Rental Property Cash Flow Calculator Vancouver
A $750,000 two-bedroom at $3,150 a month, 20% down at 4.50%: −$1,165 a month.
Condo loads a $400 monthly fee. House drops the fee and adds a 5% capital reserve.
Price and rent
Add every unit's rent for a plex.
CMHC October 2025, Vancouver CMA.
Financing
20% is the minimum on a rental you won't live in.
Preloaded at 4.5%: advertised 5-year fixed rates plus a typical rental premium.
B.C. property transfer tax plus about $3,250 in legal, title and inspection.
Operating costs
Vancouver's residential rate is among the lowest in Canada. A thin cap rate here is a price problem, not a tax problem.
Vancouver strata fees average about $0.50 per sq ft a month.
0 if you self-manage. 8% is a typical fee.
Roof, windows, furnace. A condo's reserve fund covers the building.
Utilities you pay, accounting, licensing.
Monthly cash flow
−$1,165
Cash-on-cash
−8.41%
Cap rate
3.45%
Debt coverage
0.65
Break-even rent
$4,426 a month
Your rent is $1,276 short.
Down payment to break even
49% down
About $360,424 of equity before the rent covers every cost.
At renewal
One point higher (5.50%): −$1,506 a month. Two points higher (6.50%): −$1,863 a month.
What cash flow leaves out
Year one pays down $13,371 of principal. Cash flow plus that paydown is −$605, or −0.36% on the cash you put in, before appreciation and income tax.
Estimate for planning, not financial advice. Cash flow is before income tax. Rent rules: 2.3% limit in 2026, vacancy decontrol.
Vancouver has Canada's highest rents, one of its lowest property tax rates and relatively low strata fees, and still loses money at 20% down because the purchase price does all the damage. Property transfer tax on closing and the speculation and vacancy tax on under-used homes sit outside monthly cash flow.
Check the strata's insurance deductible and bylaws on rentals before you buy; some buildings still restrict them.
Cash flow on a typical Vancouver rental condo
Gross rent of $37,800, less $1,399 of vacancy and $10,527 of operating costs, leaves $25,875 of net operating income, a 3.45% cap rate. The mortgage takes $39,850. What is left is −$13,975 a year: a −8.41% cash-on-cash return on $166,250 invested, with debt coverage of 0.65.
Break-even rent
$4,426
Monthly rent for zero cash flow
Down to break even
49%
Equity needed at today’s rate
As a house or plex
−$922
No condo fee, 5% capital reserve, same price and rent
Year one also pays down $13,371 of principal. Counting that, the total year-one return is −$604 before appreciation and tax.
Which Vancouver rent to put in
Most calculators take one rent figure and never say whose it is. There are 3 benchmarks for a Vancouvertwo-bedroom, and they are not interchangeable. Asking rent is what a new tenant pays for a vacant unit. CMHC’s averages include tenants who moved in years ago at lower rents. Buying a condo to lease out, you will usually get close to asking rent; buying a building with tenants in place, you get the rent roll.
| Rent benchmark | Monthly rent | Cash flow / month | Cash-on-cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asking rentAverage two-bedroom asking rent, mid-2026: what a new tenant pays. | $3,150 | −$1,165 | −8.41% |
| CMHC condo rentCMHC October 2025 average for two-bedroom condos rented out by owners. | $2,900 | −$1,393 | −10.1% |
| CMHC purpose-built rentCMHC October 2025 purpose-built two-bedroom average, mostly sitting tenants. | $2,363 | −$1,883 | −13.6% |
Vancouvercash flow at today’s rates and at renewal
The preload is 4.50%: advertised 5-year fixed rates of about 4.09% to 4.39% in mid-September 2026 plus a typical rental premium. A longer amortization lowers the payment but not the interest rate; a renewal one or two points higher is the risk a five-year term leaves you with.
| Financing | Payment | Cash flow / month |
|---|---|---|
| 4.50%, 25-year amortization (preloaded) | $3,321 | −$1,165 |
| 4.50%, 30-year amortization | $3,025 | −$869 |
| Renewal at 5.50% | $3,662 | −$1,506 |
| Renewal at 6.50% | $4,019 | −$1,863 |
| Down payment | Cash down | Cash flow / month | Cash-on-cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% down | $150,000 | −$1,165 | −8.41% |
| 35% down | $262,500 | −$542 | −2.33% |
| 50% down | $375,000 | +$81 | 0.25% |
Uninsured rental mortgages qualify at the greater of 5.25% or the contract rate plus 2 points. Cash-on-cash includes closing costs in the cash invested.
Cash to close on a Vancouver rental
- Down payment (20%)
- $150,000
- B.C. property transfer tax
- $13,000
- Legal, title insurance, inspection
- $3,250
- Total
- $166,250
First-time buyer rebates do not apply to a property you won’t live in. If the deal runs negative, add a reserve for the shortfall: at −$1,165 a month, a year of carrying costs is $13,975.
Vacancy and rent rules in Vancouver
Vancouver's purpose-built vacancy rate rose to 3.7% in 2025, the highest since 1988. Rented condos were 1.5% vacant with a $2,900 two-bedroom average. Turnover two-bedroom rent fell to $2,696 from $2,883 in 2024.
2.3% limit in 2026, vacancy decontrol
B.C. landlords may raise rent once every 12 months, with three full months' notice, by no more than the yearly limit. That limit is 2.3% for 2026 and 2.2% for 2027. Vacancy decontrol still applies. The cap rate on an occupied unit is a sitting-rent number.
- The $2,363 rent is CMHC's October 2025 purpose-built two-bedroom average for the Vancouver CMA, up 2.2%.
- Condo vacancy (1.5%) is still well below purpose-built (3.7%). A rented strata unit is a tighter market than this preload.
- The empty-homes tax and speculation and vacancy tax are a separate annual drag on vacant or under-used dwellings. They are not in cap rate.
Vancouver rental cash flow FAQs
Does a rental property cash flow in Vancouver?
Not on a typical leveraged purchase. A $750,000 two-bedroom condo rented at the $3,150 average asking rent, with 20% down at 4.50% over 25 years, comes to −$1,165 a month after vacancy, tax, insurance, maintenance and a $400 condo fee. Change the price, rent and fee to the listing you are looking at.
What rent do I need to break even on a Vancouver rental?
About $4,426 a month on the preloaded $750,000 condo at 20% down. That is $1,276 above the average asking rent.
How much down payment makes a Vancouver rental cash flow positive?
About 49% down, or roughly $367,500, before the average asking rent covers the mortgage and every operating cost at 4.50%.
How much cash do I need to buy a rental property in Vancouver?
On a $750,000 purchase: $150,000 for the minimum 20% down, about $13,000 in B.C. property transfer tax, and roughly $3,250 for legal, title insurance and inspection, or about $166,250 in total before any reserve for negative cash flow.
Is there rent control in Vancouver?
B.C. landlords may raise rent once every 12 months, with three full months' notice, by no more than the yearly limit. That limit is 2.3% for 2026 and 2.2% for 2027. Vacancy decontrol still applies. The cap rate on an occupied unit is a sitting-rent number.
What vacancy rate should I use for a Vancouver rental?
Vancouver's purpose-built vacancy rate rose to 3.7% in 2025, the highest since 1988. Rented condos were 1.5% vacant with a $2,900 two-bedroom average. Turnover two-bedroom rent fell to $2,696 from $2,883 in 2024.
Cash flow calculators for other cities
Every city side by side is on the Canada rental property cash flow calculator.
How the method works
The Canada rental property cash flow calculator explains the formula, the 1% and 50% rules, down payment rules for rentals and how rental income is taxed, and ranks all ten cities on the same deal.
Sources
- CMHC 2025 Rental Market Report (Vancouver CMA vacancy 3.7%, 2-bed rent $2,363)
- B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch: 2026 rent increase limit is 2.3%
- Bank of Canada: policy rate held at 2.25% (September 2, 2026)
- Ratehub: advertised 5-year fixed rates
- nesto: Canadian mortgage rates
- bestrates.ca: investment property rates run 0.20% to 0.60% above owner-occupied
- CMHC: Income Property mortgage loan insurance
- OSFI: Clarifying guidance on rental income and mortgage classification (2025)
- Rentals.ca National Rent Report (asking rents)
- CRA: Rental Income guide (T4036)
- Urbanation and CIBC: GTA Condo Investment Report (July 2024)
- CBC News: More than half of GTA condo investors losing money (2023)
Rates checked September 13, 2026. CMHC rents and vacancy are from the October 2025 Rental Market Survey; asking rents are mid-2026 averages compiled from Rentals.ca and CMHC. Condo fees are city averages per square foot on an 800sq ft two-bedroom. This calculator is an estimate for planning, not financial or tax advice. Replace every preload with the listing, the lease and the lender’s quote.