Lessons in EQAO: Part 2 | Adelaide Hoodless school continues to defy expectations on EQAO test

While the average rent for a one-bedroom flat in Hamilton went nearly unchanged in April, tenants are still paying 18 per cent more than they did the same time last year.

One-bedroom apartments in Steeltown are costing new renters an average of $1,875 a month, just a dollar more than they did in March, according to a national rent report from property listing service Rentals.ca.

However, it's still a marked increase from April 2022, when a one-bedroom unit cost an average of $1,557 - making for a difference of $318.

The rent for a two-bedroom unit in Hamilton went down by less than one per cent in April, but was still more than 15 per cent higher than the same time last year.

A vacant two-bedroom apartment in the city costs an average of $2,262 a month, while back in April 2021, the same kind of unit would have cost $1,985 - making for a difference of $277.

Hamilton's rental rates continue to be much higher than the national averages for both unit types, according to the report.

And the city has been ranked as the 17th-most expensive place to rent a one-bedroom unit among the 35 Canadian communities included.

Around the region

Even as Hamilton's rental rates continue to climb year-over-year, some nearby communities are still more unaffordable for renters, according to the report.

In Burlington, the average price of a one-bedroom apartment is $2,171, while two-bedroom units cost $2,533.

In Kitchener, the average price of a one-bedroom apartment is $1,912, while the rent for a two-bedroom unit sits at $2,385.

Meanwhile, St. Catharines continues to be cheaper for renters, with the average price of a one-bedroom apartment at $1,671, and $1,979 for a two-bedroom unit.

And in Brantford, a one-bedroom unit rents for an average of $1,753 and two-bedroom apartments for $1,981.

Rentals.ca's latest rankings, analyzed and written by residential real estate research firm Urbanation, are the average of all monthly listings from Rentals.ca and Rentfaster.ca. That includes basement apartments, condos and units in single-detached homes.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com