A new report from real estate marketplace Zumper leaves a dire impression: the housing crisis in Halifax is far from over, but there’s a chance rents will continue to cool.
Zumper’s Canadian Rent Report median rent prices in cities across the country for the month of May 2026. Out of Canada’s 23 largest cities, Halifax is the fourth most expensive. More expensive than Ottawa, Victoria, Montreal, Kingston and more.
The median rent for a one-bedroom unit in Halifax is $2,000. The two-bedroom rate is $2,500.
On the plus side, the one-bedroom rate decreased by 2.4 percent. Two-bedroom rental costs stayed the same as last month. Zumper also reports that rents are broadly cooling across Canada, with Halifax experiencing a 2 to 5 percent decrease in rent costs year-over-year.
Annually, one-bedroom units in Halifax are seeing a year-over-year decrease by 4.8% while two-bedroom units have decreased by 2.8 percent.
How far is Halifax from the top median rental costs in the country? Zumper’s list sees Toronto in third place at $2,100 for a one-bedroom and $2,700 for a two-bedroom. Burnaby is in second with $2,200 for a one-bedroom and $2,700 for a two-bedroom. Vancouver has the highest median rent in the country, with $2,370 for a one-bedroom and $3,330 for a two-bedroom.
According to Zumper, British Columbia is facing a decline due to high construction costs and weakening demand. Ontario has similarly been declining, according to the report. While Nova Scotia saw an increase after a soaring demand from folks moving to Atlantic Canada from Ontario and British Columbia, it has since cooled and is also expected to continue to decrease, according to Zumper.
Editor’s Note: One comment made a great point about the lack of description on Zumper’s data in this article. Zumper contains listings for rental properties across Canada, so it’s presumed that its data is based on the aggregated rental listings on its website. According to Zumper, the report is based on data available in the month prior to the report’s publication and does not include short-term listings.
It is also important to note that many of the issues surrounding rental housing are legislative in nature. Nova Scotia has yet to enact a policy limiting the use of fixed-term leases, which are lease agreements that last for only six months to a year and can be terminated after that without cause. This allows landlords to bypass the five percent annual rent cap and jack up the price of units by ending leases and putting them back on the rental market. Renovictions have also been known to contribute to this issue. The rent cap also isn’t required to be followed if a unit is vacated. Currently, no task force exists to enforce tenancy court rulings.
the article didn’t explain how zumper arrived at their numbers in their analysis. for anyone living in an apartment in nova scotia their rent cost increases are allowed to rise 5% and always do, regardless if a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom. when people move out rents go up to what the market will bear, they won’t go below the last monthly rent charged. so I would like to see more meat in any article about rent increase or decrease, show us the numbers as to how they arrived at their summary.