![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/061026-rental-numbers-300x193.jpg\")
While Calgary continues to struggle with rental figures and affordability, many centres in Alberta, including Medicine Hat, rank among the cheapest for rent.–NEWS FILE PHOTOzmason@medicinehatnews.com<\/a>\nNew analyses show Alberta\u2019s rental market continues to offer lower prices than much of Canada, with the exception of Calgary, which is quickly gaining on Toronto.
\nSix of 10 cities with the lowest average asking rent are located in Alberta, including Medicine Hat.
\nAccording to the latest monthly report from Rentals.ca, Medicine Hat continues to rank among the country\u2019s most affordable urban centres.
\nThe average asking rent of $1,321 places the city behind only Fort McMurray and Lloydminster for the most affordable spot.
\nRent has dropped by almost 4 per cent in Alberta over the last year. Average rents for all unit types fell across each of Canada\u2019s most populous provinces, with price decreases also impacting Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.
\nAccording to data from the spring 2026 Housing Supply Report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Alberta has continued to post high numbers of housing starts, but is beginning to show signs of vulnerability as Canada\u2019s nationwide housing market cools.
\nHousing starts in Calgary hit a fourth-consecutive record high in housing starts in 2025, surpassing Toronto for the first time.
\nRental housing made up the bulk of the new supply hitting the market, with rental apartment starts up 75 per cent from the year before.
\nAlthough starts remained high, capacity pressures are beginning to show in the Calgary market, with completions failing to keep pace with starts in 2025.
\nHousing starts also reached another record high in Edmonton for the second consecutive year. Unlike in Calgary, both rental and ownership segments contributed to grow in housing starts, and both condominium and apartment starts grew over the course of the year.
\nAsking rents are continuing to decline in both Calgary and Edmonton, with Calgary experiencing a steeper drop-off.
\nDespite promising housing start numbers in the first quarter of 2026, affordability has worsened in most key markets across Canada compared to last year.
\nEdmonton is an outlier, along with Toronto, where affordability has improved.
\nOn the opposite end of the spectrum, affordability has declined the sharpest in Calgary and Halifax, where affordability ratios are now approaching levels currently seen in Toronto.
\nNational housing starts crept up by six per cent in 2025, but CMHC cautions that major vulnerabilities lie beneath the progress.
\nPressures are beginning to emerge, particularly in Canada\u2019s most expensive markets in Toronto and Vancouver, where condominium pre-sales collapsed, unsold inventory surged and financial conditions tightened.
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