Posted on
February 13, 2026
by
Brad & Theo
Over the past year, both rents and condo sale prices have softened in Greater Vancouver, so we wanted to see what a real “rent vs. buy” looks like today using two near-identical Metrotown-area examples:
Rent example: 6700 Dunblane Ave (≈550 sq ft, 30th floor) renting for $2,150/mo
Buy example: 1507–6468 Willingdon Ave (534 sq ft, 15th floor) sold Dec 2025 for $589,000
Assumptions (Buy Scenario)
Mortgage rate: 3.95%
Amortization: 25 years
Down payment: 20% ($117,800)
Mortgage amount: $471,200
Strata fee: $295/month
Property taxes + basic insurance: estimated ~$300/month
Monthly Comparison
| Item | Rent: 6700 Dunblane | Buy: 1507–6468 Willingdon |
|---|
| Size | ~550 sq ft | 534 sq ft |
| Monthly rent | $2,150 | — |
| Mortgage payment (3.95%, 25 yrs) | — | ~$2,474 |
| Strata fee | Included in rent | $295 |
| Property tax + insurance | Included in rent | ~$300 (est.) |
| Total Monthly Cost | $2,150 | ~$3,070 |
| Difference (Own – Rent) | | ~$920 more to own |
Does the Equity Built Offset the ~$920/month Gap?
If ownership costs about $920 more per month, that equals approximately:
~$55,000 over 5 years
~$110,000 over 10 years
Estimated principal paydown (equity built from the mortgage alone):
~$61,000 after 5 years
~$136,000 after 10 years
So even with the updated strata fee, the equity built still exceeds the additional monthly cash outlay over both 5 and 10 years — before considering any market appreciation.
What Price Would Equalize Monthly Costs?
With today’s rate, strata fee of $295, and ownership expenses included, the condo would likely need to sell under ~$400,000 for total monthly ownership costs to align with the $2,150 rent.
This comparison gives some perspective on where prices could move in a more extreme correction scenario — and also explains why renting feels cheaper today while long-term buyers focus on equity growth and time in the market.
How does this compare to other major international cities?
A quick way to compare rent vs. buy pressure across cities is the price-to-rent ratio (higher usually means buying is “more expensive” relative to renting). Numbeo’s current Price to Rent Ratio (City Centre) shows:
| City (City Centre) | Price-to-rent ratio (approx.) | What it suggests |
|---|
| New York | 20.3 | Lower ratio (renting relatively expensive vs prices) |
| Vancouver | 21.1 | Similar pressure to NYC on this metric |
| Sydney | 23.9 | Buying relatively pricier vs rent than Vancouver/NYC |
| London | 30.7 | Much pricier to buy relative to rent |
| Singapore | 37.3 | Very high “buy vs rent” stretch |
For context, our Metrotown example implies a price-to-rent ratio around ~22.8 (589,000 ÷ (2,150×12)), which puts it closer to Vancouver/NYC/Sydney than the much higher-ratio cities like London or Singapore.