Retiring in Scarborough: Costs, Housing and Care (2026)

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 29 September 2026 · 10 min read — Toronto East prices by home type, Toronto’s 2026 tax rate and seniors’ relief, subway, bus and GO options, three hospitals, who it suits, and the downsizing arithmetic.

Scarborough at a glance

Scarborough was its own city until amalgamation on 1 January 1998. Today it shares Toronto’s tax rate, fares and seniors’ programs, at lower house prices than the central and western districts. For a retiree that often means a real choice: keep the house and bank less, or downsize locally and keep more. To compare it with the rest of the region, see my GTA retirement comparison.

What homes cost, by type

TRREB reports Scarborough inside Toronto East, which also includes other east-end districts, so these are regional aggregates, not Scarborough itself. One month, August 2026.

The semi median sits just above the detached median this month. That is not a rule; it is what one month of sales across mixed neighbourhoods can do, so do not read too much into a single line. For your own area, see the home values for Guildwood, Cliffcrest and Scarborough Village and Agincourt and Milliken.

Property tax and seniors’ relief

Scarborough pays Toronto’s 2026 residential rate of 0.767311%, charged on your MPAC assessed value, not the market price: about $767 a year per $100,000 of assessment.

• Cancellation of the tax increase: 65 or over (or 60 to 64 on GIS), household income not over $62,000, assessment below $975,000.
• Deferral of the increase: 65 or over, 60 to 64 on GIS, or 50 or over on a pension; household income up to $62,000. Deferred, not forgiven.
• Water and solid waste rebates: the deferral rules, plus water use under 400 cubic metres a year.

With lower typical prices than central Toronto, more owners here may fall under the $975,000 cancellation cap. You must have owned and lived in the home for a year before 31 October 2026; apply by 2 November 2026, and every year, on the City’s relief page. Ontario’s Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant adds up to $500 a year at 64 and over for lower-income owners. See property tax relief for seniors, city by city.

Getting around

This is Scarborough’s weak spot. Line 2 ends at Kennedy station on the western edge. The Scarborough RT, Line 3, closed in 2023 and was replaced by buses, and the Line 2 extension is under construction. GO is stronger than people expect: Lakeshore East stops at Scarborough, Eglinton, Guildwood and Rouge Hill, and the Stouffville line at Kennedy, Agincourt and Milliken.

• TTC, 65+: $2.25 with PRESTO, $2.30 cash. Senior passes ended on 31 August 2026; after 47 eligible fares in a calendar month, the rest are free (not with cash).
• Wheel-Trans: the City’s para-transit service for people with disabilities.
• GO Transit: seniors save 55% with the Seniors fare type on PRESTO.

Heading east into Pickering, Durham Region Transit’s senior PRESTO fare is $2.53. The Ontario Seniors’ Public Transit Tax Credit returns up to $450 a year.

Healthcare and care

Scarborough Health Network runs three hospitals: General Hospital at 3050 Lawrence Ave E, Birchmount Hospital at 3030 Birchmount Rd and Centenary Hospital at 2867 Ellesmere Rd.

For long-term care, start with Ontario Health atHome (1-833-515-1234). From 1 July 2026 the co-payment is $2,129.17 a month basic and $3,041.97 private, and the low-income reduction applies to basic rooms only. The last CMHC survey (2021, since discontinued) put the Toronto-area retirement home average at $4,016 a month for a studio or private room with meals. See retirement home vs long-term care.

Daily life

Scarborough’s natural setting is its best-kept secret. The Scarborough Bluffs rise above Lake Ontario, with Bluffer’s Park at the water; Guild Park and Gardens sits in Guildwood; Highland Creek’s ravines wind through the east; and Rouge National Urban Park runs along the eastern edge. Scarborough Town Centre is the main mall. The City offers free and discounted recreation for adults 60 and over, and Seniors Active Living Centres (referral line 1-888-910-1999).

Who Scarborough suits, and who it doesn’t

It suits you if you want Toronto services and hospitals at a lower price, want to keep a house with a garden, or like being near the lake or the Rouge. It also suits people whose children live in Durham or Markham. It may not suit you if you want to live without a car and without long bus rides, at least until the Line 2 extension opens. Compare retiring in Markham to the north and retiring in Pickering, Ajax and Whitby to the east.

The money: what a downsize frees up

Median to median, Toronto East, August 2026. Illustrative only; your house is not the median.

Land transfer tax is Ontario’s plus Toronto’s at the published brackets; repeat buyers get no first-time rebate. Commission, legal fees, moving and condo fees still come off. The gap is smaller here than in central Toronto, which is why some owners choose to adapt the house instead; aging-in-place renovations covers the credits that help. The downsizing money planner below compares staying with moving. A home that was solely your principal residence every year generally has no tax on the gain, but the sale must be reported on Schedule 3 and Form T2091; ask your accountant.

Next steps

1. Check your assessment against the $975,000 cap and your income against $62,000 before 2 November 2026.
2. See nearby sales with what did my neighbour sell for.
3. Map your routine to transit: which bus, which GO station, which hospital.
4. Thinking condo? Read what makes a condo building good for seniors.
5. Run the net proceeds calculator with your own figures.

If you would like to talk it through, book a call or phone me at 833-330-1925.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• TRREB — Market Watch, August 2026 — Toronto East by home type
• City of Toronto — Property Tax Rates & Fees — 2026 rate 0.767311%
• City of Toronto — Property Tax, Water & Solid Waste Relief — seniors’ relief rules and 2026 deadline
• Ontario — Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant — up to $500 a year
• TTC — Fares and passes — senior fares and 47-fare cap
• Durham Region Transit — Fares — senior PRESTO fare
• Scarborough Health Network — three hospital addresses
• Ontario — Paying for long-term care — co-payments from 1 July 2026
• CMHC — Seniors Housing Survey Data — survey discontinued; 2021 last data
• City of Toronto — MLTT Rates & Fees — municipal brackets

Related reading

• Best Places to Retire in the GTA (2026): A City-by-City Comparison
• Retiring in Markham
• Retiring in Pickering, Ajax and Whitby
• Is Toronto a Good Place to Retire?
• Aging-in-Place Renovations and the Credits That Help Pay
• Agincourt and Milliken home values