Where are the 10 best places to live in Canada?

^{Updated: Nov 25, 2024} 

Buying the home of your dreams is a huge step. It should not be done in haste and without much thought. If you are looking across Canada for places to settle down, there are many things to consider including quality of life, cost of living, house prices, etc. While you certainly have a variety of options, it is helpful to see where the best places are. 

In this article, Canadian Mortgage Professional has listed the best places to live in Canada. We have looked at why these areas are great for residential purposes. You can also watch some walkthrough videos that we’ve added to give you a tour of these locations. 

To mortgage professionals who are our usual pool of readers, this is another one of our client education pieces. If you have prospects who are looking for the best places to live in Canada, be sure to share this piece with them! 

Top ten best places to live in Canada 

If you are ready to buy your first home, location is of the utmost importance. This usually affects other factors like property prices, cost of living, and more. Here are the ten best places to live in Canada: 

1. Calgary 

Calgary is the top Canadian city on this list as it scored 181.1 on the quality of life index. It is the largest city in Alberta. In 2022, Calgary was listed as the third most livable city in the world, sharing places with Zurich, Switzerland. 

Tour around the no. 1 best place to live in Canada when you watch this video: 

If you want to buy a house in Calgary, you should contact a mortgage broker to help you with your mortgage needs. Find one in our Best in Mortgage page. 

2. Ottawa 

Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, made it to our list with a qualify of life index rating of 177.9. You can find it in the southern part of Ontario. As the political centre of the country, Ottawa has numerous government buildings such as: 

• The Supreme Court 
• Parliament of Canada 
• Office of the Prime Minister 
• residence of Canada's viceroy 

3. Vancouver 

Vancouver, British Columbia’s largest centre, posted a quality of life index of 176.3 to make it into Canada’s top three. Vancouver can be found in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It is also a major city in Western Canada. 

Vancouver is home to several museums such as: 

• Vancouver Museum 
• Vancouver Art Gallery 
• Vancouver Maritime Museum 
• The H. R. MacMillan Space Centre 
• The Museum of Anthropology at UBC 
• The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery 

4. Edmonton 

Edmonton, Alberta’s capital city, wasn’t far behind its sister city Calgary on the quality of life index. Edmonton scored 174.1, roughly two points less than Vancouver. There are lots of tourist attractions in Edmonton like: 

• Edmonton Valley Zoo 
• Art Gallery of Alberta 
• Alberta Railway Museum 
• The Royal Alberta Museum 
• The Muttart Conservatory 
• Alberta Legislature Building 

Want to see how life is like in Edmonton? Watch this walking tour of Jasper Avenue, the main street of this city: 

If you’re looking for a place to rent, we also have a list of the country’s top renter-friendly cities. Edmonton is #3 on that list! 

5. Mississauga 

Mississauga scored 172.6 on the quality of life index, securing the fifth slot. Initially, this city is considered as car-centric, but changes were created to improve walkability and add cycling lanes. Mississauga is home to two major transportation hubs: 

• Square One Bus Terminal 
• The City Centre Transit Terminal 

6. Halifax 

Halifax is the only city on the east coast of Canada to make the list, coming into sixth place. It has a rating of 169.8 on the quality of life index.  

Halifax might be the best place to live in Canada for sports enthusiasts. This city is represented by three professional sports teams, along with teams in these leagues: 

• Northern Super League (NSL) 
• National Lacrosse League (NLL) 
• Canadian Premier League (CPL) 

Here is a walking video of Halifax, Nova Scotia: 

7. Victoria 

Victoria takes the seventh spot in our list of the best places to live in Canada. British Columbia’s capital city earned a quality of life index rating of 169.3. It took its name from Queen Victoria and is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest. Victoria has retained many of its historical infrastructures such as: 

• Empress Hotel 
• Helmcken House 
• St. Ann's Schoolhouse 
• Congregation Emanu-El 
• The Parliament Buildings 

Other landmarks with breathtaking views can be found in Victoria. These include parks and harbours. 

8. Quebec City 

Quebec City, the capital of the province of Quebec, boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the country. It has a Crime Severity Index (CSI) of 62.17. Beyond safety, Quebec City offers residents a fairly low cost of housing, making quality of life incredibly high.  

Quebec City’s attractions include Les Chutes Montmorency and Les Plaines d’Abraham. One can also experience the world-famous Festival d’été de Québec in the eighth best place to live in Canada. Quebec City’s quality of life index score is 168.4. 

9. Toronto 

Toronto scored a quality of life index of 162.8. Aside from being the largest city, Toronto is also the most populous city in Canada. This location is popular for being Canada’s financial and commercial hub. Here is a walking tour of Toronto and its city highlights: 

If you dream of buying a house in one of the best places to live in Canada, securing a mortgage is crucial. You should hire the right mortgage broker that will connect you to home loan providers with competitive products. You can’t go wrong with any of the 75 Best Mortgage Brokers in Canada.  

10. Montreal 

The largest city in the province of Quebec and the second largest in the country completes our list of the best places to live in Canada. It was first named Ville-Marie or “City of Mari.” It acquired its current name from Mount Royal. 

If you like going outdoors, there are a lot of tourist attractions and landmarks in Montreal. As for its quality of life index score, it was a mere three points behind Toronto at 159.4. 

Notable mentions 

Aside from the top ten above, here are other locations which is considered as some of the best places to live in Canada: 

Kelowna 

Kelowna is joining our notable mentions’ list with a quality of life score of 155.2. Residents in Kelowna can go to these tourist spots to unwind: 

• Apple Bowl 
• Elks Stadium 
• Prospera Place 
• Okanagan Wineries 
• Kelowna Art Gallery 
• Big White Ski Resort 
• Kettle Valley Railway 
• Centre of Gravity Festival 

Winnipeg 

The quality of life index score in Winnipeg is 150.0. it is also called the "Gateway to the West” due to its efficient transportation system. Many festivities are also hosted like: 

• Festival du Voyageur 
• Winnipeg Folk Festival 
• Jazz Winnipeg Festival 
• Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival 

If you’re a fond of symphony orchestras, you can find these in Winnipeg: 

• Manitoba Opera 
• The Royal Winnipeg Balle 
• Manitoba Theatre Centre 

Hamilton 

Hamilton made it to our notable mentions with a quality of life index score of 121.3. Education is easy to access in Hamilton and there are many schools here such as: 

• McMaster University 

• Mohawk College 

• Redeemer University 

Watch this clip to help you decide if Hamilton will be your next residential address: 

Quality of life index 

To produce this list of the best places to live in Canada, we used the latest report from Numbeo. They used their quality of life index as their basis in ranking these locations. They defined this as the estimation of the overall quality of life in a certain location. A higher index value signifies a good quality of life in a city or province. 

Various factors affect the quality of life index. Through an empirical formula, Numbeo identifies a location’s quality of life along with the following: 

• safety index 
• climate index 
• pollution index 
• health care index 
• cost of living index 
• purchasing power index 
• traffic commute time index 
• house price to income ratio 

Residing in one of the best places in Canada 

Residing in one of the best places to live in Canada means getting to enjoy many things. Not only does it include a high standard of living but you also get to join good communities and visit picturesque landmarks. You can also enjoy tons of outdoor activities and experience cultural diversity. Easy access to healthcare and quality education is another advantage of living in one of the country’s best places. 

If you’re on a budget, you don’t have to break the bank to buy a property. You can still find the house of your dreams in one of the cheapest places to buy a house in Canada. Overall, it all boils down to individual preferences and one’s financial capacity. 

Would you live or invest in one of the best places to live in Canada? Tell us your ideas in the comment section below.