By When I moved to Vancouver in 2025 on a work permit, I ended up settling in Richmond — but Burnaby was the area I kept circling back to during my apartment hunt, and it's the first place I point newcomers toward when they tell me Vancouver rents made them flinch. The pitch is simple: Burnaby sits right next to Vancouver, it's threaded with SkyTrain, and the rent is meaningfully lower for a very similar daily life. You commute on the same trains, shop at the same chains, and pay less to sleep.
What took me a while to understand is that "Burnaby" isn't one rental market — it's several. The neighborhood around one SkyTrain station can rent for hundreds less than the towers two stops away. So the real skill isn't deciding whether Burnaby is cheaper than Vancouver (it generally is); it's knowing which pockets of Burnaby give you the most apartment for your money. This guide is the map I wish I'd had.
Quick Answer: Where Is the Cheapest Rent in Burnaby?
The most affordable Burnaby neighborhoods for newcomers cluster in the south and east, around the Edmonds, Royal Oak, and Patterson/Maywood SkyTrain stations — older mid-rise apartment buildings that consistently carry the lowest one-bedroom asking rents in the city. Metrotown and Brentwood are pricier because they've been heavily redeveloped with new towers, but their older buildings still hold deals.
The single biggest lever on price is age and proximity: older buildings (1970s–1990s) set back from the newest SkyTrain towers consistently rent for less. Many of those buildings aren't even listed online — you find them by walking the neighborhood. Exact asking rents shift quarter to quarter, so treat any number below as a starting point and confirm live listings on liv.rent, PadMapper, or Craigslist before you budget.
The Cheapest Burnaby Neighborhoods for 2026
1. Edmonds — Burnaby's Lowest One-Bedroom Rents
Edmonds, in south Burnaby around the Edmonds SkyTrain station, has some of the lowest rents in the city. It's a neighborhood of older apartment buildings rather than glass towers, and that's exactly why the numbers work. The Highgate area along Edmonds Street covers your basics — groceries, restaurants — and Byrne Creek Ravine Park is right there for green space. The ride to downtown Vancouver runs about 25 minutes on the SkyTrain. It isn't a glamorous neighborhood, but it's functional, well-connected, and cheap, which is the trifecta most newcomers actually need in year one.
Summary: Edmonds is the value leader — older buildings, a ~25-minute SkyTrain trip downtown, and the lowest one-bedroom starting rents in Burnaby.
2. South Burnaby near Royal Oak — Just Above Edmonds
The area around Royal Oak station is older mid-rises at reasonable rents. You're close enough to Metrotown for big-mall shopping without paying the Metrotown premium to live there, the bus connections are solid, and Deer Lake Park is nearby when you want to get outside. It's a quiet, practical pick.
Summary: Royal Oak gives you Metrotown's amenities a short hop away without Metrotown's rent.
3. Patterson / Maywood — Quiet and Family-Friendly
Sitting between the Patterson and Metrotown stations, this is a residential mix of older apartments and townhouses on quiet streets — a good fit for families. You're within walking distance of Central Park, Burnaby's biggest, and the BC Parkway cycling path runs nearby (it'll get you to Science World in roughly half an hour by bike). You get a calmer, greener feel while still being a couple of stops from one of the region's biggest shopping hubs.
Summary: Patterson/Maywood is the quiet, family-friendly option — green space, townhouse stock, and easy bike/transit access.
4. Metrotown Area — Pricier, but Maximum Convenience
Metrotown costs more than the three neighborhoods above, but you're paying for density of convenience: the largest mall in BC, essentially every store and restaurant you might want, and a major SkyTrain station. The trick here is to look at the older buildings around Kingsway rather than the shiny new towers — they carry noticeably lower rents. If you want urban, walk-everywhere convenience without Vancouver pricing, Metrotown earns its spot.
Summary: Metrotown trades a higher floor on rent for unbeatable convenience; chase the older Kingsway buildings to keep costs down.
5. Brentwood Area — Highest Average, Best-Hidden Deals
Brentwood, in north Burnaby along the Millennium Line, has been redeveloped hard — lots of new towers, which pushes the average rent up. But the same logic applies: older buildings, here along Lougheed Highway, still hold deals. You're next to The Amazing Brentwood mall and its SkyTrain station. It's the priciest of these five on average, but a patient search through the older stock can still land you something reasonable.
Summary: Brentwood's new towers raise the average, but older Lougheed Highway buildings remain the affordable workaround.
What Rent Actually Costs in Burnaby (2026)
Asking rents move every quarter, so rather than lock onto a single number, it helps to think in tiers: a studio sits at the bottom, a one-bedroom a step above it, a two-bedroom higher again, and a basement suite often undercuts a comparable above-ground one-bedroom. Pull live numbers for each tier from liv.rent or PadMapper the week you start searching — those reflect current asking rents far better than any figure printed in a guide. For a city-wide picture of how Metro Vancouver rents have moved, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental market data is the authoritative reference.
Before you fall for a listing, sanity-check it against your income. A common rule of thumb is to keep housing around 30% of gross pay, though Metro Vancouver newcomers often stretch past that — our Vancouver cost of living guide walks through how rent fits alongside the rest of a realistic first-year budget.
Summary: Think in tiers — studio at the bottom, one-bedroom above it, two-bedroom higher, basement suites often cheapest — pull current asking rents from liv.rent or PadMapper, and pressure-test any listing against your actual income before signing.
How to Actually Find the Cheap Units
The cheapest Burnaby apartments are often the least visible ones, so the search method matters as much as the neighborhood:
- Walk the older buildings. The 1970s–1990s walk-ups along Kingsway tend to have the lowest rents, and many post a paper "For Rent" sign in the window without ever listing online. Some of the best deals I heard about came from people literally noticing a sign.
- Weigh SkyTrain proximity honestly. Being right beside a station adds a premium to rent. Decide whether you'll use the train often enough to justify it, or whether a bus-served block a little further out saves you enough to be worth the extra few minutes.
- Ask what's included. Many older Burnaby buildings include heat and hot water in the rent. A unit that looks $100 more expensive can actually be cheaper once you account for utilities you won't be billed for separately — so compare all-in, not just the headline number. (For setting up the utilities that aren't included, see the utilities setup guide.)
- Know the listing channels. Craigslist (filter to Burnaby), Facebook groups like "Burnaby Rentals" and "Metro Vancouver Rentals," liv.rent, and PadMapper are the standard online sources — but pair them with the in-person walk above.
A cheaper rent is only a good deal if the search itself is safe. Rental scams target newcomers hard, so read how to find an apartment in Vancouver without getting scammed before you send anyone a deposit.
Summary: The lowest rents hide in older off-market buildings — walk the blocks, compare utilities-included pricing, and screen every listing for scams before paying.
Know Your Rights Before You Sign
Two protections are worth knowing as a renter in BC:
- Rent increases are capped. A landlord can only raise the rent on an existing tenancy by the province's allowed annual percentage, and they must give at least three full months' written notice. The Province ties the cap to inflation each year — for 2026 it is 2.3%. It's a real protection — your rent can't jump arbitrarily mid-tenancy.
- Tenants have broad legal protections in BC generally, from deposit limits to notice requirements. The full picture is in our BC tenant rights guide.
Summary: BC caps the annual rent increase at 2.3% for 2026 and gives tenants strong baseline rights — confirm the current year's cap on the Residential Tenancy Branch site and know your rights before you sign anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burnaby cheaper than Vancouver for newcomers?
Generally, yes — that's the whole appeal. You get very similar transit access (the SkyTrain reaches downtown in roughly 20–30 minutes), meaningfully lower rent, and good everyday amenities. The trade-off is a more suburban feel in some areas and less nightlife than central Vancouver. If commuting time and rent are your priorities, Burnaby usually wins on value. Our cheapest neighborhoods to rent in Vancouver guide covers the comparison on the Vancouver side.
Are basement suites worth considering?
They can be some of the best deals around — a basement suite often undercuts a comparable above-ground one-bedroom, so it's frequently the cheapest legal option in a neighborhood. Before you commit, confirm it's a legal secondary suite with a separate entrance, and that it meets the BC Building Code's minimum head-room (ceiling height) requirement — the exact figure depends on whether the suite is new or an existing space, so verify the unit with the City of Burnaby's building department rather than eyeballing it. Quality varies a lot: some are genuinely nice, others are dark and damp, so view in person.
Where do I find Burnaby rental listings?
Online, the main sources are Craigslist (filtered to Burnaby), Facebook groups such as "Burnaby Rentals" and "Metro Vancouver Rentals," liv.rent, and PadMapper. But don't stop there — walking the older neighborhoods turns up "For Rent" signs on buildings that never list online, which is often where the cheapest units are.
How much should I budget for a one-bedroom in Burnaby?
Asking rents shift quarter to quarter, so pull a live one-bedroom figure for Burnaby from liv.rent or PadMapper the week you start your search — that's far more reliable than a number from any guide. The cheaper end is concentrated around Edmonds, Royal Oak, and Patterson/Maywood; studios and basement suites run lower, two-bedrooms higher. Always check the all-in cost, since some buildings include heat and hot water.
Does living near a SkyTrain station cost more?
Yes, generally. Proximity to a station tends to push rent up, since the convenience is in demand. The practical question is whether you'll use the train enough to justify it — a bus-served block a short distance from a station can save you money for only a few extra minutes of commute.
References
- Residential Tenancy Branch — Rent increases (Province of British Columbia) — the 2026 annual rent increase cap (2.3%) and notice rules
- BC Gov News — Annual rent increase tied to inflation at 2.3% for 2026 — official announcement of the 2026 cap
- CMHC — Housing market data and research — Metro Vancouver rental market statistics
- BC Building Code, Part 9 — Housing and Small Buildings — secondary-suite head-room (ceiling height) requirements
- TransLink — SkyTrain and transit maps — Burnaby station and route information
Asking rents in this guide are described in relative terms because Burnaby rents shift quarter to quarter — always confirm live numbers on liv.rent or PadMapper the week you search. Just starting your Burnaby search? Pair this with the move-in costs checklist and the Vancouver public transit guide — knowing your commute and your first-month costs is what turns a cheap listing into an actually affordable home.