Living in Riverdale, Toronto

The short answer

Riverdale sits just east of the Don River and TRREB splits it in two. North Riverdale is a small, house-led market. South Riverdale is about three times as busy and carries every property type, from condo apartments to detached houses.

Both communities share the same rail transit: four Line 2 Bloor Danforth stations along the north and four streetcar routes crossing the area. Broadview station is 9 subway stops from Union station.

What homes cost

From April to June 2026 TRREB recorded 37 sales in North Riverdale with a median of $1,799,000 across all property types. South Riverdale had 122 sales with a median of $1,257,500. The table above breaks each community down by property type.

North Riverdale’s number is driven by semi-detached houses. 26 of its 37 sales were semis, at a median of about $1,780,000 and 8 were detached at about $2,400,000. North Riverdale’s average of $1,864,965 sat close to its median, a sign of a fairly uniform house market in the quarter. It recorded only 1 freehold townhouse, 1 condo townhouse and 1 condo apartment sale, too few for TRREB to report prices.

South Riverdale is more spread out. Semi-detached houses were again the largest group with 40 sales at about $1,464,000. Freehold townhouses added 23 sales at about $1,297,000 and detached houses 17 at about $1,805,000. At the lower end, 31 condo apartments sold at about $605,000 and 11 condo townhouses at about $705,000. The by type figures are read from TRREB’s charts, so treat them as approximate.

Housing stock

The 2021 Census profile for North Riverdale counted 11,290 residents in 4,905 households. Only 16.4% of households lived in single-detached houses and 28.3% in apartment buildings under five storeys, which fits a market where semi-detached houses make up most sales. 58.3% of households owned their home.

South Riverdale counted 27,815 residents in 12,710 households. 32.0% lived in apartment buildings under five storeys and 22.5% in buildings of five or more storeys, which is where most of the condo apartment sales come from. 57.2% owned their home.

Part of the area is a heritage conservation district. The City designated the Riverdale district in 2008 and says it “contains some of the earliest properties on the east side of the Don River”. Buyers planning exterior work should check whether the address is inside it. Sellers inside the district should have the heritage status ready for buyers, since it affects what an owner can change on the outside of the house.

Transit and getting downtown

Line 2 Bloor Danforth runs along the north edge with four stations: Broadview at 760 Broadview Avenue, Chester at 22 Chester Avenue, Pape at 743 Pape Avenue and Donlands at 30 Donlands Avenue. From Broadview station to Union station is 9 stops: 3 west to Bloor-Yonge station, then 6 south on Line 1. From Chester station it is 10 stops, from Pape station 11 and from Donlands station 12.

Four streetcar routes cross the area: 501 Queen, 504 King, 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton. The 72 Pape bus runs north and south. If you are looking in the southern part of South Riverdale, compare the streetcar and the subway trip from the exact address.

Parks, libraries and everyday life

The City lists Riverdale Park East at 550 Broadview Avenue and Riverdale Park West at 375 Sumach Street on either side of the Don, plus Withrow Park at 725 Logan Avenue and Jimmie Simpson Park at 870 Queen Street East.

Recreation facilities include the Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre at 870 Queen Street East, the Frankland Community Centre at 816 Logan Avenue and the Matty Eckler Recreation Centre at 953 Gerrard Street East. Toronto Public Library branches are Riverdale at 370 Broadview Avenue, Pape/Danforth at 701 Pape Avenue and Queen/Saulter at 765 Queen Street East. The nearest hospital is Michael Garron Hospital at 825 Coxwell Avenue.

Homes for sale in Riverdale

Most listings are semi-detached and row houses, with detached houses less common. South Riverdale also sells freehold townhouses, condo townhouses and condo apartments. North Riverdale recorded 1 condo apartment sale from April to June 2026.

Browse current homes for sale in Riverdale, see what homes sold for across Toronto or book a free home valuation if you own here.

Downsizing in Riverdale

Owners who want to stay in Riverdale with less space will usually be looking in South Riverdale. From April to June 2026 its condo apartments sold at a median of about $605,000 and its condo townhouses at about $705,000, against a North Riverdale semi-detached median of about $1,780,000.

For owners who want to stay in a house, South Riverdale’s freehold townhouses at about $1,297,000 are a smaller step. Low-rise apartment buildings under five storeys, which held 32.0% of South Riverdale 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 Riverdale right for you

It fits a condo budget of about $600,000 to $850,000 in South Riverdale or a house budget of about $1,300,000 and up, based on the April to June 2026 medians. It fits buyers who want a subway station and a streetcar within reach and a short ride to Bloor-Yonge.

If you want a house-led market by the lake and can live without walking to the subway, compare it with The Beaches. If a condo apartment is the goal, compare it with the downtown waterfront. Buying a first home here usually means a condo or a townhouse; our first-time home buyers guide explains the steps.