Published 2 November 2026 · By Jatin Dua, Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty
In Q2 2026, a one-bedroom condo in Durham Region leased for an average of $1,948 a month and a two-bedroom for $2,533 (TRREB). Oshawa was cheapest for two-bedrooms at $2,277. Three-bedroom townhouses averaged $2,796. No official source publishes house or basement rents, so use leased comparables.
This guide is for renters and landlords in Durham Region: Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering and Clarington. You will get the latest leased rents for each town by home type and bedroom count, what the different sources measure, and an honest way to price a house or basement in 2027.
What is the average rent in Durham Region right now?
The most recent quarterly lease figures are in TRREB’s Rental Market Report for Q2 2026 (April to June). It counts leases signed through the TRREB MLS system. When I checked TRREB’s rental page on 5 November 2026, Q2 was still the latest report posted.
- One-bedroom condo, Durham Region: $1,948 a month, from 268 leases.
- Two-bedroom condo: $2,533 a month, from 178 leases.
- Two-bedroom townhouse: $2,592 a month, from 42 leases.
- Three-bedroom townhouse: $2,796 a month, from 47 leases.
That makes Durham one of the cheaper parts of the GTA to rent. The average for all TRREB areas was $2,273 for a one-bedroom condo and $3,013 for a two-bedroom. A Durham two-bedroom cost about $480 a month less than the GTA average.
These are averages of signed leases, not asking rents. Asking rents tell you what landlords hope for. Leases tell you what tenants actually paid.
How much is a condo or apartment rental in each Durham town?
Rents differ more inside Durham than most people expect. Here are TRREB’s condo apartment lease averages for Q2 2026.
| Condo apartment, Q2 2026 | One-bedroom | Two-bedroom | Units leased |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oshawa | $1,918 | $2,277 | 107 |
| Whitby | $2,340 (13 leases) | $2,716 (14 leases) | 28 |
| Ajax | Too few leases | $2,588 (8 leases) | 9 |
| Pickering | $1,946 | $2,574 | 205 |
| Clarington | $1,913 | $2,574 | 132 |
| Durham Region | $1,948 | $2,533 | 482 |
Source: TRREB Rental Market Report, Q2 2026 (average lease rates, condominium apartments, municipality level). Whitby and Ajax samples are small, so treat them with caution.
A few things stand out. One-bedroom condos cost almost the same in Oshawa, Pickering and Clarington, around $1,913 to $1,946. Two-bedrooms are where Oshawa pulls ahead on price, at $2,277, about $300 less than Pickering or Clarington. Whitby looked pricier, but with only 28 condo leases in the quarter, a few new buildings can move the average.
Supply was ahead of demand. Durham listed 653 condo apartments for rent in the quarter and leased 482. That leaves room for tenants to negotiate.
How much does it cost to rent a townhouse in Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax or Pickering?
Townhouses are the closest thing to a family house that the published data covers. Pickering had the most townhouse leases in Q2 2026, so its numbers are the most reliable.
- Pickering: two-bedroom $2,624 (30 leases), three-bedroom $2,820 (24 leases).
- Oshawa: two-bedroom $2,390 (5 leases), three-bedroom $2,674 (10 leases).
- Whitby: three-bedroom $2,871 (7 leases).
- Ajax: three-bedroom $2,963 (4 leases).
- Durham Region overall: three-bedroom $2,796 (47 leases).
For older rental townhouse complexes, CMHC’s October 2025 survey found an average of $2,336 for three-bedroom-plus townhouses in Oshawa and $2,056 in Clarington. Those figures include long-time tenants, so a vacant unit will usually cost more.
What do purpose-built apartments rent for in Durham?
Purpose-built rentals are apartment buildings designed to be rented, usually by one owner. CMHC surveys them each October. Its averages are lower than TRREB’s because many tenants have been in place for years, with only guideline increases.
| Purpose-built apartments, Oct 2025 | One-bedroom | Two-bedroom | Two-bedroom, vacant units | Vacancy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oshawa | $1,598 | $1,771 | $1,869 | 4.1% |
| Whitby | $1,525 | $1,673 | $2,118 | 2.5% |
| Clarington | $1,614 | $1,787 | Not published | 1.8% |
| Pickering, Ajax and Uxbridge | $1,396 (low quality) | $1,749 | $2,091 | 1.8% |
Source: CMHC Rental Market Survey, October 2025 (Oshawa CMA zones for Oshawa, Whitby and Clarington; Toronto CMA zone 28 for Pickering, Ajax and Uxbridge combined).
The vacant-unit column matters most if you are moving. In Whitby, a vacant two-bedroom averaged $2,118, about $450 more than the all-unit average. Oshawa had the highest vacancy rate of the group at 4.1%, which usually means more choice for tenants.
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How much does it cost to rent a house in Oshawa or Whitby?
No public report publishes average rents for detached houses in Durham. TRREB’s rental report covers condo apartments and townhouses. CMHC covers purpose-built apartments and rental townhouses. If a website quotes one “average house rent” for Oshawa, check the source and the month.
A sound way to estimate it:
- Start from the three-bedroom townhouse average for your town, such as $2,674 in Oshawa or $2,820 in Pickering. A detached house with the same bedrooms usually rents above that. That is my experience, not a published statistic.
- Ask for leased comparables. A licensed agent can pull houses actually leased on nearby streets in the last three to six months.
- Check whether the basement is included. A whole house and a house with a separately rented basement are two different products with two different rents.
On the value side, the median detached house sold for $730,000 in Oshawa, $977,000 in Whitby, $925,000 in Ajax, $1,039,999 in Pickering and $820,000 in Clarington from January to October 2026 (TRREB MLS data via REALM). Oshawa’s lower prices are a big reason its rents are lower too.
How much is a basement apartment in Durham Region?
No official source publishes basement rents for Durham towns. TRREB does not separate them and CMHC’s survey does not include them. liv.rent counts basement suites in its listing data, but its October 2026 report gave only one Durham figure: an unfurnished one-bedroom asking rent of $1,605 in Oshawa, across all rental types. It called that the most affordable one-bedroom in the GTA in its data.
To price a basement unit fairly:
- Upper check: the condo one-bedroom lease average for your town, about $1,913 to $1,946 in Oshawa, Pickering and Clarington.
- Lower check: CMHC’s purpose-built one-bedroom averages of $1,525 to $1,614 in Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington.
- What moves it: ceiling height, window size, a private entrance, parking, laundry and whether utilities are included.
Tenants should ask if the unit is a registered second unit with a building permit. That tells you it passed fire and building inspections.
Which Durham town has the cheapest rent?
Oshawa is the cheapest overall, especially for two-bedroom units. In Q2 2026 its two-bedroom condo average was $2,277, against $2,574 in Pickering and Clarington. liv.rent’s October 2026 data also put Oshawa’s one-bedroom asking rent at $1,605, the lowest in the GTA in its report.
The picture is closer for one-bedroom condos, where Oshawa, Pickering and Clarington were within about $35 of each other. Whitby and Ajax looked more expensive in TRREB’s data, but their samples were small. For older purpose-built buildings, Whitby had the lowest one-bedroom average in CMHC’s survey at $1,525.
If you are comparing Durham with the rest of the GTA as a place to live, my guide on moving from Toronto to Durham Region covers commute and lifestyle trade-offs.
Is it cheaper to rent or own in Durham?
A quick test is the gross rent-to-price ratio: a year of rent divided by the home’s price. It ignores costs, so the real return is lower.
- Oshawa condo apartment: median sold price $340,500 (January to October 2026). At the one-bedroom lease average, that is about 6.8% gross a year, the highest of the Durham towns.
- Pickering condo apartment: median $470,000. At the one-bedroom lease average, about 5.0% gross.
- Oshawa freehold townhouse: median $657,500. At the three-bedroom townhouse lease average, about 4.9% gross.
- Pickering freehold townhouse: median $789,000, about 4.3% gross.
The medians mix unit sizes, so treat these as rough. Oshawa’s numbers look better for landlords because prices fell further: its condo apartment median was down 14.3% from 2025. For tenants thinking of buying, my first-time buyer guide to Durham Region and the Durham housing market outlook for 2027 cover the purchase side.
Will Durham rents go up in 2027?
No one has published a reliable 2027 rent forecast for Durham towns. Here is what the sources said as of November 2026:
- Rentals.ca and Urbanation reported a national average asking rent of $2,034 in September 2026, down 4.2% from a year earlier. Ontario rents were down 4.8%.
- TRREB said conditions should keep favouring renters in the near term, while noting leases grew faster than listings in Q2 2026.
- For sitting tenants in rent-controlled units, Ontario’s guideline caps 2027 increases at 1.9%. My post on the 2027 rent increase guideline explains who is covered.
My view, and it is only a view: Durham rents are more likely to hold steady than rise sharply in 2027, given Oshawa’s 4.1% purpose-built vacancy rate and more condo listings than leases across the region.
Units first occupied for residential use after 15 November 2018 are exempt from Ontario’s rent increase guideline. That covers many newer Durham condos and most newer basement apartments. The landlord still needs 12 months between increases and 90 days’ written notice, but the amount is not capped. Ask for the first-occupancy date before you sign.
Use TRREB’s leased averages for your specific town, not a Durham-wide number, because a two-bedroom in Oshawa and one in Whitby can differ by more than $400 a month. Cross-check with CMHC’s vacant-unit figures. If you are a landlord, price near the leased average and fill the unit. With more listings than leases, a vacant month costs more than a slightly lower rent.
What to do next
- Choose your town, home type and bedroom count, and note the matching Q2 2026 lease average from the tables above.
- Ask for leased comparables from your street or building from the last three to six months.
- Confirm whether the unit was first occupied before or after 15 November 2018, so you know if the 1.9% cap applies.
- If you own and are deciding whether to rent out or sell, get a current value for your home and compare it with the rent it would earn.
- Check TRREB’s rental page in early 2027 for the Q3 and Q4 2026 reports.
Need help with this? Talk to me.
I’m Jatin Dua, Broker of Record at RE/MAX Quantum Realty, and I’m the best agent to do this kind of work for you in Toronto and across the GTA. Over $100 million in GTA sales and 100+ families helped sell. Feel free to contact me any time: call or text 833-330-1925 or email [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
What is the average rent in Durham Region?
In Q2 2026, a one-bedroom condo in Durham Region leased for an average of $1,948 a month and a two-bedroom for $2,533, according to TRREB’s Rental Market Report. Three-bedroom townhouses averaged $2,796. Those are about $300 to $480 below the averages for all TRREB areas and are the latest quarterly lease figures available in November 2026.
How much does it cost to rent a house in Oshawa?
No public report gives an average rent for detached houses in Oshawa. TRREB and CMHC publish condo, apartment and townhouse rents only. The closest published guide is Oshawa’s three-bedroom townhouse lease average of $2,674 in Q2 2026. A detached house usually rents above that. Ask an agent for recent leased houses with matching bedrooms and parking.
What is the average rent for a 1-bedroom in Oshawa?
A one-bedroom condo in Oshawa leased for an average of $1,918 a month in Q2 2026, based on 50 leases reported by TRREB. Older purpose-built one-bedrooms averaged $1,598 in CMHC’s October 2025 survey. liv.rent put the asking rent for an unfurnished one-bedroom across all rental types at $1,605 in October 2026.
How much is rent in Whitby?
In Q2 2026, a one-bedroom condo in Whitby leased for about $2,340 a month and a two-bedroom for $2,716, but only 28 condo leases were recorded, so the figures are thin. Three-bedroom townhouses averaged $2,871. CMHC’s October 2025 survey put Whitby’s purpose-built one-bedrooms at $1,525 and two-bedrooms at $1,673 across all units.
What is the average rent in Ajax and Pickering?
Pickering had solid data in Q2 2026: one-bedroom condos averaged $1,946, two-bedrooms $2,574 and three-bedroom townhouses $2,820, according to TRREB. Ajax had only nine condo apartment leases, with two-bedrooms at $2,588, so its numbers are thin. CMHC reports Pickering, Ajax and Uxbridge together, with purpose-built two-bedrooms averaging $1,749 in October 2025.
What does a basement apartment rent for in Durham?
No official source publishes basement apartment rents for Durham as of November 2026. A fair range for a one-bedroom basement sits between CMHC’s purpose-built one-bedroom averages of $1,525 to $1,614 and TRREB’s condo one-bedroom lease averages of about $1,913 to $1,946 in Oshawa, Pickering and Clarington. Ceiling height, light and a private entrance move the price.
Which town in Durham has the cheapest rent?
Oshawa has the cheapest rent in Durham for most unit types. In Q2 2026 its two-bedroom condo average was $2,277, about $300 less than Pickering or Clarington, according to TRREB. liv.rent’s October 2026 report called Oshawa’s $1,605 unfurnished one-bedroom asking rent the most affordable in the GTA. One-bedroom condo leases were similar across Oshawa, Pickering and Clarington.
Are rents going down in Durham Region?
Rents were edging down through 2026, but there is no reliable 2027 forecast for Durham. Rentals.ca and Urbanation reported Ontario asking rents down 4.8% year over year in September 2026. In Q2 2026, Durham listed 653 condo apartments for rent and leased 482, and Oshawa’s purpose-built vacancy rate was 4.1% in October 2025, both signs that favour tenants.
What is the rental vacancy rate in Oshawa?
CMHC’s October 2025 survey put the purpose-built apartment vacancy rate at 4.1% in the City of Oshawa, up from 3.6% a year earlier. Whitby was 2.5%, Clarington 1.8%, and the combined Pickering, Ajax and Uxbridge zone 1.8%. These rates cover purpose-built rental apartments only, not condos or houses rented by individual owners.
Sources
- TRREB Rental Market Report, Q2 2026 (PDF)
- TRREB: Rental Market Report page (latest report listed, checked 5 November 2026)
- CMHC Rental Market Report data tables, Oshawa CMA 2025 (Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington)
- CMHC Rental Market Report data tables, Toronto CMA 2025 (zone 28 Pickering/Ajax/Uxbridge)
- BNN Bloomberg / Canadian Press: Average asking rents fall 4.2% in September (Rentals.ca and Urbanation), 7 October 2026
- liv.rent: October 2026 Ontario rent report
- Government of Ontario: Residential rent increases
Related reading
- Can My Landlord Enter Without Notice in Ontario?
- Can a Landlord Evict You Without Going to the LTB in Ontario?
- Can My Landlord Raise the Rent Every Year in Ontario? 2027 Rules
- Can a Landlord Put Security Cameras in or Outside a Rental in Ontario?
About the author — Jatin Dua, Toronto and GTA real estate broker
I am Jatin Dua, Broker of Record and co-founder of RE/MAX Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage, Unit 101, 799 The Queensway, Toronto. I work with buyers and sellers across Toronto and the GTA and have helped more than 100 families sell. Four-plus years of active GTA transactions and over $100 million in sales volume.
Reach me at [email protected] or 833-330-1925, or book a call.