Moving to the City of Mississauga — Everything you need to know

Mississauga is a large Canadian city, located right next to Toronto, in Ontario, and was originally a collection of smaller villages before population growth transformed it into a bustling hub of community and industry. It’s a city filled with opportunities for your career and your family.

Think that sounds interesting? Let’s learn everything you need to know about moving to Mississauga, Ontario.

You can also learn about Mississauga by watching our video tour of the city, filmed in the summer of 2021!

Where is Mississauga located?

Mississauga is located just west of Toronto, and southwest of Toronto Pearson International Airport. With moderate traffic, it’s about a 45-minute drive from downtown Toronto to Mississauga.

Who lives in Mississauga?

Mississauga is home to approximately 722,000 individuals, and is currently ranked as Canada’s sixth-largest city. The population of Mississauga is growing rapidly, with new immigrants and birth rates set to make the population expand to almost 875,000 by 2041.

Mississauga is a popular city with Canadian immigrants and other individuals who come from around the world to seek employment and new opportunities here. Currently, Mississauga is one of four municipalities in Canada that together house more than 85% of Canada’s visible minority population, with 53.4% of the city’s residents identifying as an immigrant as of 2016.

All of these new arrivals have helped to cement Mississauga’s reputation as a fast-growing, diverse, and exciting city to live in.

Learn about Mississauga homes

There are many options for housing in Mississauga at a range of prices depending on your budget and lifestyle. There are many apartments and houses to rent, or you can invest in a single-family home if that’s doable for your family.

The average price for a one-bedroom apartment in Mississauga currently sits at $1,800. Wondering where to find apartments for rent in Mississauga? Most people use sites like Padmapper and ViewIt to explore available listings. For our best tips, you can also check out our guide on finding accommodation in Canada.

Regardless of what you buy or rent, you can expect to pay slightly less in Mississauga than you would in Toronto. However, prices for real estate have been steadily rising, with the average townhouse priced at $1.02 million, and the average detached home at $1.56 million.

Overall, with more people coming in, families are starting to settle for less space. In 2021, detached and semi-detached homes started to noticeably lose their market share to townhomes and condos, which provide a more accessible option for middle and lower-income families.

If you’re serious about buying a home, check out our guide on buying your first home in Canada.

How people get around the city of Mississauga

Regardless of whether you end up in Streetsville, Port Credit, or anywhere in between, the city of Mississauga is easy to navigate. Many people have cars, and Highway 403, Hurontario Street, the Queen Elizabeth Parkway, and Highway 401 are all great thoroughfares that cross through the city, linking it to areas like Toronto, Oakville and the Niagara region, and the tech hub of Kitchener-Waterloo.

If you don’t have a car, don’t worry! Getting around using Mississauga’s public transit system is simple, easy, and inexpensive.

Mississauga’s transit system is known as MiWay. Using its interconnected network of buses, it’s easy to get where you need to go within Mississauga and the surrounding area. If you work outside of the city, you can easily take a MiWay bus to a GO Transit bus or train that can put you at Toronto’s Union Station in less than 30 minutes.

MiWay also makes connections to:

• Brampton Transit
• Oakville Transit
• The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system

Employment in Mississauga

The employment options available in Mississauga are extensive, but growth in the knowledge, technology, and communications industries in this area make it a major hub for skilled workers in tech. Many people also live in Mississauga and commute to jobs in Toronto, as well as throughout the Toronto-Waterloo tech corridor.

Some of the top companies located in the area include:

• IBM
• Amazon
• SAP
• Google
• Intuit
• Microsoft
• Salesforce

Additionally, several Mississauga-based technology companies like SOTI employ many local workers.

Want help finding a job in Canada? Check out our detailed guides and job hunting resources.

Education in Mississauga

There are many schools and learning centres in Mississauga, including several options for post-secondary education. The University of Toronto has a Mississauga campus with a world-renowned reputation, but there’s also Sheridan College and Humber College.

Mississauga is served by the Peel District School Board, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, the Conseil scolaire Viamonde, and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud, which operate more than 150 schools in the city.

If you’ll be moving with children, you can learn more about schooling options here.

Weather in Mississauga

Living in Mississauga, you’ll get to enjoy all four seasons. Typically, the hottest month in Mississauga is July, with the average temperature sitting at 27°C. The coldest months of the year are January and February when temperatures often reach below zero.

If you decide to make Mississauga your home, you’ll definitely need to learn how to dress for snow and ice, since the area gets around 400mm of snow per year.

What to do in Mississauga

Fortunately, no matter the weather, there are always lots of fun activities to enjoy in Mississauga. There are tons of cultural and green spaces around the city, from Celebration Square where community events and farmers markets are hosted weekly to the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area which is home to beautiful scenic waterfront trails and birdlife.

Mississauga is also rich in museums, galleries, event venues, and sports facilities. Regardless of where you live, there are plenty of options for shopping, dining, and so much more. Plus, some of the best restaurants in the city celebrate cuisine brought to Canada from elsewhere, including famous dishes from China, India, Malaysia, and Trinidad.

Mississauga in a nutshell

Whether you’re moving with your whole family, entering on a study permit to attend school, or anything in between, Mississauga is a warm and welcoming place that’s perfect for newcomers to Canada. Its multicultural population, wide availability of housing, and wide open green spaces make it a great new home.

Deciding where you’re going to live is never easy, but we’re here to make it a bit simpler. You can find more guides to popular destinations within Canada here, and we’ll be adding to that section within the coming months with more new cities to explore.

Shipping your belongings to Canada

If you’re considering a move, we recommend getting started with The Relocator. The Relocator will search a database of more than 500 shipping companies worldwide to find you free quotes for your move. This is a free service that can save you tons of money on international shipping! Get your free quotes here.

Are you wondering how to immigrate to Ontario? For a detailed overview of Ontario’s most popular immigration options, check out this video we produced in partnership with Deanne Acres-Lans, founder of Canada Abroad, an immigration consultancy based in Ontario, and one of Moving2Canada’s trusted partners:

Get access to resources to help plan your move by creating a free Moving2Canada account. It only takes a minute! Sign up here.