On the hunt for the best condos to live in downtown Toronto?
Adam and I have been condo hunting the last few weeks, and we’ve viewed units all across the Greater Toronto Area.
Honestly, we’ve been pretty indecisive about where we actually want to move.
The fees involved in buying and selling homes is crazy expensive, so once we move somewhere, we plan on staying for a long time.
If only it was possible to have a trial of living somewhere before buying – you really won’t know what it’ll be like until you actually move in!
Here are some of the best condos and lofts in downtown Toronto to live in.
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Best Condos in Toronto
Residences of Avondale
We really loved the idea of living in a 2-storey loft, because it would feel a bit more open than a regular condo.
I stumbled across the stunning Residences of Avondale, which is located right by Yonge & Sheppard.
We saw a few units in the building, and the 1+1 bed 2 bath units are the perfect size for a couple.
The units are all soft lofts, which basically means they were built to have the look of lofts but aren’t conversions of former buildings (which would be hard lofts).
I actually worked right at Yonge & Sheppard for almost a year, so I already knew I really loved the neighbourhood!
The main reason why we decided not to move here is because of the high maintenance fees (~$800), which don’t include heating, AC, or hydro.
If you’re okay with paying higher maintenance fees, it’s a super nice condo in an amazing neighbourhood!
LOCATION: 1 Avondale Ave, North York, ON
PROS:
- Small building
- Average of $750-$900 per square foot
- Walkable (close to Sheppard-Yonge Station, tons of restaurants and shops)
CONS:
- High maintenance fees
DETAILS:
- Storeys: 12
- Units: 201
- Built: 2007
- Developer: Shane Baghai
- Property Management: Del Property Management
Madison Avenue Lofts
We discovered Madison Avenue Lofts after strolling through the Casa Loma neighbourhood one day, and we fell in love.
Formerly home to Toronto Hydro, this loft conversion features bougie single and 2-storey loft units.
Since the building is only 6 storeys with 211 units, there are quite a few units on each floor.
We loved the building and neighbourhood (we mostly saw older folks), but at around $1,000 to $1,200 per square foot, we thought the units were a little expensive.
We saw a 1+1 bed 1 bath unit and didn’t love the layout, and I find that only the 2 bedrooms and up have nice layouts.
If the 2 bedroom units are within your price range, it’s definitely worth looking at!
LOCATION: 380 Macpherson Ave, Toronto, ON
PROS:
- Small building (seems more community-oriented)
- Great amenities (gym, rooftop patio with BBQs)
- Safe neighbourhood (mostly older folks in building from what we saw)
- Walkable (close to Casa Loma, Dupont Station, Annex)
CONS:
- Around $1,000 to $1,200 per square foot
- Maintenance fees above average
DETAILS:
- Storeys: 6
- Units: 211
- Built: 2010
- Developer: Burnac Corporation
- Property Management: ICC Property Management Toronto
Ten York
Ten York is a newer condo building centrally located near the Entertainment District, Financial District, and waterfront.
It’s the perfect location if you work downtown and love doing things around the city like going to restaurants and events!
The layouts of the units are pretty nice, but they’re quite pricy at an average of about $1,200 per square foot.
It’s also built by Tridel, which has a fantastic reputation as a builder!
While it’s located in a neighbourhood popular with Airbnbs and short-term rentals, they’re banned in this building, which is really nice.
LOCATION: 10 York St, Toronto, ON
PROS:
- Low maintenance fees
- Great amenities (gym, outdoor pool)
- Safe neighbourhood
- Walkable (close to Harbourfront, Union Station)
- Short-term rentals are banned
CONS:
- Average of about $1,200 per square foot
DETAILS:
- Storeys: 65
- Units: 725
- Built: 2019
- Developer: Tridel Corporation
- Property Management: Del Property Management Inc.
The Address at High Park
Walking through the halls of The Address at High Park feels like you’re walking through a luxury hotel.
It’s a beautiful condo building located around the corner from High Park, and being right on Bloor makes it a super convenient location.
The layout of the 1+1 bed 1 bath we saw was gorgeous, and it was priced decently at under $1,000 per square foot.
While we absolutely loved the unit and building, we decided the area didn’t feel safe enough for us. It’s definitely fine during the day, but we wouldn’t feel comfortable walking at night.
Another building nearby that we thought was really nice but didn’t get to see was Home Condominium (383 Ellis Park Rd), but a 1+1 bed 1 bath sold for over $1.3m earlier this year. *shivers*
LOCATION: 1638 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON
PROS:
- Small building
- Great amenities (gym, party room with outdoor patio)
- Walkable (close to High Park, Keele Station, Dundas West Station)
CONS:
- High maintenance fees (small amount of units)
- Not a super safe area at night
DETAILS:
- Storeys: 12
- Units: 108
- Built: 2013
- Developer: Chestnut Hill Developments
- Property Management: Times Property Management
Marina Del Rey
We were very interested in the Mimico neighbourhood during our condo search, especially since we’d biked to the Humber Bay area a few times and loved it.
Walking around the neighbourhood feels very “west coast”, as it’s right by the water and there are tons of people doing activities like cycling and stand-up paddle boarding.
There are tons of rave reviews on Marina Del Rey, and even the young families we encountered in the building were very nice.
The gated building complex features 3 different buildings that all share amenities in a separate building called the “Malibu Club”, where we saw lots of families enjoying the pool and BBQs.
The layouts in Marina Del Rey are super nice, and there’s a mix of single and 2-storey units.
While the building is older than a lot of the newer builds in Mimico (built in 1990), it’s got a fantastic reputation and would be our top choice if we lived in Mimico.
LOCATION: 2261 Lakeshore Blvd W, Etobicoke, ON
PROS:
- Average of $750-$900 per square foot
- Safe neighbourhood (gated, lots of cameras, mostly families)
- Great amenities (gym, squash courts, indoor pool, lakefront patio with BBQs)
- Walking distance to Humber Bay Park
- Easy to get downtown (15 minute train from Mimico GO to Union Station)
CONS:
- Maintenance fees above average (but they are all-inclusive)
- Not many stores or restaurants, mostly condos
- Difficult to get around without a car
- Lakeshore area west of Humber Bay is not as nice
DETAILS:
- Storeys: 15-32
- Units: 254-300
- Built: 1990
- Developer: Camrost-Felcorp
- Property Management: Del Property Management Inc.
The King East
If you’re looking for easy access to the TTC, The King East is an amazing soft loft building.
The concrete walls and floor-to-ceiling windows in the unit we saw were really nice!
One drawback is that the units have gas stoves, which I personally am not a fan of.
We loved the unit we saw and the building, but the fact that the underground parking garage was right on King Street was the main thing that turned us off.
It does provide super easy access, but I’m sure it’s a nightmare to get out with the streetcar, pedestrians, and other cars!
If you don’t drive or don’t drive often, it should be totally fine, and the location is absolutely amazing.
It’s super close to the Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market, and easy access to the streetcar makes it super convenient to get anywhere!
LOCATION: 318 King St E, Toronto, ON
PROS:
- Decent maintenance fees
- Walkable (right on King Street, close to Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market)
CONS:
- Around $1,000-$1,400 per square foot
- Underground parking garage on King Street
DETAILS:
- Storeys: 15
- Units: 215
- Built: 2013
- Developer: Lamb Development Corp
- Property Management: Icon Property Management
Canary Park
We couldn’t believe we’d never heard of the Canary District before – it’s truly a hidden gem in the city.
It’s a beautiful neighbourhood just east of the Distillery District featuring tons of new condos, trendy restaurants, large sidewalks with water fountains for kids, and the giant 18-acre Corktown Common park.
At around $1,100 to $1,300 per square foot, the units are actually some of the priciest condos in Toronto.
We looked at a few 1+1 bed 2 bath units, all which feature the standard new condo layout with a small-ish kitchen and open concept layout.
The building is absolutely stunning with floor to ceiling windows and tons of seating in the lobby, and the gym and rooftop pool are also super nice.
LOCATION: 120 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON
PROS:
- Safe neighbourhood (mostly families)
- Great amenities (gym, rooftop pool)
- Walkable (close to Distillery District)
- Located right by the Don Valley Parkway
CONS:
- Around $1,100-$1,300 per square foot
DETAILS:
- Storeys: 15
- Units: 439
- Built: 2016
- Developer: Dundee Kilmer Developments
- Property Management: Crossbridge Condominium Services Ltd.
Best condos in Toronto to live in:
- Residences of Avondale
- Madison Avenue Lofts
- Ten York
- The Address at High Park
- Marina Del Rey
- The King East
- Canary Park
Hopefully you get a chance to look at some of these awesome Toronto condos, whether you’re looking to rent or buy!
We lived in Toronto’s most notorious condo (rhymes with and is the opposite of “nice”) for almost 7 years, so we did a lot of research into every single condo we were interested in lol.
I would highly recommend looking into the short-term rental rules of any condos you’re interested in, because it can truly make a huge impact on your quiet enjoyment.
You can also go on Airbnb’s website to see if there are any potential listings in the buildings you’re looking at!
Have you lived in any of these Toronto condos? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!
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