These major B.C. cities got more expensive to rent in last month
While we’ve seen B.C. rent prices decline over the past couple of years, the summer months have so far bucked the trend: rent prices have been ticking up in some major cities.
According to Zumper, a digital marketplace for renters and property managers, rents for a one-bedroom unit in Vancouver went up by 0.4 per cent in July, and rents for a two-bedroom went up by 0.9 per cent.
This is an increase from June’s median rent of $2,400 per month to a new median of $2,410 for a one-bedroom.
For a two-bedroom, the median rent increased from $3,370 in June to $3,400 in July.
The July rent increase follows a June rent increase, where one-bedroom prices escalated by 2.1 per cent month-over-month.
But it’s not all bad news for renters: on a year-over-year basis, Vancouver rents are still down. Compared to July 2025, a median Vancouver one-bedroom declined by 3.6 per cent, and a two-bedroom by 2.6 per cent.
And another Metro Vancouver city has experienced the biggest rent drop in the country. Although Burnaby ranks as the second most expensive on Zumper’s list of Canadian cities (Vancouver is the most expensive), one-bedroom rents have dropped by eight per cent year-over-year. Two-bedroom rents dropped by 5.2 per cent.
“The province’s record supply pipeline is still expected to weigh on rents, but the annual comparisons are becoming less punishing as they lap last summer’s declines,” reads Zumper’s report.
Zumper points to softening rents due to reduced temporary residents lowering population growth. Experts also point towards falling demand from new renters, and the fact that there has been a record number of purpose-built rental completions.
How did other B.C. cities fare?
B.C. rent prices had a similar trend to Vancouver.
Victoria one-bedroom rents increased 0.5 per cent month-over-month, with prices rising to $1,990. Two-bedroom prices were at $2,650 in July, a 0.8 per cent increase from June.
Year-over-year, B.C.’s capital one-bedroom rents dropped by just 1.5 per cent. However, two bedrooms came down by five per cent.
Kelowna one-bedroom rents increased by 0.6 per cent month-over-month, to $1,790, and the city’s two-bedroom units had the steepest increase in B.C., rising by 1.3 per cent from June. Year-over-year, however, one-bedrooms decreased by 5.3 per cent and two-bedrooms by five per cent.
Abbotsford is an outlier in the group. While one-bedroom prices didn’t see any increase month-over-month, year-over-year prices actually went up by 1.9 per cent to $1,650.
However, its two-bedroom units increased by 0.5 per cent month-over-month and decreased by 6.4 per cent year-over-year.