Happiness and Your Home in Canada: How Where You Live Impacts Your Wellbeing

It turns out that geography can have a greater impact on our overall wellbeing than many of us realise. Happiness is not just about your morning breakfast or whether you had a disagreement with your roommate. While these everyday moments matter, a broader sense of life satisfaction is influenced by deeper factors, including your health, your relationships, your income, and, yes, your physical environment. 

Key Takeaways

• What works for one person—be it a buzzing urban core or a laid-back rural town—may not be right for someone else. Consider your lifestyle preferences, work priorities, and personal goals when you’re choosing where to live in Canada, if you want to optimize for happiness.
• Feeling a sense of choice in where you live can boost happiness, but community connection is key. Our partner Sparrow Share can help you find trusted shared accommodation in Canada. 
• You can listen to the Statistics Canada podcast on this topic for more information.

Location And Happiness: What’s the Connection?

“Downtown Toronto and Vancouver stood out as having significantly lower percentages of residents reporting high life satisfaction (43.5% and 43.2%, respectively). These findings are consistent with previous research on Canadian life satisfaction scores, which have found that life satisfaction is lower in urban areas compared to smaller, more rural areas.” – Statistics Canada

But it’s not as simple as saying that living in Canada’s larger cities means you will be unhappy. There’s a very nuanced relationship between place and personal wellbeing.

Canada’s vast landscape and diverse provinces give rise to varied lifestyles. Some people love the vibrant pulse of the largest cities, with cultural events on every corner and job opportunities in high-paying sectors. Others find contentment in smaller towns, where neighbours know each other by name and community support runs deep. In fact, one of the most surprising findings from recent research is that certain rural and smaller urban areas consistently report higher levels of life satisfaction than some of Canada’s major metropolitan centres.

Still, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Your choice of where to live depends on who you are—your preferences, hobbies, job requirements, and family situation. You might crave the adventure of a major city: the restaurants, the festivals, the cultural mosaic that defines places like Toronto or Vancouver. 

Or you might value the close social ties found in smaller communities or the slower pace of rural living. “Geography really matters,” noted one study contributor, adding that “there’s something about where you live that influences some of these variables we’re measuring.”

What Matters When It Comes To Finding Happiness? Connection Is Key

One reason location influences happiness is community connection. If you move somewhere that aligns with your interests—be it kayaking in the Rockies or frequenting art galleries in Quebec—you may find it easier to make friends and put down roots. That sense of belonging can be a key ingredient in your personal wellbeing. In smaller communities, in particular, strong social bonds can create a nurturing environment, while big cities often offer networks within certain interest groups or professional circles. The trick is finding the environment where you feel most at home.

Another factor is the daily stress you might experience where you live. Major urban centers frequently have higher housing costs and longer commutes, which could sap time and energy that might otherwise be channeled into relationships or hobbies. 

On the other hand, remote or rural areas can sometimes offer fewer employment options or limited access to healthcare, adding their own types of stress. So while people in small towns often report a strong sense of belonging, a supportive environment may come at the cost of fewer job prospects. The core message? It’s all about balance and personal priorities.

The Bigger Picture: Choice and Circumstance

A recurring theme in happiness research is the role of agency—your degree of choice in where you live. Some people relocate for work or family obligations, while others might pick a location based purely on lifestyle preferences. But the people who feel they’ve chosen their own environments often report greater satisfaction. This sense of control over your life—being the architect of your own decisions—plays a significant part in how content you feel in the long run.

Also, happiness is multi-dimensional. You might measure life satisfaction in one survey but feel differently about your sense of community belonging or your level of loneliness. Sometimes big cities can be physically crowded yet socially isolating, whereas small towns can be welcoming but lack professional networks for newcomers. The ideal spot for you might be that mid-sized city offering a mix of urban amenities and a manageable commute.

The Numbers – & Beyond: Where Do Canada’s Happiest Residents Live? 

The Statistics Canada data revealed that Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador were the happiest provinces, while Ontario, BC, and Alberta had the lowest life satisfaction among residents. 

While data can reveal fascinating patterns—like which provinces have higher average life satisfaction—it doesn’t always explain the “why.” Ongoing research aims to uncover what aspects of a particular region support wellbeing. 

Economic factors certainly play a role, but so do cultural and social ones. For newcomers to Canada, this underscores the importance of thinking carefully about how a future home aligns with your personal values and desired lifestyle. A location that energizes one person might feel stifling to another.

Ultimately, your happiness is shaped by many interlocking pieces of the puzzle. Where you choose to live is one significant piece, but it does not stand alone. You also bring your own preferences, relationships, and personal goals to the mix. Finding the best place for you in Canada is about matching your priorities—be they bustling social scenes or vast natural landscapes—with the realities of daily life in that region.

• Keen to learn more about different regions in Canada? Check out our Destination Guides

5 Action Steps for Newcomers Considering Where to Live in Canada

1. Assess Your Priorities
   Reflect on what matters most to you—professional growth, proximity to family, cultural activities, or natural surroundings. Make a list of your non-negotiables and nice-to-haves to guide your decision. This exercise is actually really helpful when it comes to shaping your life. Knowing what your values and priorities are and what energizes you can drive your career forward, help you find happiness, and help you decide what to do to improve your life on a day-to-day basis. 
2. Research Lifestyle Fit
   Dive deeper than just cost of living or job availability. Look at community events, parks, public transport, and local services. Reading local news or following social media groups can offer insights into daily life in different areas.
3. Consider Your Sense of Agency
   Ask yourself whether the move is something you want or something you have to do. Understanding your degree of choice can impact how you adapt and find happiness in your new environment.
4. Visit or Explore Virtually
   Whenever possible, travel to prospective locations beforehand. If that’s not an option, utilize virtual tours, community forums, and local networks online. Getting a feel for the area can help you picture your life there more concretely.
5. Plan for Social Connections
   Make a strategy to build friendships and professional networks. Whether it’s joining local clubs, attending community events, or connecting with newcomer groups, having people to rely on significantly boosts your sense of belonging.

One way you can build social connections, depending on your stage of life, is to move in with a roommate. House sharing is really common in Canada, but it can be hard to find a shared house you can trust (there are so many housing scams online!). This is where our trusted partner Sparrow Share can help. Find a trustworthy person to share a home with and start building your community in Canada while you save on housing costs. 

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