Toronto: the highest base rent for its price on a property trading game board

Ahmed Moaz · 25 October 2026

The last tile on the board of a property trading game is usually the prize. In Property Rush, an independent Monopoly alternative I build, it is Toronto, priced at 400 and paired with Vancouver in the Canada group. It is the most expensive city, but the real question is whether it is worth its price. By one measure, it clearly is.

What does Toronto cost and earn?

Price 400. Rents: 50 on bare land, 200 with one house, 600 with two, 1,400 with three, 1,700 with four, and 2,000 with a hotel. A house costs 200, so a full set of hotels in Canada costs 2,000 on top of the 760 for the two cities.

Why is the base rent special?

Divide price by base rent, and Toronto stands out: a base rent of 50 on a price of 400 is one eighth. Almost every other city is closer to one tenth or less. Osaka is 20 on 240, one twelfth; Paris 16 on 200, one twelfth; Salvador 2 on 60, one thirtieth.

So on bare land, Toronto pays back its price in 293 opponent stops, the fastest of any city. The next quickest is Osaka at 368. It is still a long wait, but if you cannot afford houses, Toronto is the city that earns the most while you save.

What about traffic?

Toronto is landed on 2.73% of the time, above the even-spread figure of 2.5%. Two Surprise cards send players there directly. Vancouver gets less, at 2.15%, which brings the Canada group's share down to 4.9%, second lowest on the board.

What happens with houses?

With three houses, Toronto pays back its price and the houses in 26 stops, the quickest of any city on the board. The rent of 1,400 at three houses is large enough to bankrupt a player in one landing in the first half of a game.

The catch is the cost of the houses. At 200 each, three houses on Toronto cost 600, and the matching houses on Vancouver add another 600. A player who owns Canada and builds fully has spent 2,760 on land and buildings before the first hotel.

Is Canada worth completing?

The whole country, with hotels, pays back in about 32 opponent stops, tied with Japan and a little behind France and Egypt. It earns 86.74 per opponent stop, the fourth highest income of the eight countries. That is good, but Canada has only two cities, so it is easy for a rival to block by owning one of them.

The set is also expensive to complete early. At 760, it takes half of your starting cash. Many players buy Toronto when they land on it, in the hope of a trade for Vancouver later.

How should you play it?

• Buy Toronto if you land on it and can afford it, because it is a strong earner even before houses.
• Do not count on completing Canada unless you also hold the money to build.
• Use Toronto as a bargaining chip: a rival missing Vancouver may overpay for it, and you may do the same.
• Remember that its visits come mostly from the dice and two cards, so they are steady.

Where can you see it?

You can try it on the free table at Board It, a place to play a property trading game online with friends. Seat two to six players, and watch how often the last tile gets visited. Over a few evenings, you will see Toronto change hands more than any other city.

A last note

A high rent for a high price is not a trick; it is the point. The last tile of the board is meant to feel dangerous.

Ahmed Moaz builds Boardit, a free browser game site.

Boardit is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro.