If you have started searching, you have probably seen "best retirement homes in Toronto" lists online. Most of them are paid placements or referral-fee directories. We do neither. The list below covers every RHRA-licensed retirement home in our Toronto catchment, organised by neighbourhood, with a one-line note on each home's character drawn from its licensed care services and amenity profile.
The right home is the one whose care services match your parent's needs, in the neighbourhood you and your parent want, at a price you can sustain. Use this overview to shortlist three homes; then call them.
How to use this list
Three filters cut a 38-home list down to a manageable shortlist fast:
- Care intensity. If dementia care matters, see retirement homes with dementia care in Toronto. If not, you can ignore homes that lead with secured-wing programming.
- Neighbourhood. Most families want the home within 20 minutes of where they live now or where adult children live. Toronto's homes cluster in five neighbourhoods.
- Price band. Toronto homes split into roughly $3,500 to $5,000 (modest), $5,000 to $7,500 (mainstream), and $7,500+ (premium). See how much a retirement home costs in Toronto in 2026.
Midtown Toronto
Midtown - Yonge and Eglinton, Davisville, Mount Pleasant, Forest Hill - has the heaviest concentration of mid- and upper-tier homes in the city.
- Amica On the Avenue (Avenue Road). Premium tier; broad licensed care including pharmacy, nursing, and physician services.
- Aspira Kensington Place Retirement Living. Established mid-tier home, full care licensure including dementia and skin/wound care.
- Belmont House. One of the oldest charitable homes in the city, mid-tier pricing, lighter care profile.
- Bradgate Arms. Established Yonge/Sheppard area home with broad care licensure.
North Toronto
North York and the broader north end have a mix of large purpose-built residences and smaller dementia-specialist homes.
- 147 Elder Street Inc.. Smaller home with all 13 RHRA care services on its licence, including dementia care.
- Advent Forestview Retirement Residence. Mid-sized home, broad care licensure.
- Baycrest Terraces. On the Baycrest campus, full care licensure, integrated with the Baycrest geriatric care system.
- Cedarhurst Dementia Care Home. Small specialist dementia-care home.
Downtown and central Toronto
Downtown options are fewer than midtown but several are landmark residences.
- Belmont House (also serves the central catchment).
- Bill McMurray Residence. Small, focused care licence.
East end and Scarborough border
The east end of Toronto blends into Scarborough; if your search overlaps the boundary, see also Scarborough homes.
- The Briton House. Mount Pleasant area, broad care licensure.
- Dowling Rest Home. Small home with a focused care licence.
What "best" actually means
Most "best of" lists rank homes by a single dimension - luxury, dementia care, value - and call it a day. We avoid that for two reasons.
First, RHRA-licensing standards mean every home in our directory has cleared a regulatory floor. There are no awful homes here. There are homes that are wrong for your parent and homes that are right.
Second, the Google review policy that took effect in 2026 makes ranked lists drawn from review counts and ratings unreliable. We display Google ratings on each home's detail page when they exist; we do not aggregate them into a "top 10 home" list because doing so puts a thumb on the scale that often does not reflect what residents and families actually experience.
What does correlate with a good fit for your parent:
- The home's care services match what your parent needs, today and likely six months from now.
- The neighbourhood is convenient enough that the family will visit weekly.
- The price is sustainable for at least three years.
- The tour, the meal you eat there, and the conversation with the resident in the lobby all feel right.
Our how to choose a retirement home checklist puts shape around the fit assessment.
How to shortlist three homes
A practical sequence that takes 90 minutes total:
- Open the Toronto retirement homes filter in our directory.
- Filter by the care services your parent needs. Dementia, medication, mobility - each filter narrows the list.
- Eliminate any home outside your geographic radius and your price band.
- From what is left, pick three. Call all three on the same morning.
- Book tours for the same week. Take the same checklist on each visit.
What to do next
- If dementia is the primary concern, see retirement homes with dementia care in Toronto.
- If you are still working out budget, read how much a retirement home costs in Toronto in 2026.
- Print questions to ask when touring a retirement home and take it to your first tour.
Home for Seniors editorial. Updated May 2026. Sources: RHRA public licensee database; home-by-home licence and amenity data current as of May 2026.
What to look at next
RHRA-licensed homes in Toronto, ranked by photos and rating.
L'chaim Retirement Homes Inc.
Toronto · M3H 2S6
Chartwell Avondale Retirement Residence
Toronto · M4L 1C3
Chartwell Gibson Retirement Residence
Toronto · M2H 3P1
One Kenton Place
Toronto · M2R 2H6
Keep reading
- Retirement homes with dementia care in Toronto - RHRA-licensed
Toronto retirement homes that hold a Dementia care program licence under the RHRA, with notes on what each home is set up for and how to shortlist.
- How much does a retirement home cost in Toronto in 2026?
Real monthly cost ranges for Toronto retirement homes in 2026 - base rent, care fees, what is included, and what to expect at independent, assisted, and dementia-care levels.
- How to choose a retirement home in Ontario - a practical checklist
A six-step practical checklist for choosing a retirement home in Ontario, from defining care needs through signing the residency agreement.
- 10 RHRA-licensed retirement homes in Etobicoke - an editorial overview
Every RHRA-licensed retirement home in Etobicoke, organized by area, with care-level notes and guidance on shortlisting the right fit for your parent.
Browse the directory
Ready to look at homes?
See every RHRA-licensed retirement home in our directory. Filter by city and care level. Direct phone numbers, no referral fees.
Browse retirement homes