Skip to content
KS Cashflow

Edmonton and Alberta, in sourced figures

Most listings on this site are in the Edmonton area. In CMHC’s October 2025 survey, Edmonton’s purpose-built apartment vacancy rose to 3.8% as new rentals kept arriving, and Alberta grew faster than any other province in the year to July 2026. Each figure below names its source and date.

What does CMHC’s rental data show for Alberta?

Edmonton CMA purpose-built apartment vacancy was 3.8% in October 2025, up from 3.1% a year earlier.CMHC Rental Market ReportOctober 2025 survey(opens official source in a new tab) Edmonton CMA average two-bedroom apartment rent was $1,603.CMHC Rental Market ReportOctober 2025 survey(opens official source in a new tab)

Purpose-built rental apartments, Alberta centres. Source:CMHC rental tables, Alberta 2025October 2025 survey(opens official source in a new tab)CMHC Rental Market ReportOctober 2025 survey(opens official source in a new tab)
CentreVacancy, Oct 2025Vacancy, Oct 2024Avg. 2-bedroom rentAvg. rent, all units
Edmonton CMA3.8%3.1%$1,603$1,464
Calgary CMA5.0%4.8%$1,914$1,761
Red Deer CMA3.5%1.5%$1,414$1,321
Lethbridge CMA4.5%*0.5%$1,706$1,621
Grande Prairie CA2.0%1.9%$1,419$1,353
Medicine Hat CA3.4%2.3%$1,258$1,227
Wood Buffalo CA13.6%10.4%$1,450$1,382
Alberta, centres of 10,000+4.3%3.6%$1,680$1,557
* CMHC rates this estimate’s reliability “d” (use with caution). CMHC flags Edmonton’s change in vacancy as statistically significant.

CMHC’s own reading of the 2025 survey, in its words:

“The rental market in the Edmonton CMA softened in 2025, with the vacancy rate for purpose-built rental apartments rising to 3.8%, as expected. The increase was driven by an imbalance between supply and demand: rental completions stayed well above historical averages, while demand growth slowed.”CMHC Rental Market ReportOctober 2025 survey(opens official source in a new tab)

CMHC’s October 2026 survey has not been published yet. These are the latest full-survey figures.

How much new rental supply is arriving?

Dwelling starts and completions by intended market, Edmonton and Calgary CMAs. Source:CMHC starts and completions by intended marketas of Oct 15, 2026(opens official source in a new tab)
CentreRental starts, 2025All starts, 2025Rental completions, 2025Rental starts, Jan–Aug 2026All starts, Jan–Aug 2026
Edmonton CMA8,92221,3378,5975,41112,654
Calgary CMA9,84127,6849,5275,39115,077
CMHC counts “Rental” as the intended market of the dwelling. The January to August 2026 columns are year-to-date totals.

What is changing in Edmonton and Calgary zoning?

Zoning decides how much housing can be built on a lot, so it shapes future rental supply. Both cities are changing their rules, and the province has given direction. The items below are as of Oct 15, 2026.

Verify: This area is moving week to week. Edmonton’s amended bylaw text and effective date, and the legal instrument behind the provincial direction, were not published when this page was checked. Confirm the current rules with the City of Edmonton, the City of Calgary or the Government of Alberta before relying on them.

How fast is Alberta growing?

How do Alberta rent rules meet MLI Select?

In Alberta, rent can be increased only after at least one year (365 days) since the last increase or the start of the tenancy.Service Alberta, Information for Landlordsas of Oct 15, 2026(opens official source in a new tab)

Alberta’s guide for landlords states: “There is no limit on the amount by which the landlord may raise the rent.”Service Alberta, Information for Landlordsas of Oct 15, 2026(opens official source in a new tab)

Alberta’s Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service is “a quasi-judicial tribunal” for disputes under the Residential Tenancies Act.Alberta RTDRSas of Oct 15, 2026(opens official source in a new tab)

Under MLI Select, increases on designated affordable units follow applicable legislation, and where none limits the amount, they are capped at the CPI figure CMHC publishes. CMHC’s 2027 permitted CPI percentage for Alberta is 0.1%.CMHC MLI Select pageas of Oct 15, 2026(opens official source in a new tab)

Verify: That Alberta’s rules leave CMHC’s 0.1% CPI figure as the binding limit for 2027 is a reading of the two sources, not a CMHC statement. Confirm how it applies to a specific file with your lender or CMHC.

What income sets “affordable” in Alberta markets?

CMHC’s median renter income workbook (2019 data, last updated March 2021) lists Edmonton at $66,600, Calgary at $69,500 and Alberta rural centres at $45,300. Affordable units rent at or below 30% of the figure for their market.CMHC median renter income workbookas of Oct 15, 2026(opens official source in a new tab) The median renter income lookup has the full table and where to find the live file.

30% of the Edmonton figure, divided by 12, is about $1,665 a month. That is arithmetic, not a CMHC-published rent; the lender confirms the figure used for a file.

For the program rules themselves, read how MLI Select works, the affordable-rent rules or the step-by-step guide, or go back to the current inventory.