Home Prices vs. Income (2011–2023)
Prices have outrun incomes, widening the affordability gap.
Source: Teranet-National Bank HPI, Statistics Canada (clipped to 2023).
How Zoning Impacts Affordability
Burlington's restrictive zoning laws limit housing supply by prohibiting medium-density housing types like duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes in most residential areas. This artificial scarcity drives up prices as demand far outstrips the limited supply of single-family homes. When housing construction can't keep pace with population growth, prices inevitably rise faster than incomes.
How things changed over time
Use the timeline to see vacancy, rents, and housing gap by year.
Average Housing Price Over Time
2011–2024Housing Gap Over Time
2011–2024How Burlington compares to other cities
Burlington Underperforms Compared To Most Cities In The GTA. Select A Metric To Compare.
Source: Public data from CMHC, Statistics Canada, and municipal reports.
Why Burlington Lags Behind
Burlington's restrictive zoning policies have created a severe housing supply crisis that explains why our city consistently ranks among the worst in housing metrics compared to neighboring municipalities. While cities like Oakville, Milton, and Hamilton have modernized their zoning bylaws to allow for more diverse housing types like townhomes, duplexes, and low-rise apartments, Burlington maintains predominantly single-family detached zoning across most residential areas. This artificial constraint on housing supply directly contributes to our sky-high price-to-income ratio and critically low vacancy rates. The data clearly shows that municipalities with more flexible zoning policies have been able to approve and construct housing at much higher rates per capita. Burlington's outdated zoning not only limits new construction but also prevents the natural evolution of neighborhoods to include more affordable options for young families, seniors looking to downsize, and essential workers. Without significant zoning reform to allow for gentle density and missing middle housing types, Burlington will continue to fall further behind our regional neighbors in addressing the housing affordability crisis.
The Rental Crunch
Burlington's zoning restrictions have created a perfect storm in our rental market, where demand drastically outstrips supply. With over 80% of residential land zoned exclusively for single-family homes, there are extremely limited opportunities to build new rental apartments, townhomes, or secondary suites. This artificial scarcity has driven vacancy rates to crisis levels below 2%, far under the healthy market threshold of 3-4%. Landlords face little competition, allowing them to increase rents at rates that far exceed income growth. The problem is particularly acute for affordable rental units - without zoning that allows for smaller units, garden suites, or converted dwellings, low and middle-income renters are being priced out of our community entirely. This rental crunch impacts our local economy, making it difficult for businesses to attract and retain employees who cannot find affordable housing. Essential workers like teachers, nurses, and service industry staff face increasingly long commutes as they're forced to seek housing in more affordable communities. Without zoning reforms that specifically allow for more rental housing options, Burlington's rental market will continue to favor landlords at the expense of tenants
Rental Trends
Average rents have climbed while vacancy remains tight.
Average Rent (2 Bedroom)
Vacancy Rate (Total)
Source: CMHC Rental Market Survey (2011–2024).
This crisis demands action
The numbers are clear: we need more homes, faster. Explore the solutions and help move Burlington forward. Navigate BuildBurlington to see how the missing middle will solve the housing crisis in Burlington