GTA Commercial Real Estate Markets: Compare the Cities

The Greater Toronto Area is not one commercial market but several. This page compares them side by side with live numbers from the MLS® system, so you can see where the property types, prices and businesses you want actually are, then go to that city’s page. For how we work with buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants, see our business brokerage and commercial real estate services.

The eight GTA markets

Each city page has its own areas, live listings and local advice. In short:

• Toronto: the largest and most varied market, with street retail and restaurants downtown and along the main avenues, mixed-use buildings with stores below and apartments above, office floors, and industrial units in Etobicoke and Scarborough.
• North York: a second downtown at Yonge and Sheppard on the subway line, office parks in Don Mills, busy retail strips on Yonge, Bathurst and Steeles, and industrial and showroom space along Highway 401.
• Richmond Hill: office condos and professional suites around Highway 7 and Leslie, medical and dental units, and plazas along Yonge and Bayview. Our office is here.
• Markham: technology and head offices along Highway 404 and 7, busy retail plazas around Steeles and Kennedy, and the main streets of Unionville and old Markham.
• Vaughan: one of the GTA’s core industrial markets in Concord and Woodbridge, with Highways 400, 407 and 427 close by, plus new office and retail at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.
• Mississauga: industrial and logistics space around Pearson Airport and Highways 401, 403 and 410, office at the Airport Corporate Centre and City Centre, and plazas and franchises across the city.
• Newmarket: the commercial hub of northern York Region, with medical and professional space near Southlake hospital on Davis Drive, plazas on Yonge Street and a historic Main Street.
• Aurora: a smaller, steadier market with a business park on Highway 404, retail along Yonge and Wellington and a historic downtown.

Which market fits what you need

A starting point by property type. The live table above shows what is actually available today.

• Industrial, warehouse and contractor space: start with Vaughan (Concord, Woodbridge) and Mississauga (airport area, Meadowvale); smaller owner-user units also come up in Aurora and Newmarket.
• Office and office condos: North York Centre and Don Mills, Markham along Highway 404, and Richmond Hill around Highway 7 and Leslie, where many professionals buy instead of renting.
• Restaurants, cafés and street retail: Toronto and North York for street-front and foot traffic; Markham and Richmond Hill for busy plazas.
• Medical, dental and clinic space: Richmond Hill, Newmarket near Southlake hospital, and the Yonge Street corridor in North York.
• Mixed-use buildings (store below, apartments above): mainly Toronto‘s main streets.
• Businesses for sale: every city has them; restaurants, food, retail and service businesses are the most common. Search them all on our businesses for sale page.

Questions about the GTA market

Where is the GTA's main industrial market?

The largest concentrations are in Mississauga around Pearson Airport and in Vaughan around Concord and Woodbridge, close to Highways 400, 401, 407 and 427.

Is it cheaper to buy commercial space outside Toronto?

Often, but it depends on the property type and location. Compare the median asking prices in the live table above, then look at the listings in each city.

Is North York counted separately from Toronto?

North York has its own page because it is a distinct market, but it is part of the City of Toronto, so its listings are also counted in the Toronto numbers.