Best places to buy real estate in Toronto
In the table below, you’ll find the top 50 Toronto neighbourhoods in which to buy real estate in 2024. To view all the data, slide the columns right or left using your fingers or mouse. You can also download the data to your device in Excel, CSV and PDF formats.
Source: Zoocasa
Top three neighbourhoods in Toronto
Located near the Cricket Club and surrounded by parks, Orchard Grove is currently Toronto’s hottest neighbourhood. With a 2023 benchmark home price of $2,261,249, the neighbourhood has seen relatively consistent price growth in the last five years, earning it a value score of 2.5. The benchmark price was 7% higher than in 2022, 15% higher than in 2020, and 13% higher than in 2018.
What makes this place so popular? Homes in this neighbourhood are in high demand due to a wealth of facilities, including luxury commercial districts, excellent schools, and easy access to public transportation and Highway 401. This community offers a diverse range of housing options, from two- and three-bedroom bungalows to Tudor and cottage-style two-storey houses. There are also larger Georgian-style homes with spacious central hall designs. This has made Orchard Grove an appealing neighbourhood for families: 52% of households have children, higher than the Toronto neighbourhood average of 41%. The neighbourhood is also quite walkable, with an accessibility rating of 3.1. The neighbourhood mostly attracts wealthy buyers, which is partly what’s driving home prices up. Like the other two top Toronto neighbourhoods, Orchard Grove has a perfect economics score of 5.0, propelling it to the top of our ranking.
View Orchard Grove real estate listings on Zoocasa.
Located close to Yonge Boulevard Parkette and York Mills Valley Park, Fairlawn also boasts several schools, including John Wanless Junior Public School, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, Ledbury Park Elementary and Middle School, and Allenby Junior Public School. With a 2023 benchmark home price of $1,881,922, the area has a value score of 2.4. The benchmark price was 2% higher than in 2022, 11% higher than in 2020, and 5% higher than in 2018.
Located at the intersection of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue, Fairlawn appeals to commuters. This multicultural neighbourhood has numerous amenities within walking distance—including grocery and restaurant options, a library, a park, churches and a community centre—which contribute to its neighbourhood accessibility score of 3.1.
View Fairlawn real estate listings on Zoocasa.
Designed with families in mind, the Bedford Park neighbourhood offers a superb array of amenities for those with young children. Boasting an excellent selection of public, private and separate schools; numerous parkettes and playgrounds; a community centre; a library; and convenient access to Toronto’s transit system, the neighbourhood caters to the needs of families. About 52% of households in Bedford Park have children, which is above average for Toronto. The neighbourhood is home to well-established family-friendly amenities, such as Wanless Park, Bedford Park Community Centre and Woburn Park.
At $2,060,125, Bedford Park’s 2023 benchmark home price was 11% higher than in 2020 and 14% higher than in 2018. However, home price growth stalled in 2023, with the benchmark price remaining unchanged compared to 2022. Bedford Park features a diverse range of housing, including detached and semi-detached homes. The original housing stock, dating back to the period between 1890 and 1940, adds character to the neighbourhood. However, there’s been a noticeable trend of replacing older bungalows with custom-designed new homes, contributing to an evolving architectural landscape. Bedford Park’s value score is 2.4, and it has a neighbourhood economics score of 5.0.
View Bedford Park real estate listings on Zoocasa.
What’s happened in the Toronto real estate market?
As interest rates climbed throughout 2023, home price growth in Toronto slowed. After starting the year at $987,842, Toronto’s benchmark home price climbed to a high of $1,197,021 in May. Though the benchmark price stayed above the $1-million mark for the rest of the year, it dipped by about 11% between May and December, ending the year at $1,062,914.
“A lot of people were worried about where mortgage rates were last year, and that led to some hesitation among buyers,” explains local Zoocasa real estate agent Doug Vukasovic. “In the spring and summer, the market was a little better, with sales and prices trending upwards, but when the Bank of Canada increased its benchmark rate at the end of the summer, buyers took a deep breath and the market stalled.”
With fewer active buyers, homes took longer to sell. At the market’s peak in May, properties remained on the market for an average of 22 days. By December, the average had risen to 51 days. This created some advantageous conditions for motivated buyers.
“Sellers were pretty hesitant about what was happening with interest rates, so some were more willing to negotiate deals than in the past,” says Vukasovic. “It was a bit of a role reversal, with sellers more at the mercy of the market, allowing buyers to get some better deals than they would’ve gotten in previous years.”
What’s next for real estate in Toronto?
Compared to 2023, the Toronto real estate market was off to a more positive start this year. As of January, home sales were up about 33% year-over-year and about 16% month-over-month, indicating a shift in buyer sentiment.