Kingston is being deemed Ontario’s “outlier” with increasing rent growth amid declines in other municipal markets, according to a Canadian Rent Report.
The report, posted by the rental marketplace platform Zumper, showed that while rents declined across nine of Ontario’s largest rental markets, Kingston has continued to climb the ranks.
It’s now the sixth most expensive rental market in Canada as of May 2026, up from seventh in 2025. Additionally, the city is seeing increased renter engagement, rising eight positions to rank third nationally in the first quarter of 2026, according to a Canada Renter Interest Report published by the property management platform, RentCafe.
RentCafe’s report also ranked Kingston third among the 25 largest Canadian cities attracting the most attention to their rental markets with rankings based on indicators such as available listings, listing views, favourited apartments, and saved personalized searches made through their website.
Demand for rental spaces in Kingston continues to be supported by steady enrolment at Queen’s, stable public-sector jobs, and relative affordability compared to larger centres such as Ottawa and Toronto, according to RentCafe’s report.
The city saw one-bedroom units settle at a median of $1,920 and two-bedroom units at $2,410, demonstrating an average monthly increase of 1.6 per cent and an 11 per cent year-over-year increase for one-bedroom units.
According to the Zumper report, Kingston, Québec City, and Montréal led the country in rent growth, with Kingston posting the highest year-over-year increase at 11 per cent, ahead of Montréal at 7.6 per cent and Québec City at 5.7 per cent.
Zumper’s report attributes Kingston’s resilience in part to its geographic insulation from the “immigration decline that is weighing on overall Ontario and B.C.”
Statistics Canada reported that Canada’s population declined by 0.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting, in part, a result of lower levels of immigration. A 2026 CTV News article also noted that Ontario “saw fewer permanent immigrants move there than the number of temporary foreign workers and students leaving,” underscoring the demographic shifts affecting rental demand across the province.
According to Queen’s Enrolment Reports, 28,715 full time students attended Queen’s in 2024-25, with 3,381 being undergraduate and graduate international students. In 2025-26, Queen’s had 28,561 full-time students, 3,199 were undergraduate and graduate international students.
In line with these reports, students say they are feeling the impact of rising rent on their budgets.
Avery Savage, ArtSci ’29, spoke with The Journal about her experience finding affordable housing close to Queen’s campus. Savage said she is grateful for her parents’ financial support, noting that she would not be able to afford rent on her own while managing her studies and other living expenses.
“Even buying groceries, I’m looking for the cheapest bag of apples,” Savage said.
In a statement to The Journal, Esther Urmosi, a communications specialist at RentCafe, noted that Kingston recorded an 87 per cent year-over-year increase in saved searches, placing it second nationally for that metric. At the same time, available rental listings declined by 13 per cent year-over-year, leading to tighter market conditions and creating urgency among renters.
Tags
Kingston rent, rent, Rent report, Student Housing
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