Commercial lease rate estimator for Metro Vancouver

What should my commercial space lease for in Metro Vancouver?

Across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, live asking base rents run roughly $22.39–49 per sq ft per year for office (median $35.03), $28–55 for retail (median $39.08) and $18–25 for industrial (median $21), based on 1,216 listings on Craigslist and Kijiji updated 2026-09-17. Your space sits somewhere in that band depending on city, condition and a handful of physical features. The estimator narrows the band to your inputs and converts it into a monthly figure.

How does the estimator work?

It starts from the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile of asking rates for your city and asset type. If your city has at least 8 rated listings of that type, we use the city figure; if not, we use the Metro Vancouver figure for the type and say so under the result. We then add the adjustments listed on screen: condition (±10%), ground-floor frontage (+10% retail, +5% office), loading (+5% industrial), clear height of 20 ft or more (+5% industrial), parking (+3%) and transit within 500 m (+3%, +1% industrial). The adjustments are additive and deliberately modest. They are our working rules of thumb from pricing space in this market, not a statistical model, and they exist so you can see and argue with every step.

Finally we multiply the adjusted rate by your size and divide by 12 for monthly base rent, add an estimate of additional rent, and show the total occupancy cost a tenant compares against other listings. Tenants shop on the total, so an owner who quotes base rent alone often misjudges how competitive the listing is.

What it costs to lease your space

If you hire a leasing specialist, the market range for leasing commissions in Metro Vancouver is commonly 4–6% of the total lease value, or roughly one month's rent per year of term (published rate cards from Metro Vancouver managers, 2025–26). Ongoing commercial property management typically runs 3–8% of gross collected rent from the same sources. David's leasing fee is typically the first and last months' rent on the lease, and ongoing management is quoted per property. See commercial property management fees in Vancouver for the full breakdown and our commercial leasing services for what the fee covers.

How long it takes

A correctly priced commercial unit in Metro Vancouver typically takes 60–120 days from listing to a signed lease, plus any fixturing period before rent starts. Industrial space moves fastest: brokerage market reports (Avison Young, CBRE, 2025) put Metro Vancouver industrial availability around 3–4%, so well-located warehouse space rarely sits. Small office suites and second-floor retail take longest. Overpricing by 10% adds months, which is why we would rather set the number from comparables than from hope.

Vancouver specifics that move the number

• Submarket matters more than city. Vancouver office asking rates run from roughly $25 to $65 per sq ft; a Broadway corridor suite and an East Hastings walk-up are both "Vancouver office".
• Zoning limits the tenant pool. C-2 and C-3A retail can take restaurants and personal services; I-2 industrial cannot take most retail. A narrower pool means pricing closer to the median, not above it.
• Transit is a real premium for office and retail along the Expo, Millennium and Canada Lines, and for the Broadway Subway stations opening in 2027. It barely moves industrial rent, which is driven by loading, clear height and truck access.
• Additional rent varies by city. City of Vancouver Class 6 (business) property tax was about 1.05% of assessed value in 2025 (check the current mill rate). Suburban rates differ, and that feeds straight into the tenant's total cost.

Before you list, run the listing audit and read our guide on how to find a tenant for your commercial property in Vancouver. If you are weighing leasing against selling, sell or tenant walks through both. Our portfolio shows the kind of space we lease, from an 8,003 sq ft live/work building in North Vancouver to an 86,249 sq ft industrial site in Delta.

General information, not a valuation or legal advice. Rates are asking base rent from public listings and change daily. Confirm zoning with the municipality and tax treatment with your accountant.