Living in The Beaches, Toronto

The short answer

The Beaches is a house market on the lake. From April to June 2026, 55 of the 70 sales TRREB recorded were detached or semi-detached houses and the 2021 Census counted fewer than one household in ten in a building of five or more storeys.

The main trade-off is transit. There is no subway station inside the TRREB community, so daily trips run on the Queen and Kingston Road streetcars or on buses north to Line 2.

What homes cost

TRREB recorded 70 sales in The Beaches from April to June 2026 with a median of $1,600,000 across all property types and an average of $1,785,961. The table above breaks the quarter down by property type.

Detached houses set the top of the range, with 32 sales at a median of about $2,368,000. Semi-detached houses were the second largest group, 23 sales at about $1,350,000. There were 4 freehold townhouse sales at about $1,544,000, 7 condo apartment sales at about $900,000 and 2 condo townhouse sales, too few for TRREB to report a price.

The average sits well above the median because nearly half the sales were detached houses at much higher prices. The detached average was about $2,397,000, close to the detached median, so the gap comes from the mix of property types more than from a few outliers.

The by type figures are read from TRREB’s charts, which print values in thousands, so treat them as approximate. With only 7 condo apartment sales in the quarter, that median can move a lot from one quarter to the next.

Housing stock

The City’s 2021 Census profile for The Beaches counted 21,510 residents in 9,430 households. 27.5% of households lived in single-detached houses and 41.3% in apartment buildings under five storeys.

Only 7.6% lived in apartment buildings of five or more storeys. 63.4% of households owned their home. The picture is a low-rise neighbourhood where the condo choice is thin and most buyers are shopping for a house.

Part of the area is protected. The City designated the Kingswood Road South heritage conservation district in 2010 and describes it as part of the Balmy Beach neighbourhood, “a former seasonal resort community on the shores of Lake Ontario”. If you are buying inside the district, check the City’s rules before planning exterior changes.

Transit and getting downtown

The 501 Queen and 503 Kingston Rd streetcars serve the area. The 64 Main, 92 Woodbine South and 22 Coxwell buses run north toward Line 2 Bloor Danforth.

The nearest subway stations are Main Street station at 315 Main Street and Woodbine station at 991 Woodbine Avenue. From Main Street station to Union station is 16 stops: 10 west on Line 2 to Bloor-Yonge station, then 6 south on Line 1. Woodbine station is one stop closer to downtown: 15 stops to Union station by the same route. Danforth GO station, at 213 Main Street, is on the Lakeshore East and Stouffville lines.

For buyers who commute daily, the distance to a streetcar stop or to the 64 and 92 bus routes matters more here than in a subway neighbourhood. Check the trip from the exact address at the hour you would travel, because a house a short walk from Queen Street East and one near Kingston Road can have quite different routines.

Parks, libraries and everyday life

The City lists four parks in and around the area: Kew Gardens at 2075 Queen Street East, Balmy Beach Park at 1 Beech Avenue, Glen Stewart Park at 351 Glen Manor Drive and Woodbine Beach Park at 1675 Lake Shore Boulevard East.

The Beaches Recreation Centre is at 6 Williamson Road and the Toronto Public Library’s Beaches branch is at 2161 Queen Street East. The nearest hospital is Michael Garron Hospital at 825 Coxwell Avenue.

Homes for sale in The Beaches

Expect mostly houses: detached and semi-detached homes make up the bulk of listings, with a few freehold townhouses and condo apartments. With 7 condo apartment sales in a quarter, condo buyers have few units to choose from at any one time.

Browse current homes for sale in The Beaches, see what homes sold for across Toronto or ask for a free home valuation if you own here and want a starting number.

Downsizing in The Beaches

Staying in The Beaches after selling a house is possible but the choice is narrow. From April to June 2026 TRREB recorded 7 condo apartment sales at a median of about $900,000, against a detached median of about $2,368,000.

A semi-detached house, at a median of about $1,350,000 across 23 sales, is the more common step down for owners who want to stay in a house with less space. Low-rise apartment buildings under five storeys, 41.3% of households in the 2021 Census, are the other part of the smaller-home stock. Our guide to downsizing in Toronto covers the sequence of selling and buying.

Is The Beaches right for you

It fits a budget that starts around $1,350,000 for a semi-detached house or around $2,400,000 for a detached house, based on the April to June 2026 medians. It fits buyers comfortable using a streetcar or bus for daily trips instead of walking to a subway station.

If you want subway access within walking distance and an east end market also led by houses, compare it with Riverdale, which sits on Line 2. If a condo apartment is the goal, compare it with the downtown waterfront, a condo apartment market. Owners moving up to a detached house here may find our upsizing guide useful.