The Cheapest Burnaby Neighbourhoods for Rent
Rent varies more within a city than most newcomers expect. Vancouver proper has neighbourhoods where a one-bedroom runs under $1,700 and others where the same unit is $3,000. Surrey has some pockets that are nearly half the cost of its most expensive areas. The cheapest neighbourhood isn't always the best value — an older building with thin walls next to a busy arterial is cheap for reasons — but for newcomers arriving on a limited budget, knowing which neighbourhoods to focus rent searches on saves weeks of listings-site scrolling. This ranking is based on VanCityGuide's ongoing observation of secondary-market rental listings (Rentals.ca, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace) cross-referenced with CMHC's purpose-built rental data for the broader city.
Rankings reflect typical one-bedroom rent in the secondary market (condos and basement suites listed for new tenants) for each neighbourhood. CMHC purpose-built rental averages are used as a city-level baseline. Where no CMHC data exists at the neighbourhood level, VanCityGuide research based on listings surveys fills the gap.
The ranking
Burnaby Heights (North Burnaby)
1970s concrete apartment buildings along Kensington and Duthie avenues. One-bedrooms $1,500–1,800 — best value in Metro Vancouver with a real main street at the end of the block.
Lougheed
Older stock on North Road and Austin Avenue that predates the SkyTrain interchange. One-bedrooms $1,500–1,800. Direct bus access to SFU for students.
Metrotown
Older purpose-built rental buildings near Patterson station. One-bedrooms $1,800–2,200 — meaningfully cheaper than new construction in the same area with similar amenities.
Brentwood
New construction only. One-bedrooms $2,400–2,900 at The Amazing Brentwood. Premium pricing for premium construction, not a value neighbourhood.
Why the top three are ranked this way
Burnaby Heights has the cheapest rent in Burnaby because its older 1970s concrete apartment buildings along Kensington and Duthie avenues have been largely untouched by the Metrotown and Brentwood development booms. One-bedrooms in these buildings routinely list at $1,500–1,800, which is the best value in the entire Metro Vancouver region for a walk-to-a-real-main-street location. Lougheed takes second because the older stock in the area predates the SkyTrain interchange development, and the buildings on North Road and Austin Avenue are similarly cheap at $1,500–1,800. Metrotown comes third because despite the density and the amenities, the older purpose-built rental buildings near Patterson station rent one-bedrooms in the $1,800–2,200 range — still meaningfully cheaper than Brentwood's new construction.