Moving from Toronto to London, Ontario: A Relocation Guide for Buyers

A move from Toronto to London, Ontario is usually about space, price and pace. It is also a real change of city, with its own job market, transit and neighbourhoods. This guide sticks to what we could confirm from primary sources in October 2026, each with its date, and is plain about what we left out. You will not find a cost-of-living index or a promised drive time here, because we could not find figures we would stand behind.

London in numbers

Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census counted 422,324 people in the City of London, up 10.0% from 2016, and 543,551 in the London census metropolitan area. It is a city in its own right, with a university, a college and a large teaching hospital network, and not a commuter suburb of Toronto. That shapes the decision: most of your daily life will happen here.

Home prices: what the two real estate boards publish

The fairest comparison we can make uses the same measure from each board for the same month. Both the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR) and the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) publish an MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark, which tracks the value of a typical home.

Area	Composite benchmark, September 2026	Source
LSTAR (London and St. Thomas region)	$552,500	LSTAR release, October 2026
All TRREB areas	$917,600	TRREB Market Watch, October 6, 2026
City of Toronto	$908,200	TRREB Market Watch, October 6, 2026

On those figures the London-region benchmark was $365,100 lower than the benchmark for all TRREB areas. Treat that as a broad indication only. A “typical home” is defined separately in each market, the mix of houses and condos differs, and prices within each region vary widely. TRREB also reported its composite benchmark was down 4.7% from a year earlier, while LSTAR’s was down 1.5% from June 2026.

Within the London region, September 2026 benchmarks ranged from $432,300 in London East to $613,000 in London North, with $496,800 in St. Thomas and $756,300 in Middlesex Centre. By type, LSTAR’s benchmarks were $600,700 for a single-family home, $421,500 for a townhouse and $317,100 for an apartment. Our London housing market page keeps these numbers current and explains how to read them.

The buying conditions you are moving into

LSTAR reported 561 sales in September 2026, 5.9 months of inventory and a sales-to-new-listings ratio of 34.7%, and its chair said the market “continued to show signs of a buyers’ market.” If you have bought in a fast Toronto market before, expect a different rhythm: more homes to compare, and more room to include conditions such as financing and a home inspection in an offer. Popular homes still draw competing offers, so do not assume every listing is negotiable.

Getting between London and Toronto

By train

VIA Rail serves London from a staffed station at 205 York Street, in the downtown core. VIA’s corporate site describes London as its fourth-busiest station and the last major stop before the Sarnia and Windsor ends of its Toronto routes.

When we checked VIA’s route pages in October 2026, they listed:

• a distance of 185 km between Toronto and London
• 41 departures a week in each direction
• an average trip of 2 hours 27 minutes from Toronto to London, and 2 hours 33 minutes from London to Toronto

VIA notes that fares and schedules can change without notice. Ontario’s transportation plan for the southwest, published in 2020, also noted that trains on VIA’s southwestern routes were often delayed, largely because of freight traffic and track conditions. If you plan to commute, even occasionally, look at the actual timetable on viarail.ca for the days and times you would travel, and try the trip before you buy.

By road

London is served by two provincial highways, the 401 and the 402. Highway 401 is the route drivers take between London and the Greater Toronto Area, and it continues west toward Windsor. Highway 402 runs between London and Sarnia, a stretch the Ontario government lists as 90 km. The province’s southwest transportation plan says the region’s auto manufacturing is especially dependent on both highways and on the border crossings at Sarnia and Windsor.

We are not quoting a drive time to Toronto. It varies too much with the time of day, the weather and where in the GTA you are going, and no official source publishes one. If the drive matters to you, do it at the hour you would actually travel.

By air

London International Airport (YXU) is at 10 Seabrook Way. In October 2026 the airport’s website listed destinations including Toronto, Calgary, Orlando, Cancun, Montego Bay, Punta Cana and Fort Lauderdale, and noted that schedules change seasonally. Check the airport’s site for what is flying when you need it.

Getting around London

The London Transit Commission runs the city’s bus network. If you are used to the TTC, do not assume the same coverage or frequency: when you compare neighbourhoods, look up the actual routes and test the trips you would make for work, school and groceries, by bus and by car.

Work, education and health care

Three institutions anchor the local economy, and their own published figures are a useful guide.

• London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) describes itself as London’s largest employer, with nearly 15,000 physicians, residents and staff.
• Western University reports about 42,978 students, including 5,445 international students, across 12 faculties and affiliated colleges.
• Fanshawe College describes itself as having approximately 43,000 students. Be aware that Fanshawe’s own program-suspension notice projects full-time term enrolment falling 18% for 2026/27, from 42,946 to 35,233. If you are thinking of buying a rental property near the college, factor that in.

If you will keep a Toronto job and work remotely, confirm how often you are expected in the office before you choose a location. Living near the VIA station or near Highway 401 matters much more if the answer is weekly than if it is quarterly.

Costs that work differently here

Land transfer tax

Every buyer in Ontario pays provincial land transfer tax. Ontario.ca’s land transfer tax page describes a municipal land transfer tax only for the City of Toronto, which Toronto buyers pay in addition to the provincial tax. We have not found a government page that addresses London by name, so ask your lawyer to confirm what applies to your purchase. The provincial brackets and the first-time buyer refund are set out in our Ontario land transfer tax guide.

Property tax

Property tax is set by each municipality, so your Toronto bill tells you nothing about a London one. Check the actual tax for any address you are considering. The City of London bills in two stages: an interim bill, then a final bill after Council sets rates. In 2026 the interim instalments were due February 27 and March 31, and the final instalments June 30, August 31 and October 30, with a 1.25% penalty on the first day of default and each following month. Our London property tax guide explains the billing in full.

Mortgage rules

The federal rules are the same wherever you buy: a minimum down payment of 5% on the first $500,000 and 10% on the portion up to $1.5 million, and mortgage loan insurance when you put down less than 20%. What changes is the price they apply to. See how much money you need to buy a house in Ontario and our guide to buying a house in London.

Choosing where to live

London’s neighbourhoods differ in age, lot size, housing type and price, and the surrounding towns add more options. A sensible way to narrow the field from a distance:

1. Decide what you need daily: a commute to a London employer, a walk to the train, a specific school board, or space for a workshop.
2. Read the London community page and our guide to choosing a family neighbourhood.
3. Look at nearby communities if you want a smaller town or a larger lot: St. Thomas, Komoka, Ilderton, Dorchester, Strathroy and Port Stanley.
4. Decide between a resale home and a new build. Our new home construction page and condo vs house guide can help.
5. Spend a full weekend here before you shortlist, and visit your top areas on a weekday too.

For country properties, read about wells and septic systems first, because they are unfamiliar to most city buyers.

Selling in Toronto and buying in London

Most people making this move own a home already, which means two transactions in two markets.

• Sequence. Decide whether to sell first or buy first. Each has risks, which we cover in should you buy before you sell.
• Agents. You will normally work with a Toronto-area agent for the sale and a London agent for the purchase, since local sales knowledge is the point. Under RECO’s rules you sign a written representation agreement with each brokerage, and you should check its scope, expiry date and holdover clause.
• Lawyer. Ask an Ontario real estate lawyer early whether they can act on both closings, and how the two closing dates should be spaced.
• Tax. If your Toronto home was your principal residence for every year you owned it, the CRA does not tax the gain, but you must still report the sale. See our article on the principal residence exemption.

Buying from a distance

You do not need to be in London for every step. We can do much of the search with you by video and phone, including walking through homes on a call. Two things are worth doing in person: seeing your shortlisted neighbourhoods, and attending the home inspection. Our home inspection guide explains what to look for, and the broader moving to London guide has a general relocation checklist.

What we left out, and why

We have not included cost-of-living comparisons, rent figures, drive times, crime statistics or school rankings. We could not find a dated primary source for them that we were prepared to rely on. If one of these matters to your decision, ask us and we will point you to the official source, such as a school board or the City.

Ready to look? Start with our buyer page, or contact us to set up a call. If you already own in the London area and are moving within it, a home valuation is the place to begin.

This guide is general information and not legal, tax or financial advice.