This report was written by Benjamin Felix and Hamza Bin Arif. The ideas, opinions, and recommendations contained in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of PWL Capital Inc.
Published: Summer 2025
How to pay for housing – the housing tenure decision – is one of the most consequential decisions that most households will make in their lifetimes as shelter is one of the largest costs faced by Canadians, making up more than 28% of the Consumer Price Index basket of goods and services.
There is a common perception that renting a home is “throwing money away” while owning is a universally good decision, but this perception mischaracterizes the total costs of owning a home. Properly considered, renting and owning are both reasonable approaches to paying for housing. The present study aims to articulate this point analytically for housing in twelve Canadian cities over the period January 2005 through December 2024.
