Moving from Toronto to London Ontario: What You Actually Need to Know

A lot of people leaving Toronto right now aren't leaving because they want to — they're leaving because the math stopped working. London Ontario has quietly become one of the top landing spots for that exact group: close enough to stay connected to the GTA, far enough that your money actually buys a house. Here's what the move really looks like, without the sales pitch.

The Price Gap Is the Whole Story

As of June 2026, the average home price in London was $594,008. The GTA's benchmark price regularly sits above $1.1 million. That's not a small difference — it's the gap between renting forever in Toronto and owning a detached home with a yard in London.

Market	Average Home Price	What It Buys You
GTA / Toronto	$1.1M+	Often a condo or a starter semi
London (city-wide)	$594,008	A detached home is realistic
Oakridge, London	$715,753	One of London's strongest neighbourhoods, median 19 days on market

In west-end pockets like Oakridge, you're getting one of London's strongest neighbourhoods for less than two-thirds of what a comparable GTA property would cost. For the full picture on where prices stand right now, see our June 2026 market update.

How Far Is London From Toronto, Really?

About 190 kilometres. Here's how the two main options compare:

Method	Travel Time	Best For
Highway 401 (driving)	~2 hours	Flexibility, moving belongings, occasional trips
Via Rail	Just under 2 hours	Working or relaxing during the trip, no traffic stress

That's a genuinely doable commute for people who only need to be in Toronto occasionally, and an easy trip for visiting family or friends who stayed behind. It's not a same-day-every-day commute, and if your job requires you in a Toronto office five days a week, be honest with yourself about whether that's sustainable long-term. But for hybrid workers, remote employees, or anyone who can make the trip a couple of times a month, London puts real distance between you and GTA prices without cutting you off.

What You're Trading For What

You give up some things leaving the GTA — the sheer size of the job market, the density of options for dining and culture, being twenty minutes from almost anything. What you get back: a mortgage payment that doesn't eat half your income, a yard, a quieter pace, and a city that isn't short on its own anchors. Western University and London Health Sciences Centre are both major employers in their own right, and London's economy has been steadily diversifying beyond its manufacturing roots. It's not Toronto with lower prices — it's a genuinely different kind of city. Most people who make the move say the trade was worth it. Some miss the GTA and go back. Knowing which one you'll be usually comes down to how much of your life was actually tied to being physically in Toronto versus just... near it.

Which Neighbourhood Should You Land In?

This is where a lot of relocating buyers waste time — touring neighbourhoods that don't actually fit their life. A quick starting point:

Neighbourhood	Best For	Why
Oakridge	Families, default recommendation	Central, walkable, strong schools, established community
Byron	Outdoor lifestyle	Village-like feel, anchored by Springbank Park and the Thames River
Hyde Park & Lambeth	Newer construction	Modern builds over character homes
Westmount	Flexibility & investors	Widest price range, close to Western University

Our full Oakridge vs. Byron comparison and London Ontario neighbourhood guide both go deeper if you want to compare more areas before you commit to a tour day.

Selling in the GTA While Buying in London

Timing two transactions in two different markets is the part that trips people up. The two common approaches: sell first and rent short-term while you find the right London home, or buy first with a bridge loan or conditional offer if your GTA home is already listed. Neither is automatically better — it depends on how much certainty you need versus how much flexibility you want to shop. This is exactly the kind of decision worth talking through before you list anything, not after.

You Don't Need to Waste Multiple Trips

You don't need to burn a weekend every few weeks driving back and forth to see houses that don't work out. A better approach: a detailed video call to narrow down neighbourhoods and budget, a shortlist built around your actual priorities, then one focused tour day when you're in town — followed by remote support for the offer, inspection, and closing if needed. That's the process outlined on our relocation services page, built specifically for out-of-town buyers.

One Small Bonus: Closing Costs

Toronto charges both a provincial and a municipal Land Transfer Tax on residential purchases. London only charges the provincial one — there's no municipal tax stacked on top here. On a $700,000 purchase, that difference looks like this:

	London	Toronto
Provincial Land Transfer Tax	$10,475	$10,475
Municipal Land Transfer Tax	—	$10,475
Total Land Transfer Tax	$10,475	$20,950

Toronto's municipal tax mirrors the provincial brackets almost exactly, which means buying the same-priced home in Toronto instead of London roughly doubles your Land Transfer Tax bill. It's a small detail next to the overall price gap, but it adds up. Our full closing costs breakdown covers everything else you'll pay on closing day.

Thinking about making the move? Reach out to Justin for a straightforward conversation about timing, neighbourhoods, and what your budget actually gets you here — no pressure, no sales pitch.