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 2026-07-29. Inputs are rounded market-analysis assumptions, not investment advice or live listings.
Direct answer
In this 2026 scenario set, Vancouver has the highest DSCR at 0.48, while Edmonton has the strongest monthly cash flow at $-1,041. Every city is calculated from the same down-payment, rate, amortization, vacancy, maintenance and management assumptions.
- Scope
- 10 Canadian rental-market scenarios
- Each row includes price/rent lineage, NOI, cash flow, cap rate, DSCR and break-even rent.
- Next action
- Download the CSV or run investor mode
- Replace the scenario assumptions with a property-specific price, rent and expense stack.
- Not a substitute for
- Appraisal, underwriting or investment advice
- Inputs are rounded public-market screening assumptions, not live listings or a valuation.
Highest DSCR
Vancouver
0.48 DSCR in this scenario
Best cash flow
Edmonton
$-1,041 per month
Largest shortfall
Montreal
$-2,251 per month
Key findings
Use these short facts with the canonical report URL when referencing this scenario set.
- Highest DSCR
- Vancouver: 0.48
- Purchase-price input $887,100 and rent input $3,100 under the stated assumptions.
- Strongest monthly cash flow
- Edmonton: $-1,041
- Montreal has the largest shortfall at $-2,251 per month.
- Positive cash-flow rows
- 0 of 10
- Each city uses the same down-payment, rate, amortization, vacancy, maintenance and management assumptions.
- Canonical URL
- https://usecos.app/reports/canadian-rental-cash-flow-2026
- CSV and source-lineage tables are included on the report page.
The report is a consistent screening scenario, not investment advice, lender underwriting, appraisal evidence or live market data.
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 |
Input lineage by city
Each row documents the source URL, retrieval date, geography, property type, price metric, rent metric, and rent basis used for the screening input. The numbers remain rounded scenario inputs, but the lineage is explicit so readers can judge the assumptions.
| City | Geography | Property type | Price source | Rent source | Rent basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | Vancouver CMA, British Columbia | residential rental screening scenario | rounded benchmark-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | asking-rent and rental-market snapshot context |
| Halifax | Halifax CMA, Nova Scotia | residential rental screening scenario | rounded home-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rental-market snapshot context |
| Edmonton | Edmonton CMA, Alberta | residential rental screening scenario | rounded benchmark-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rental-market snapshot context |
| Toronto | Toronto CMA, Ontario | residential rental screening scenario | rounded benchmark-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | asking-rent and rental-market snapshot context |
| Ottawa | Ottawa-Gatineau CMA, Ontario side | residential rental screening scenario | rounded home-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | asking-rent and rental-market snapshot context |
| Calgary | Calgary CMA, Alberta | residential rental screening scenario | rounded home-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rental-market snapshot context |
| Winnipeg | Winnipeg CMA, Manitoba | residential rental screening scenario | rounded benchmark-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rental-market snapshot context |
| Montreal | Montreal CMA, Quebec | residential rental screening scenario | rounded home-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | asking-rent and rental-market snapshot context |
| Saskatoon | Saskatoon CMA, Saskatchewan | residential rental screening scenario | rounded home-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rental-market snapshot context |
| Quebec City | Quebec City CMA, Quebec | residential rental screening scenario | rounded home-price context; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rounded monthly rent input; retrieved 2026-07-29. Source | rental-market snapshot context |
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.
Embed this chart
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Sources and verification
Verified July 29, 2026. The purchase prices and rents above are illustrative estimates assembled from the public sources below. They are not a single-source dataset, and no individual figure is a direct quotation from one survey. Published Canadian rent figures differ substantially by measure, so treat these as a consistent basis for comparing cities, not as market data to cite. Every derived figure is computed from these inputs by the same engine behind the site’s calculators.