Though Ontario rent prices vary greatly based on where in the province you're looking, if you've been thinking of moving toward or within Toronto, now is an opportune time to get a (relative) bargain on a place. The average monthly rate for an apartment in downtown T.O. — as well as in North York, Etobicoke, Mississauga, East York, and other parts of the area — plummeted again in April, as Ontario as a whole saw the largest annual decrease in rent bills of any province. Rents in surrounding pockets dropped by as much as 12.8 per cent from the same time a year ago (one-bedroom units in East York), most notably in Brampton (-9.8 per cent y/o/y for the typical one-bedroom), Welland (-8.7 per cent y/o/y for a one-bedroom), Peterborough (-8.4 per cent y/o/y for a one-bedroom), Kingston (-8.2 per cent y/o/y for a two-bedroom) and Cambridge (-7.3 per cent y/o/y for a two-bedroom). Meanwhile, there were some cities and towns where rents actually went up due to demand: St. Catharines (only two-bedroom units and only slightly), Niagara Falls (one- and two-bedrooms by 13.6 per cent and 5.6 per cent annually, though prices for both were down month-over-month), Barrie, Oakville and Ajax.