Is Markham a Good Place to Live? It Depends Where

The short answer

• Markham is made up of six distinct communities, so “is Markham a good place to live” really means “is this specific part of Markham good for me”.
• Areas like Unionville and Markham Village are the most sought-after and the most expensive, built around 19th-century village cores.
• Markham is strongly family-oriented, with a median age around 40 and schools that consistently post strong results.
• Cost of living and commute times vary a lot between Downtown Markham and the more outlying residential pockets.

Why “is Markham a good place to live” is the wrong question to ask alone

Most pages that rank for this search give you a tidy list of parks, restaurants and a livability score, then call it a day. That approach treats Markham as one neighbourhood, when it is really a city of six communities that were, in several cases, separate villages before Markham incorporated as a city in 2012. Asking whether “Markham” is good to live in is a bit like asking whether “Toronto” is good to live in: true for some blocks, not for others and not useful until you narrow it down.

So the better question is: which Markham are you actually comparing against your own budget, commute and lifestyle? That is the question I try to help clients answer before they ever look at a listing.

Is Markham Ontario a good place to live for families?

On the family front, Markham has a strong case. The city has schools in nearly every community and local students have historically posted some of the higher test scores in the province, with a large share going on to university. The median age in Markham sits around 40, which reflects a city built around established households rather than a younger, transient population.

Markham is also one of the more multicultural cities in the GTA, with less than 40 percent of residents speaking English as a first language at home. For many families that is a selling point: a wide range of cultural amenities, food and community groups. For others relocating from a less diverse area, it is simply something to know going in.

Is Markham safe to live? What the data actually shows

A city-wide number is an average across six communities and a population of hundreds of thousands. It does not tell you about a specific street or building. If safety is your main concern, ask for recent York Regional Police data on the exact area you’re considering, not just the city-wide score.

Is Markham a bad neighbourhood anywhere?

I get this question from buyers who have read a forum post or two. The honest answer is that it depends on the block, not the city. Some pockets are newer and more industrial, some are quieter and more established. If you search “is Markham a good place to live reddit” you will find the most common complaints are about traffic and prices.

Comparing Markham’s main communities

Here is a rough sense of how the main areas differ. Treat this as a starting point for a conversation, not a final verdict, because prices and inventory shift constantly.

Community	Character	Best suited to
Unionville	Historic village core, boutiques, restaurants in period buildings	Buyers who want charm and walkability and can afford a premium for it
Markham Village	Similar 19th-century roots, slightly less dense than Unionville	Buyers who want a village feel without the top-tier Unionville price point
Downtown Markham	Newest, highest density of condos, retail and offices	Commuters who want transit access (VIVA, YRT, GO) and a lock-and-leave lifestyle
Thornhill (Markham side)	Established, mature neighbourhoods close to the Toronto border	Buyers who want proximity to the city without being in it
Milliken and Cornell	Mix of family subdivisions and newer planned communities	Families wanting newer housing stock and good school access
Berczy Village and outer east	Newer residential development, closer to Markham-Stouffville	Buyers prioritizing newer builds and larger lots over walkable amenities

What it costs to live in Markham

General cost-of-living comparisons have placed Markham roughly in line with or slightly below, the Ontario average on day-to-day expenses, though these broad indexes should be treated as directional rather than precise. The bigger cost variable for most buyers is housing itself. Unionville and Markham Village carry a premium for their location and character, while newer or more outlying communities tend to offer more house or more unit for the dollar.

Property taxes, utility costs and condo fees (where applicable) will all affect your real monthly cost beyond the purchase price. These numbers change year to year, so always confirm current figures with the City of Markham or York Region rather than relying on a listing sheet alone.

Getting around: commuting from Markham

Markham is about 30 kilometres northeast of downtown Toronto and how painless that distance feels depends entirely on your commute mode and your starting point within the city. Downtown Markham has the best transit access, with VIVA bus rapid transit, YRT routes, some TTC connections and proximity to several GO Transit stations linking into Toronto. Many residents in the outer communities still prefer to drive or drive to a GO station, rather than rely on local transit for the full trip.

If your work is downtown Toronto and you want a short commute, weigh Downtown Markham or a community near a GO line more heavily. If you work locally or remotely, the calculation changes completely and a quieter outer community may suit you better.

What to do next

If you are trying to answer “is Markham a good place to live” for your own situation, here is where I would start this week:

• List your non-negotiables: school catchment, commute mode, budget ceiling and whether you want walkable village streets or newer suburban housing.
• Pick two or three of Markham’s communities from the table above that roughly match those non-negotiables.
• Pull current crime, school and tax data for those specific areas rather than relying on a city-wide score.
• Drive or walk each shortlisted area at a time of day that matters to you, like rush hour if commute is a concern.
• Talk to a local agent about recent sales in those specific pockets, since Markham’s price range varies widely by community.

I’m Kirby Chan of Kirby Chan & Co. Real Estate Team and I work with buyers across Markham’s communities every day, from Unionville to the newer pockets near Berczy Village. If you want a straight answer about whether a specific part of Markham fits your life and your budget, reach out and I will walk you through the real comparison, not just a city-wide score.