The Best Greater Vancouver Cities for Transit
If you don't want to own a car — or you want a short transit commute to downtown Vancouver — the choice of city matters a lot. Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond all have excellent SkyTrain coverage within their boundaries. Surrey and Coquitlam have limited SkyTrain coverage that's improving. North Vancouver has no SkyTrain at all, relying on the SeaBus and a bus network. This ranking considers SkyTrain coverage, bus network density, Walk Score, and commute time to downtown Vancouver from each city's main transit hub.
The ranking
Vancouver
Vancouver: 3 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 80.
Burnaby
Burnaby: 2 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 68.
New Westminster
New Westminster: 2 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 77.
Richmond
Richmond: 1 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 63.
North Vancouver
North Vancouver: No SkyTrain. Walk Score 60.
Coquitlam
Coquitlam: 1 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 51.
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam: 1 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 48.
Surrey
Surrey: 2 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 45.
Delta
Delta: 1 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 40.
Langley
Langley: 1 SkyTrain line(s). Walk Score 45.
The top three in detail
Vancouver tops the list — it has the most SkyTrain stations, the highest Walk Score (80), and the densest bus network. Nearly every neighbourhood in Vancouver is within a 15-minute walk of frequent transit. Burnaby takes second place despite its suburban character because both the Expo and Millennium lines run through it — 11 SkyTrain stations total, more than any Metro Vancouver city except Vancouver itself. New Westminster is an honourable mention: four SkyTrain stations packed into 15.6 km² gives it the highest station density of any city in Metro Vancouver. Richmond ranks fourth: the Canada Line runs the full length of the city, and Richmond is completely flat, making it the best Metro Vancouver city for cycling as an alternative to transit.
All 10 cities compared
Full data for all 10 Greater Vancouver cities, in ranked order for this category.
| Metric | Vancouver | Burnaby | New Westminster | Richmond | North Vancouver | Coquitlam | Port Coquitlam | Surrey | Delta | Langley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population Stats Canada 2021 Census | 662,248 | 249,125 | 78,916 | 209,937 | 146,288 | 148,625 | 61,498 | 568,322 | 108,455 | 161,653 |
Land area | 115.18 km² | 90.61 km² | 15.6 km² | 128.96 km² | 172.9 km² | 122.3 km² | 29.16 km² | 316.41 km² | 179.66 km² | 317.2 km² |
Median age | 40 | 41.4 | 41 | 43.4 | 42.8 | 42.2 | 41.5 | 38.4 | 44 | 40.5 |
Foreign-born | 41.8% | 52.6% | 37% | 60% | 35.2% | 45.9% | 34.4% | 45.6% | 33% | 22.8% |
Top non-English language | Cantonese | Mandarin | Mandarin | Cantonese | Persian | Korean | Cantonese | Punjabi | Punjabi | Punjabi |
Median household income Stats Canada 2020 income year | $80,500 | $82,500 | $76,000 | $78,500 | $110,500 | $98,500 | $102,000 | $94,500 | $104,000 | $108,000 |
1BR rent (CMHC avg) CMHC purpose-built rental | $1,663 | $1,612 | $1,521 | $1,524 | $1,755 | $1,558 | $1,421 | $1,412 | $1,621 | $1,551 |
2BR rent (CMHC avg) | $2,314 | $2,062 | $1,827 | $1,902 | $2,238 | $1,938 | $1,742 | $1,748 | $1,954 | $2,015 |
1BR rent (market) Secondary market — new listings | $2,750 | $2,350 | $1,875 | $2,200 | $2,550 | $2,150 | $1,750 | $1,950 | $1,950 | $1,850 |
Transit pass (monthly) | $112 | $149 | $149 | $149 | $149 | $202 | $202 | $202 | $202 | $202 |
Annual rainfall | 1189 mm | 1323 mm | 1250 mm | 1108 mm | 2477 mm | 1833 mm | 1650 mm | 1255 mm | 900 mm | 1450 mm |
Walk Score | 80 | 68 | 77 | 63 | 60 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 40 | 45 |
SkyTrain lines | Expo Line · Millennium Line · Canada Line | Expo Line · Millennium Line | Expo Line · Millennium Line | Canada Line | None (SeaBus only) | Millennium Line (Evergreen Extension) | None (West Coast Express commuter rail only) | Expo Line · Surrey–Langley extension (under construction) | None | None (Surrey–Langley extension opens 2028–2029) |
Safety (CSI, 2024) Statistics Canada Crime Severity Index · lower is safer | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 79.5 ≈ +1.5 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 57.4 ▾ -20.6 vs national | 81.2 ≈ +3.3 vs national | 55.3 ▾ -22.7 vs national | 125.0 ▴ +47.0 vs national |