The Best Greater Vancouver Cities for Families
For newcomer families, the city-choice decision is driven by a specific combination: schools, rent (or mortgage) affordability, daycare availability, and kid-friendly community infrastructure. This ranking weights all four, with a moderate emphasis on schools because school quality is the factor newcomers most often ask about and the one most tied to long-term outcomes. North Vancouver's SD 44 and Richmond's SD 38 are consistently the top-performing public school districts in Metro Vancouver; Burnaby (SD 41) and Coquitlam (SD 43) are also strong. Surrey (SD 36) has excellent schools in specific catchments but is uneven across the city. Vancouver (SD 39) varies dramatically by neighbourhood.
The ranking
North Vancouver
North Vancouver: 2BR avg $2238/month. Schools: see full guide.
Richmond
Richmond: 2BR avg $1902/month. Schools: see full guide.
Burnaby
Burnaby: 2BR avg $2062/month. Schools: see full guide.
Coquitlam
Coquitlam: 2BR avg $1938/month. Schools: see full guide.
Delta
Delta: 2BR avg $1954/month. Schools: see full guide.
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam: 2BR avg $1742/month. Schools: see full guide.
New Westminster
New Westminster: 2BR avg $1827/month. Schools: see full guide.
Langley
Langley: 2BR avg $2015/month. Schools: see full guide.
Surrey
Surrey: 2BR avg $1748/month. Schools: see full guide.
Vancouver
Vancouver: 2BR avg $2314/month. Schools: see full guide.
The top three in detail
North Vancouver takes the top spot on schools (SD 44 is consistently the top-ranked public district in BC) and on outdoors — kids on the North Shore grow up with Grouse Mountain, Lynn Canyon, and Deep Cove as their backyard. The trade-off is that rent is high and there's no SkyTrain. Richmond ranks second because SD 38 is nearly as strong academically, rent is cheaper than North Van, and the Canada Line gives families fast transit to downtown Vancouver. Burnaby rounds out the top three because of its strong schools, excellent transit access (more SkyTrain stations than any city except Vancouver), and family-sized newer condos in the Metrotown and Brentwood districts.
All 10 cities compared
Full data for all 10 Greater Vancouver cities, in ranked order for this category.
| Metric | North Vancouver | Richmond | Burnaby | Coquitlam | Delta | Port Coquitlam | New Westminster | Langley | Surrey | Vancouver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population Stats Canada 2021 Census | 146,288 | 209,937 | 249,125 | 148,625 | 108,455 | 61,498 | 78,916 | 161,653 | 568,322 | 662,248 |
Land area | 172.9 km² | 128.96 km² | 90.61 km² | 122.3 km² | 179.66 km² | 29.16 km² | 15.6 km² | 317.2 km² | 316.41 km² | 115.18 km² |
Median age | 42.8 | 43.4 | 41.4 | 42.2 | 44 | 41.5 | 41 | 40.5 | 38.4 | 40 |
Foreign-born | 35.2% | 60% | 52.6% | 45.9% | 33% | 34.4% | 37% | 22.8% | 45.6% | 41.8% |
Top non-English language | Persian | Cantonese | Mandarin | Korean | Punjabi | Cantonese | Mandarin | Punjabi | Punjabi | Cantonese |
Median household income Stats Canada 2020 income year | $110,500 | $78,500 | $82,500 | $98,500 | $104,000 | $102,000 | $76,000 | $108,000 | $94,500 | $80,500 |
1BR rent (CMHC avg) CMHC purpose-built rental | $1,755 | $1,524 | $1,612 | $1,558 | $1,621 | $1,421 | $1,521 | $1,551 | $1,412 | $1,663 |
2BR rent (CMHC avg) | $2,238 | $1,902 | $2,062 | $1,938 | $1,954 | $1,742 | $1,827 | $2,015 | $1,748 | $2,314 |
1BR rent (market) Secondary market — new listings | $2,550 | $2,200 | $2,350 | $2,150 | $1,950 | $1,750 | $1,875 | $1,850 | $1,950 | $2,750 |
Transit pass (monthly) | $149 | $149 | $149 | $202 | $202 | $202 | $149 | $202 | $202 | $112 |
Annual rainfall | 2477 mm | 1108 mm | 1323 mm | 1833 mm | 900 mm | 1650 mm | 1250 mm | 1450 mm | 1255 mm | 1189 mm |
Walk Score | 60 | 63 | 68 | 51 | 40 | 48 | 77 | 45 | 45 | 80 |
SkyTrain lines | None (SeaBus only) | Canada Line | Expo Line · Millennium Line | Millennium Line (Evergreen Extension) | None | None (West Coast Express commuter rail only) | Expo Line · Millennium Line | None (Surrey–Langley extension opens 2028–2029) | Expo Line · Surrey–Langley extension (under construction) | Expo Line · Millennium Line · Canada Line |
Safety (CSI, 2024) Statistics Canada Crime Severity Index · lower is safer | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 55.3 ▾ -22.7 vs national | 57.4 ▾ -20.6 vs national | 79.5 ≈ +1.5 vs national | 125.0 ▴ +47.0 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national |