Best Cities in Canada for New Immigrants in 2026

Choosing where to land is one of the most consequential decisions a new immigrant makes. The right Canadian city can shorten your job search by months, lower your first-year cost of living by tens of thousands of dollars, and give you the community you need to feel at home. The wrong one can drain your savings before your credentials are even recognized.

This guide ranks the ten best Canadian cities for new immigrants in 2026, measured across six factors: job market strength, housing affordability, settlement services, immigrant diversity, transit and walkability, and overall quality of life. Each profile includes the essentials you need to make a confident decision, plus links to deeper city pages on MoveToCanada.com.

How We Ranked the Cities

Every ranking is a set of tradeoffs. Toronto has unmatched job depth but punishing rent; Halifax has charm and community but a thinner labour market. Rather than force a single "best" city, we scored each city out of 10 on the factors that new immigrants consistently tell us matter most:

• Job market: diversity of industries, unemployment rate, demand for skilled workers

• Affordability: average one-bedroom rent, groceries, transit, childcare

• Settlement services: funded newcomer agencies, language training, credential support

• Immigrant community: share of foreign-born residents and strength of cultural networks

• Transit and walkability: how livable the city is without a car

• Climate and lifestyle: winter severity, access to nature, cultural amenities

All rent figures below are 2026 averages for an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment, sourced from public rental market data and provincial housing agencies. Figures will vary by neighbourhood.

1. Toronto, Ontario

• Population: 6.4 million (metro)

• Key industries: finance, tech, healthcare, film and media, logistics

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 2,450

• Immigrant population: 47%

Toronto is Canada's economic capital and the single most diverse city on earth — more than half of Greater Toronto residents were born outside Canada. For newcomers, that means an immediate sense of belonging, world-class settlement services, and a job market deep enough to absorb almost any skill set. Bay Street anchors the financial sector, the MaRS Discovery District and Kitchener-Waterloo corridor drive tech, and hospitals and research institutions drive one of North America's largest life-sciences clusters.

Pros: Unrivalled job depth, massive immigrant communities from every region, excellent public transit expanding with the Ontario Line.

Cons: The highest rent in Canada, long commutes, and an ultra-competitive housing market.

2. Vancouver, British Columbia

• Population: 2.6 million (metro)

• Key industries: tech, film and visual effects, trade and logistics, clean energy, tourism

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 2,650

• Immigrant population: 42%

Vancouver offers the mildest climate in the country — winters rarely dip below freezing — plus mountains, ocean, and a booming tech sector fuelled by companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and a dense cluster of Canadian startups. Large South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, and Iranian communities make it one of the easiest cities for first-generation immigrants to find familiar food, worship, and social networks.

Pros: Best climate in Canada, strong tech hiring, outdoor lifestyle, diverse food and culture.

Cons: Highest housing costs in the country, a narrower industrial base than Toronto, frequent atmospheric-river flooding.

3. Calgary, Alberta

• Population: 1.6 million (metro)

• Key industries: energy, finance, logistics, agribusiness, growing tech sector

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 1,650

• Immigrant population: 33%

Calgary has spent the last five years quietly becoming the value pick of Canadian cities. Rents are roughly a third lower than Toronto, Alberta has no provincial sales tax, and the energy sector's long tail continues to generate engineering and trades jobs while tech and renewable-energy employers diversify the base. Winters are cold but dry, and Banff National Park is an hour away.

Pros: Excellent salary-to-cost ratio, no provincial sales tax, fast-growing tech scene, short commutes.

Cons: Cold winters, car-dependent outside the core, economy still correlated with oil prices.

4. Ottawa, Ontario

• Population: 1.5 million (metro)

• Key industries: federal government, tech, defence, education, healthcare

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 1,850

• Immigrant population: 26%

As the national capital, Ottawa offers stable public-sector employment, a surprisingly strong tech corridor (Shopify, Ciena, and a long list of cybersecurity firms), and bilingual opportunities that give French-speaking immigrants a genuine head start. It is also one of the most affordable large cities in central Canada and consistently ranks near the top of national safety and liveability indexes.

Pros: Stable job market, great for French speakers, strong schools, safer than comparable cities.

Cons: Cold winters, quieter nightlife than Toronto or Montreal, federal hiring requires Canadian citizenship for most roles.

5. Montreal, Quebec

• Population: 4.3 million (metro)

• Key industries: aerospace, AI and tech, video games, pharmaceuticals, finance

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 1,700

• Immigrant population: 24%

Montreal combines European culture with Canadian stability at a price that Toronto and Vancouver cannot match. It is a global hub for AI research (Mila, Element AI alumni, and major lab campuses), video games (Ubisoft, Warner, EA), and aerospace (Bombardier, CAE, Pratt & Whitney). Immigrants who speak French — or are willing to learn — find Montreal one of the most welcoming cities in the country.

Pros: Affordable rent for a major metro, vibrant arts and food scenes, AI and aerospace hubs, excellent transit.

Cons: French is essential for most non-tech careers, Quebec uses a separate immigration system (PSTQ/PEQ), higher provincial taxes.

6. Halifax, Nova Scotia

• Population: 500,000 (metro)

• Key industries: ocean tech and shipping, healthcare, defence, universities

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 1,750

• Immigrant population: 13%

Halifax has gone from a quiet East Coast capital to one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada. The Atlantic Immigration Program has brought a wave of skilled workers and international graduates, and the ocean-tech and shipbuilding sectors continue to expand. Halifax's size makes job searches and settlement services feel personal — you can meet decision-makers at your kid's hockey game.

Pros: Friendly community, growing economy, mild coastal climate, strong AIP pathway.

Cons: Smaller labour market than central Canada, rents rising fast, limited transit outside the core.

7. Winnipeg, Manitoba

• Population: 850,000 (metro)

• Key industries: manufacturing, transportation, agribusiness, financial services, healthcare

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 1,450

• Immigrant population: 25%

Winnipeg is the most affordable major city on this list, with rents nearly 40% below the national average and a Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program that actively recruits skilled workers and tradespeople. The Filipino community is especially large and well-established, and the city's central Canadian location makes it a hub for rail and trucking logistics.

Pros: Lowest cost of living of any big city, strong PNP pathway, diverse community, short commutes.

Cons: Harshest winters of any city on the list, smaller tech sector, fewer direct international flights.

8. Edmonton, Alberta

• Population: 1.5 million (metro)

• Key industries: energy, healthcare, education, public administration, emerging tech

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 1,400

• Immigrant population: 28%

Edmonton is the most affordable of the four biggest Canadian cities, with salaries close to Calgary's and rents well below them. It is the seat of government for Alberta, home to the University of Alberta's major AI and health research clusters, and benefits from the same tax-friendly provincial environment as Calgary. The NAIT and U of A pipelines produce strong engineering and healthcare talent, and newcomer employment partnerships are well-funded.

Pros: Low rent, strong public-sector and healthcare employment, excellent newcomer services, no provincial sales tax.

Cons: Cold winters, car-dependent layout, further from Rocky Mountains than Calgary.

9. Hamilton, Ontario

• Population: 790,000 (metro)

• Key industries: healthcare, advanced manufacturing, steel and materials, education

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 1,750

• Immigrant population: 25%

Hamilton offers a practical middle ground for immigrants who want access to the Greater Toronto job market without Toronto rents. A 45-minute GO train ride connects the city to downtown Toronto, while McMaster University anchors a major healthcare and research cluster locally. Hamilton's own economy is diversifying rapidly beyond steel into advanced manufacturing, logistics, and health-tech.

Pros: GTA access at lower cost, strong healthcare sector, growing arts and food scene, walkable downtown.

Cons: Older housing stock, air quality issues in industrial zones, rent growth accelerating.

10. Mississauga, Ontario

• Population: 760,000 (city)

• Key industries: logistics, pharmaceuticals, finance, manufacturing, airport services

• Average rent (1-bed): CAD 2,100

• Immigrant population: 54%

No Canadian city has a higher share of foreign-born residents than Mississauga. Directly west of Toronto and home to Pearson International Airport, Mississauga combines suburban space, strong public schools, and corporate head offices (Canadian Tire, Bell, PepsiCo Canada) with some of the most established South Asian, West African, and Eastern European communities in the country. It is often the most practical landing city for immigrants arriving with families.

Pros: Most diverse city on the list, strong corporate employment, excellent schools, great transit to Toronto.

Cons: Suburban sprawl, limited nightlife, housing costs pushing toward Toronto levels.

Quick Comparison Table

How to Choose the Right City for You

Start with your non-negotiables. If you need winters that stay above freezing, Vancouver is effectively the only answer. If you need to maximize first-year savings, Winnipeg, Edmonton, or Calgary will stretch your dollar furthest. If you need access to the deepest possible job market, Toronto and the surrounding GTA are hard to beat.

Then layer on your family context. Immigrants arriving with school-age children often prioritize Mississauga, Ottawa, and Calgary for their school systems. Single tech workers tend to cluster in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and increasingly Calgary. Skilled tradespeople and healthcare workers should look hardest at Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Atlantic provinces, where shortages are most acute and PNP pathways are strongest.

Finally, visit if you can. A long weekend in a target city will tell you more than any ranked list — including this one.