What $2,000/month in rent gets you across Canada — including a private lakefront house

1. A beautiful four-bedroom lakefront property just a short drive from Dartmouth.

Address: Lakefront, Hatchet Lake
Where: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Price: $2,100/month Specs: 4 beds, 2.5 baths Getting away from it all often comes with a hefty tab, including yearly cottage repairs and all that ongoing maintenance. But renting lakeside just 10 minutes from Dartmouth means you can zip away each weekend without so much as a backward glance at this Cape Cod-style gem. While it's unfurnished, it’s nothing a few wooden crates and an old sofa wouldn't fix — you’re here for the private waterfront setting, after all.

2. Newly renovated two-bedroom suite in the North Toronto.

Address: 15 Highbourne Rd.
Where: Toronto Price: $1,995/month (some utilities included) Specs: 2 bed, 1 bath Live in Forest Hill without Forest Hill prices. (You'll also need to live without Fido, since no pets are allowed.) You'll get a swank two-bedroom, lower-level unit in this completely remodeled fourplex that includes all the bells and whistles: quartz countertops, custom built-in closets, gas fireplace and in-floor heat. There's a shared patio space too.

3. Large one-bedroom heritage apartment in South Granville.

Address: 14th & Granville Street
Where: Vancouver Price: $2,000/month (includes heat/water) Specs: 1 bed, 1 bath These days, Vancouver seems to be losing its architectural heritage faster than you can say one-million-dollar teardown. So when a character space avails itself a stone's throw from the tony residential neighbourhood Shaughnessy near the heart of South Granville, take note. At a generous 1,000 square feet, the apartment — with original hardwood floors intact — is practically double the size of the modern high-rise floor plans you'll find downtown for the same price.

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