Despite recent drops, rents have climbed to new heights in many parts of Ontario in the past decade. That’s no surprise.
According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the average rent in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for a studio apartment was $1,448 CAD based on their October 2024 survey, the most recent edition. Recent data from Zillow indicates that the average asking rent for available studio apartments in Toronto is currently $1,795 CAD per month.
With that in mind, I wondered how affordable it would be to live in a basic motel room (single person, one bed, if possible) for a month. The motel comes with the advantage of not having to purchase furniture or pay first and last month’s rent upfront. It’s also less of a financial commitment to live in a motel: You can pay as you stay, as opposed to signing the typical one-year lease.
As it turns out, very few GTA motels offer monthly rates. In fact, none of the 21 I called did. I learned, however, that many will offer weekly rates, if you ask. But some won't. The cheapest I found was $2000/month at the Cedar Springs Motel in Halton Hills. But that price is rare. It should be noted that this rate doesn't include housekeeping: That will cost an additional $50/week for two sessions, bringing the total to $2200/month, the same price as the second-cheapest motel, Scarborough's Idlewood Inn. Notably, Idlewood Inn includes daily housekeeping, should a guest request it.
On average, it will cost, $3424.65/month (gulp) to stay in a cheap GTA motel for a month, in a basic single-occupancy room with a mini fridge, microwave, and wifi (and maybe housekeeping). The following motels are the 10 cheapest around Toronto for long term stays:
1. Cedar Springs Motel - $2,000/month
The Cedar Springs Motel is located in Halton Hills, about 60 km from downtown Toronto, and offers amenities such as free WiFi, parking, mini-fridge, microwave, and laundry services. At a weekly rate of $500, this motel is the cheapest on our list at $2000 per month. The weekly rate does not include housekeeping, so you need to add an additional $50 per week to get housekeeping twice a week.
Phone Number: 905-877-8866
2. Idlewood Inn - $2,200/month
The Idlewood Inn is a value-focused motel located in the Scarborough area, about 23 km from downtown Toronto. It offers practical amenities, like free Wi-Fi, on-site parking, a mini-fridge, and microwave. At a weekly rate of $550, and a monthly rate of $2200 per month, it is the second-cheapest on our list. This rate includes daily housekeeping, should a guest request it.
Phone Number: 416-286-6861
3. Park Motel - $2,600/month
The Park Motel is located in Scarborough, about 18 km from downtown Toronto. It offers practical amenities, like free Wi-Fi, on-site parking, a mini-fridge, and microwave. At a weekly rate of $565 (including tax), to add up to $2260 monthly, this motel is our third cheapest on the list. Housekeeping is included once per week.
Phone Number: 416-261-7241
4. Richmond Hill Inn - $2,600/month
North of Toronto, the Richmond Hill Inn sits on Yonge Street in Richmond Hill, about 42 km from downtown Toronto. Air-conditioned rooms include microwaves, mini-fridges, and free Wi-Fi. A monthly stay here will cost between $2600-$2800, making it the fourth most affordable motel on our list. Housekeeping is included daily in the weekly rate of $650-$700.
Phone Number: 905-884-9011
5. White Knight Motel - $2,733.12/month
The White Knight Motel is located in the Mississauga area, near the Brampton border and about 31 km from downtown Toronto. Air-conditioned rooms include microwaves, mini-fridges, and free Wi-Fi. A monthly stay here will cost $2733.12, making it the fifth most affordable motel on our list. The weekly rate ($584+ tax) includes new towels daily and new bedsheets every other day.
Phone Number: 905-564-8001
6. Green Acres Motel - $2,800/month
The family-oriented Green Acres Motel is located in Mississauga, just east of the Village of Port Credit, about 18 km from downtown Toronto. Air-conditioned rooms include microwaves, mini-fridges, and free Wi-Fi. With a weekly rate of $700 (inc. tax), a monthly stay here will cost $2800, making it the sixth most affordable motel on our list. Housekeeping is included once per week.
Phone Number: 905-278-6910
7. The Queensway Motel - $2,800/month
The Queensway Motel is located in Etobicoke, about 10 km from downtown Toronto. Air-conditioned rooms include microwaves, mini-fridges, cable TV, and free Wi-Fi. With a weekly rate of $700 (inc. tax), a month-long stay here will cost $2800, tying it with Green Acres Motel for the sixth most affordable motel on our list. Daily housekeeping is included.
Phone Number: 416-252-5821
8. Motel 6 Burlington - $3,128/month
North American motel conglomerate Motel 6 has a location in Burlington, about 48 km from downtown Toronto. Like the other hotels, it offers microwaves, mini-fridges, cable TV, and free Wi-Fi, but also a free to-go breakfast. A weekly stay is $782 (inc. tax) per week, totalling $3128 for a month-long stay. Housekeeping is offered alternate days.
Phone number: 905-331-1955
9. Super 5 Inn - $3,200/month
The Super 5 Inn is located in Mississauga, about 19 km from downtown Toronto. Air-conditioned rooms include microwaves, mini-fridges, cable TV, and free Wi-Fi. A weekly stay here will cost $800 (including tax), making it the the ninth most affordable motel on our list at $3200 per month. Housekeeping is included every third day/twice a week.
Phone number: 905-624-6424
10. Avenue Motel - $3,300/month
The Avenue Motel is located in Mississauga, about 21 km from downtown Toronto. Air-conditioned rooms include microwaves, mini-fridges, cable TV, and free Wi-Fi. This property doesn't offer weekly rates, just a nightly rate of $110 (including tax), making it the tenth most affordable motel on our list, with a monthly rate of $330. Housekeeping is included daily.
Phone number: 905-273-5555
The Motel Math
Most of the closest motels I found were located outside of the downtown Toronto core, which makes sense, given the limited city real estate. I researched as many as I could throughout the GTA and just beyond. After documenting them in a spreadsheet, I began calling the motels, one by one, to inquire about monthly rates for the most basic room. If they didn't have monthly rates (which none did), I asked about potential weekly rates and nightly rates, based on that current day.
I also inquired about the housekeeping situation for the weekly rates, which ranged from daily in a few cases, to none in others. Generally, housekeeping was offered at least twice in weekly rate prices.
I documented the average cost for a month by multiplying weekly rates by four and daily rates by 30 to obtain an estimated monthly cost. I then calculated the average price of a motel for a month-long stay to reach $3424.65/month. t
The bottom line? The motel math reveals the high cost of convenience.
Motel Living, Unpacked
While it may be a convenient last-resort option, motel living doesn't come cheap compared to renting a studio apartment. Even an extremely low rate of $100 per night adds up to $3000 per month, if you're paying by the day at a motel. That's a $1225 difference from the asking rents for Toronto studios. Furthermore, studio apartments offer more of a kitchen set-up than most motel rooms, which offer a mini fridge and microwave at best. So, you could be eating a lot of Mr. Noodles on the motel route.
On the plus side, most motel rooms have free Internet and at lease some degree of housekeeping. Plus, some offer free morning coffee too. Let's not forget about the free parking perk either.
As it turns out, the local Motel 6, a large motel chain, is a popular place to call home for longer-term stays. At two of the three Motel 6 locations I called, one in Mississauga and another in Brampton, I was told that all of the longer-term units were booked up for “at least a year.” With that said, they were unable to provide me with a longer-term rate at this time. When I reached out to the Burlington Motel 6 location, however, I was told that the current rate is $782/week.
Compared to the average cost for a studio Airbnb rental for a month, the motel route is likely more expensive. An Airbnb search revealed that there are decent rooms available in downtown Toronto (more conveniently located than many of the motels) for as low as $1480 per month. It's also possible to find one-bedroom units with kitchens for less than $2000, the cost of the lowest priced motel monthly. A private sublet is likely the most affordable option for a month-to-month stay; however, they are often more difficult to come across.
For the most part, the motels' reception didn't seem fazed by my monthly inquiries, revealing that it's probably more common than I thought to call a motel home for the month.
