Original report
Canadian Rental Cash-Flow Report 2026
A consistent 2026 scenario comparing monthly cash flow, cap rate, DSCR, and break-even rent across 10 Canadian rental-property markets.
Verified on 2026-07-28. Inputs are rounded market-analysis assumptions, not investment advice or live listings.
Highest DSCR
Vancouver
0.48 DSCR in this scenario
Best cash flow
Edmonton
$-1,041 per month
Largest shortfall
Montreal
$-2,251 per month
Cash flow and DSCR by city
| City | Price input | Rent input | NOI | Payment | Cash flow | Cap rate | DSCR | Break-even rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | $887,100 | $3,100 | $1,973 | $4,128 | $-2,154 | 2.67% | 0.48 | $5,827 |
| Halifax | $599,000 | $2,563 | $1,316 | $2,787 | $-1,471 | 2.64% | 0.47 | $4,425 |
| Edmonton | $420,000 | $1,650 | $914 | $1,954 | $-1,041 | 2.61% | 0.47 | $2,967 |
| Toronto | $753,300 | $2,660 | $1,555 | $3,505 | $-1,950 | 2.48% | 0.44 | $5,129 |
| Ottawa | $650,000 | $2,300 | $1,332 | $3,024 | $-1,692 | 2.46% | 0.44 | $4,442 |
| Calgary | $541,800 | $1,916 | $1,070 | $2,521 | $-1,451 | 2.37% | 0.42 | $3,752 |
| Winnipeg | $398,700 | $1,600 | $720 | $1,855 | $-1,135 | 2.17% | 0.39 | $3,036 |
| Montreal | $689,900 | $1,900 | $959 | $3,210 | $-2,251 | 1.67% | 0.30 | $4,750 |
| Saskatoon | $446,900 | $1,500 | $630 | $2,079 | $-1,449 | 1.69% | 0.30 | $3,334 |
| Quebec City | $508,000 | $1,450 | $672 | $2,364 | $-1,692 | 1.59% | 0.28 | $3,592 |
What this shows
Gross rent is not DSCR
Every city loses meaningful income to vacancy, property tax, insurance, maintenance, and management before the mortgage payment is tested. Using gross rent would overstate DSCR in every row.
Break-even rent is the pressure point
The break-even rent column shows the approximate rent needed to reach zero monthly cash flow under the same mortgage and operating-expense assumptions.
Methodology
Each city uses a 20% down payment, a 5.00% mortgage rate, 25-year amortization, Canadian semi-annual compounding, 5% vacancy, 8% maintenance, 8% property management, a city-level property-tax estimate, and a rounded monthly insurance estimate.
Purchase-price inputs are rounded from public 2026 housing-market snapshots and benchmark-price context. Rent inputs are rounded from public 2026 asking-rent and rental-market snapshots. Treat the dataset as a consistent screening scenario, not a valuation or lending decision.
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Sources
Market context references include CMHC Rental Market Report, CMHC Rental Market Survey data tables, Statistics Canada quarterly rent statistics, CREA housing-market stats, and Rentals.ca National Rent Report.