Canada’s best cities to live in were ranked and quality of life is ‘hiding in smaller cities’

A new ranking of the best places to live in Canada for 2026 just dropped.

It revealed that quality of life is “hiding in smaller cities,” including many locations in Ontario.

Toronto-based digital marketing agency dNOVO Group released a study on the best cities in Canada, which analyzed the quality of life in places across the country.

It compared the 28 biggest Canadian cities on three key categories — livability, financial security, and safety — to find the most livable cities in the country.

The financial security category includes average salaries, rent and cost of living, while the liveability category includes quality of life, pollution and local attractions.

All of those factors were used to calculate a final score from zero to 100 and rank the cities.

There are six Ontario cities in the top 10 compared to just two in B.C., one in Saskatchewan, and one in Quebec.

According to this study, the best Canadian city to live in is Kelowna, B.C., with a score of 100 out of 100.

Kelowna has “a low cost of living” at $1,403 a month, which means residents have $922 in disposable income. It also has the most attractions for tourists and residents, with many summer and winter activities.

Barrie, Ontario, is in second place thanks to safety and “high-standard” quality of life.

The third most liveable city in Canada is Abbotsford, B.C. According to the study, it has the highest salaries of cities in the top five, at $4,297 monthly. Also, a low cost of living allows residents to have $1,252 in disposable income.

Sherbrooke is the best city to live in Quebec, coming in fourth place in this ranking. It has the highest scores of any city in the top 10 for safety, environment and quality of life.

Then, Sudbury, Ontario, rounds up the top five of the best cities ranking because of financial stability.

Here are the top 10 most livable cities in Canada for 2026, according to this study:

1. Kelowna, BC
2. Barrie, ON
3. Abbotsford, BC
4. Sherbrooke, QC
5. Sudbury, ON
6. Burlington, ON
7. Oshawa, ON
8. Oakville, ON
9. Regina, SK
10. Windsor, ON

Even though it’s in the top 10, Windsor only has a score of 66.31 out of 100, which is well below Kelowna’s score.

After the top 10, the next most liveable cities in Canada are Burnaby, Gatineau, Saskatoon, Kitchener, London, Halifax, Quebec City, Hamilton, Surrey, and Vancouver.

Mississauga, Brampton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto are at the bottom of the list. Not only is Toronto the lowest-ranking city, but it also has a score of zero.

“The cities punching hardest on livability aren’t the expensive ones. The best quality of life in Canada right now is hiding in smaller cities,” a spokesperson from dNOVO said.

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