#1North Vancouver
British Columbia · 97,845 peopleOverall A·#98 of 2,556
Strongest: health A+, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D−
North Vancouver, #1 on this list · Photo: Xicotencatl (CC BY-SA 4.0)British Columbia · 2026
Best big towns to live in British Columbia
Saanich is second (A) and North Vancouver third (B+). Of the 21 on the list, 2 earn an A. The list ends with Prince George, at D. North Vancouver is #3 of 98 on the list for all of Canada. Of the places on this list, 21 make the national top 100. First place in British Columbia goes to North Vancouver, with A.
Overall grade, the rank among places of 50,000 or more (a city’s neighbourhoods count as places) How grades work
#1AOverall
#2Saanich
British Columbia · 126,011 peopleOverall A·#253 of 2,556
Strongest: health A+, walkability A+·lowest: cost of living D−
#3North Vancouver
British Columbia · 66,624 peopleOverall B+·#760 of 2,556
Strongest: health A+, walkability A+·lowest: cost of living D−
All 21, ranked in British Columbia
Best first in British Columbia; beside each place, its rank on the same list for all of Canada.
21 places
#TownOverallCanada rankWhat drives it
3North Vancouver66,624 peopleB+#27 of 98Strongest: health A+, walkability A+·lowest: cost of living D−
10New Westminster92,124 peopleC+#57 of 98Strongest: walkability A+, health A·lowest: cost of living D−
15Abbotsford175,358 peopleC−#82 of 98Strongest: walkability A−, jobs & income B·lowest: cost of living D
16Kelowna167,654 peopleC−#83 of 98Strongest: walkability A, jobs & income A·lowest: cost of living D−
Rankings
More lists for British Columbia
All listsBest places to liveBest big townsBest small townsMost affordableSafestBest schoolsHealthiestJobs & incomeMost walkableLowest hazard riskCivic lifeHighest incomesFastest-growingMost historicMost bilingualYoungestOldestMildest wintersColdest wintersWarmest summersCoolest summersFewest frostsLeast snowSnowiestDriestWettest
Province by province
Best big towns elsewhere
Photos: North Vancouver, Xicotencatl (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Saanich, Keefer4~commonswiki (CC BY-SA 2.5) · North Vancouver, Miranda.Kopetzky (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking Canadian towns against each other only, run #73 of 10 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).