the best place to live in Canada as well as a great place to raise a family and to retire.”
You might also like:
- Best Places to Visit in Canada
- Best Places in the World for Watching Sunsets
- Best Countries in the World
- Best Places to Live in California
Sources:
- Expatra
- MovingWaldo
- International Citizens
- LeapScholar
- Canada Real Estate Magazine
- Savvy New Canadians
- A Broken Backpack
- 1st Move International
- MPA Mag
- CreditCardGenius
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This article may contain affiliate links.
The description of the city as youthful is resentful to the elderly. What’s wrong with us? You will one day be there. Be mindful and kind with your choice of words.
How could you include Calgary where all the rednecks are and not included Toronto?
No, no and no!
Ottawa is boring and the only “excitement” are the protests that keep happening.
Quebec City is only a good place if you speak French and can handle 5 months of winter.
Calgary is 6 months of winter and rednecks.
Vancouver and Oakville are only available if you’re a millionaire. Or if you’re Asian.
There are so many great places in Canada. The author should really try to visit them.
Completely agree. Small towns Just outside of Ottawa such as North Gore/ kempville Ontario, now happens to be a part of Ottawa. They have turned the city into its own province itself, while being completely separated from downtown Ottawa. Downtown is very dirty, rarely a nice person that will help in need of it. And just overall packed with crime drugs and shopping I personally would rather go online and step foot on those dirty streets that have not been repaired in 50 years. Non-ottarians would greatly appreciate The time and effort of wanting to live work and or vacation because we simply do not have nice clean new roads highways and our national parks are extremely not a nice view of anything. Visit Montreal Quebec dear friends and enjoy the time of your life. I really enjoy the comments about Ottawa and the being a millionaire part or Asian lol. Everybody has an opinion I don’t see anything wrong with that and whatsoever. I have lived in Ottawa my entire life almost therefore I can completely see the frustration and how the judging is being thrown out there. Who cares about being positive and negative This is all about getting to know what others think, opinions, fiction and nonfiction. If you can’t handle a little bit of criticism simply don’t read it. Thanks to all that have written a comment here I now have an idea of where I would like to move. I appreciate all of you thank you.
Calgary has been on these type of lists for many many years.It’s no fluke. Better luck toronto
Exactly! And they said Calgary has an impressive skyline LOL. It literally looks like Atlanta. Toronto is the only city in Canada with a world class skyline, and growing very fast.
Calgary’s skyline is impressive for a city its size. It can not compare obviously to Toronto.
i am Bangladeshi citizen to be interested go to canada work parmit or visit, but say to me i am poor man. But always dream to good day and look like a honestly life, it can possible think to pls help me kind hearted think, i am grateful to you.
Beauty that’s only skin deep. Rotten to the core, tho.
Probably because Toronto is the worst place in the country, populated by the worst people on the continent
My goodness Hal how can you say that. I have lived in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and they are all great cities.
Ottawa #1?!?!? Ottawa is a shit hole if I ever saw one. And isn’t Vancouver kind of expensive? Good call on Quebec City though. A beautiful city.
I lives in Ottawa and trust me is a borinnnngggg city
Nothing to do same place same mall and dead during winter
A handful of interior small cities in southern BC.
Should have made the list of ten.
If Vancouver made the list…so should Toronto
They obviously failed to do an extensive survey. Every single one despite Vancouver gets extensive snow cover to have to deal with for months. Not optimal for many. Dealing with ice, salt, bitter cold and slush. No thanks. The most beautiful place to live is Vancouver Island. Not a city but to be honest, cities suck. Less snow and less people, that’s the best place to be.
Wow, they put city names in a hat and picked them. Ottawa? Seriously! Been here my whole life. It is a dump. A frozen wasteland most of the year, horrible roads, ridiculous prices for rent and housing and way too political of a town. If this is the best we have, then building new cities might be needed.
What in God’s name qualifies a person as an “expert” in the task of determining the best city to live in? Articles like this are an fraught with the author’s biases and are generally a waste of time and effort.
Lol these comments are priceless. Canada has become a dump. Stay where you are America
Ottawa has a lunatic hard left mayor and scary police force. The way they treat freedom supporters is disgusting.
I’ve been to Ottawa and everything closes at 5 pm, even in summer. There’s a decent water park nearby.
You couldn’t pay me to go anywhere near Toronto either.
At least in Alberta there’s more room for freedom and actual tolerance.
Stores in Ottawa are open until 9pm, bars and restaurants, even later. What are you talking about?? Keep the politics out of this will ya? It’s supposed to be a fun, positive article. Jeez!
Lol. If a city is politically repressive, it is important to know. It’s a vital factor in deciding if you want to live there or not. Jeez!
I was there on holiday during the summer a few years back. Everything closed at 5 . I can only tell you what I experienced.
Yeah don’t illegally occupy a city and you’ll be ok simp…..smh
Stop illegally forcing people to take experimental drugs or otherwise ruin their lives.
Stop illegal lockdowns that destroy businesses, ruin lives etc.
Stop ignoring the Rights and Freedoms Act.
The government is responsible for drastic retaliatory actions. People were fighting for their right to survive.
Make freedom legal again. Start respecting individual rights again and things will be okay simp… SMH
It seems that the list is very subjective and evidently ‘in the eye of the beholder’. Although I have not been to Quebec City I am sure it is a nice place. I lived in Calgary for 17 years and enjoyed it but I consider Kelowna the best city to live and retire in. I note that fewer people vacation in Calgary unless they want to play cowboy for a few days in July. Many parts of BC could be happier if fewer ‘training license plates’ otherwise known as Alberta plates were seen. I also note that many from Alberta opt to retire in BC vs Wild Rose Country (I am just saying).
Absolutely – VI 4ever
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but Eastern Canada is always, always overlooked. The Canadian border doesn’t end at Quebec.
Everybody has their own idea of what a good place to live is. For me, Edmonton is the most beautiful city in Alberta, and Alberta is the best province in Canada. Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Terrible list. Not because these cities don’t have their attributes (poor picked -on Ottawa) but because of the random reasons why these five cities were chosen. Cost of living? Weather? Crime rates? Vibe? Cultural and outdoor activities, educational opportunities? Beauty? Yah, and the language? Quebec city is not Montreal. You’d need French. Even Montreal, a far more bi-lingual place, you’re going to need French, at least some to work and partake of culture. Also, the list lacks smaller towns and cities. Someone who doesn’t know Canada and didn’t do any research came up with this list for a $300 pay cheque. Off the top of my head, I’d choose Halifax, Fredericton, Burlington, Victoria and do a little research to find a great prairie town.
Completely agree. Small towns Just outside of Ottawa such as North Gore/ kempville Ontario, now happens to be a part of Ottawa. They have turned the city into its own province itself, while being completely separated from downtown Ottawa. Downtown is very dirty, rarely a nice person that will help in need of it. And just overall packed with crime drugs and shopping I personally would rather go online and step foot on those dirty streets that have not been repaired in 50 years. Non-ottarians would greatly appreciate The time and effort of wanting to live work and or vacation because we simply do not have nice clean new roads highways and our national parks are extremely not a nice view of anything. Visit Montreal Quebec dear friends and enjoy the time of your life.
Hahaha who the hell made this list? Ottawa is a mess with bs politics, drugs, and isn’t that exciting. Quebec City isn’t as large as people think and is only known for Frontenac and Bonhomme, and you better be fluent in French. Calgary is okay, but the winters are colder and longer. Vancouver is okay as well, but my friend went there last summer and said there’s hardly any nightlife there. I don’t even know why Oakville is even listed, it’s a rich suburb of Toronto with housing prices even higher than City of Toronto itself. And people I know who live there don’t even like it. I think the person who made this list had a deadline approaching and just picked a random “city” to make it 5.
What a crock of a list. Sounds like list was made by some knob that has never ventured outside of a major city.
Short and sweet. If you like those places great but the only jobs you have talked about are for high tech. What about people that don’t have the experience for those jobs. There are people that need a job to move and nothing is said about ordinary jobs.
As a long term Canadian, I’m looking to move away. Getting sick of the long cold, dark winters and choking taxes. Housing in the major centers are too expensive as well as other essentials now that inflation has taken hold. Those prices won’t be going down and you better be making $100k and up to live comfortably.
It’s fascinating to see the diverse perspectives and experiences that people share about various cities and regions across the country. From personal anecdotes about the quality of life in specific areas to discussions about job opportunities and cultural amenities, these comments provide valuable insights for anyone considering a move to Canada. It’s clear that people have strong opinions about what makes a place great to live in, and this comment section serves as a dynamic forum for exchanging ideas and information. Reading through these comments adds an extra layer of depth to the article’s content, offering a real-world perspective on the best places to call home in Canada.It’s fascinating to see the diverse perspectives and experiences that people share about various cities and regions across the country. From personal anecdotes about the quality of life in specific areas to discussions about job opportunities and cultural amenities, these comments provide valuable insights for anyone considering a move to Canada. It’s clear that people have strong opinions about what makes a place great to live in, and this comment section serves as a dynamic forum for exchanging ideas and information. Reading through these comments adds an extra layer of depth to the article’s content, offering a real-world perspective on the best places to call home in Canada.