Medicine Hat's average asking rent hits $1,339, second-lowest in Canada
A new national report ranks Medicine Hat behind only Fort McMurray among tracked mid-sized Canadian rental markets, even as local rents rose from a year earlier.
Why it matters
The data shows Medicine Hat remains one of the cheapest places to rent in Canada even as costs rise, a contrast to steeper rents in Calgary and Edmonton.
Medicine Hat's average asking rent for purpose-built and condominium apartments was $1,339 in September, according to the latest Rentals.ca and Urbanation report, making it the second-most affordable rental market among non-major Canadian cities tracked, just behind Fort McMurray at $1,258.
The city's rent rose 1.9 per cent from September 2025, a smaller annual increase than the 4.5 per cent recorded the previous month, when the average was $1,345. Medicine Hat was among several Alberta communities posting annual rent growth, alongside Lloydminster (up 11.6 per cent), Airdrie (up 4.6 per cent) and Red Deer (up 2.6 per cent).
The increases in these smaller markets came even as rents fell nationally for the 24th consecutive month, with the countrywide average at $2,034 in September, down 4.2 per cent year over year and 9.2 per cent below its May 2024 peak. Alberta's average rent for all property types was $1,780, down 2.6 per cent, while apartment and condo rents averaged $1,675, down 3.4 per cent provincially.
The report also highlights a gap between Alberta's largest cities and smaller markets: apartment and condo rents averaged $1,823 in Calgary and $1,522 in Edmonton in September, compared with $1,339 in Medicine Hat. Rentals.ca attributes the national softening to easing market conditions following 2024's peak, new apartment completions, and population changes. The figures reflect asking rents for vacant listings rather than rents paid by existing tenants.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.