Québec rental market statistics (2026)

Key figures

• 2.7%: rental apartment vacancy rate in Québec in October 2025, up from 1.8% in 2024 (CMHC).
• $1,273: average rent for a 2-bedroom in Québec in October 2025, up 7.2% year over year (CMHC).
• $1,232: average rent for all unit sizes in Québec in October 2025 (CMHC).
• $1,820: average asking rent for a 2-bedroom in Montréal in Q2 2026, versus $1,360 in paid rent (Statistics Canada).
• 10.4% of units changed tenants in 2025 in Québec, down from 11.6% in 2024 (CMHC).
• 1,015,269 rental apartments in centres of 10,000+, 30,523 more than in 2024. Two-thirds are in the Montréal area (CMHC).
• 3.8%: highest vacancy rate among the major regions, in the Québec part of Gatineau. Lowest: 1.3% in Saguenay (CMHC).
• 3.1%: base rate published by the TAL for leases renewed in 2026, versus a record 5.9% recommendation in 2025.

Vacancy and rents by region (October 2025)

Privately initiated rental apartments in buildings of 3 or more units, from CMHC’s Rental Market Survey.

Region	Vacancy rate 2024 → 2025	Average 2-bedroom rent	2-bedroom increase
All of Québec (centres of 10,000+)	1.8% → 2.7%	$1,273	+7.2%
Montréal (CMA)	2.1% → 2.9%	$1,346	+7.2%
Québec City (CMA)	0.9% → 2.4%	$1,277	+6.1%
Gatineau (Québec part)	1.9% → 3.8%	$1,460	+4.7%†
Sherbrooke	1.4% → 2.7%	$1,062	+9.8%
Trois-Rivières	0.9% → 2.7%	$1,016	+6.6%
Saguenay	1.6% → 1.3%	$985	+10.9%
Saint-Hyacinthe	1.5% → 2.2%	$1,203	+7.7%
Granby	n/a → 2.1%	$1,154	not significant
Drummondville	1.5% → 1.8%	$1,045	n/a
Joliette	3.3% → 1.4%	$1,118	+8.1%
Victoriaville	1.0% → 1.9%	$991	+9.8%
Rimouski	1.0% → n/a	$934	+11.9%†
Small centres (10,000 to 49,999)	1.0% → 1.4%	$991	+7.7%

The increase is CMHC’s estimate on a fixed sample of buildings, which makes it more reliable than a simple difference between two averages. † Fair reliability, interpret with caution. n/a: not published by CMHC.

Takeaway: the market loosened almost everywhere. Vacancy rose in most regions, yet 2-bedroom rents kept climbing by roughly 5 to 12%. According to CMHC, new, more expensive units are the most often vacant; affordable units remain scarce.

Asking rent vs paid rent: the gap by city

For the same cities, Statistics Canada publishes the asking rent in online listings and the rent paid by current tenants.

Region	2-bedroom asking rent	2-bedroom paid rent	Gap
Montréal	$1,820	$1,360	$460 (+34%)
Sherbrooke	$1,300	$960	$340 (+35%)
Gatineau (Québec part)	$1,700	$1,370	$330 (+24%)
Québec City	$1,460	$1,230	$230 (+19%)
Drummondville	$1,200	n/a	—
Saguenay	n/a	$880	—

Q2 2026, Statistics Canada experimental estimates.

The gap is narrowing. In Montréal it was $690 in Q3 2025 ($1,930 asked versus $1,240 paid). Asking rents have edged down over the past year, while paid rents keep rising as leases renew. To understand why these numbers differ so much, read our analysis of average rent in Québec.

Turnover: few tenants move

Region	Turnover rate 2024 → 2025
All of Québec	11.6% → 10.4%
Montréal	11.1% → 9.4%
Québec City	13.9% → 13.0%
Sherbrooke	10.4% → 12.0%

The turnover rate is the share of units that changed tenants in the 12 months before the survey. The bigger the gap between paid and asking rent, the less reason tenants have to move.

The rental stock

CMHC’s survey universe counts 1,015,269 rental apartments in Québec’s centres of 10,000+ in October 2025, up 3.1% in a year. The Montréal area holds 667,266 of them, or 66%. Two-bedroom units are the most common: 554,579, more than half the stock.

Rent increases at renewal

The increase on an existing lease doesn’t follow the market but the method of the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL), Québec’s housing tribunal. In 2025, its recommendation hit a record 5.9%. For 2026, the TAL published a base rate of 3.1%, under a new method in force since January 2026.

Definitions and method

• Vacancy rate: share of units that are vacant and ready to rent immediately at the time of CMHC’s October survey.
• Average rent (CMHC): average of all units, occupied and vacant, in privately initiated rental buildings of 3 or more units. Rented condos, houses and social housing are excluded.
• Asking rent (Statistics Canada): price listed on major online rental platforms. These aren’t signed rents.
• Paid rent (Statistics Canada): rent paid by renter households. Both series are experimental estimates and may be revised.
• Reliability: CMHC grades every estimate; we flag those rated only fair and omit those it doesn’t publish.

For rents of specific buildings rather than regional averages, see how our data and methodology work.