Where Is Mississauga? Location, Map, and Newcomer Guide (2026)

Updated April 30, 2026. Mississauga is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, inside the Regional Municipality of Peel. It sits directly west of Toronto and forms part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The city centre is about 26 km west of downtown Toronto and 39 km by car. With 717,961 residents at the 2021 Census, Mississauga is Canada’s seventh-largest municipality and the second-largest city in the GTA after Toronto (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population). For the millions of newcomers who land each year at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the first patch of Canadian soil they touch is, technically, Mississauga.

Where Is Mississauga on a Map?

Mississauga is in southern Ontario, on the western edge of the GTA, fronting 13 km of Lake Ontario shoreline. Its approximate coordinates are 43.60° N, 79.65° W (City of Mississauga GIS). The city covers 292.43 km² of land and ranges from 76 metres above sea level at the Lake Ontario shoreline to about 214 metres at the western edge near Highway 407.

If you draw a box around Mississauga, here is what borders it:

• East: the City of Toronto, specifically the Etobicoke district, separated from Mississauga by Etobicoke Creek.
• North: the City of Brampton.
• Northwest: the Town of Milton (Halton Region) and a small frontier with Halton Hills.
• Southwest: the Town of Oakville (Halton Region).
• South: Lake Ontario.

So if a newcomer asks “where is Mississauga?” the cleanest answer is: on Lake Ontario, immediately west of Toronto, sandwiched between Brampton to the north and Oakville to the southwest. It is reachable by car in well under an hour from any other major GTA municipality, and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is physically inside Mississauga, in the Malton neighbourhood at 6301 Silver Dart Drive (Greater Toronto Airports Authority).

Quick Snapshot of Mississauga

• Province: Ontario.
• Region: Regional Municipality of Peel (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon).
• Coordinates: 43.60° N, 79.65° W.
• Population (2021 Census): 717,961. Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.
• Land area: 292.43 km². Density about 2,453 people per km².
• Lake Ontario shoreline: roughly 13 km.
• Distance to downtown Toronto: about 26 km west of Nathan Phillips Square (straight line); 39 km via the Gardiner Expressway / QEW.
• Distance to Toronto Pearson Airport: the airport sits inside Mississauga’s northeastern edge, about 12 km north of the lakeshore.
• Major highways: 401, 403, 407 ETR, 410, QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way), Hurontario Street.
• Local transit: MiWay (city buses) and the Mississauga Transitway BRT.
• Regional transit: GO Transit (Lakeshore West and Milton lines, plus GO buses).
• Mayor: Carolyn Parrish (elected June 2024).
• Founded: Incorporated as the City of Mississauga in 1974.

What Province Is Mississauga In?

Mississauga is in the province of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province. Within Ontario, Mississauga belongs to the Regional Municipality of Peel, which it shares with neighbouring Brampton and the rural-to-suburban town of Caledon (Region of Peel). Peel is one of the upper-tier municipalities that, until provincial restructuring legislation in 2023, oversaw services like policing, waste, and water across all three lower-tier cities. Mississauga is scheduled to leave Peel Region and become a single-tier city under Bill 112, but as of April 2026 the dissolution timeline has been deferred and Peel still functions for most regional services (Government of Ontario, 2024).

How Far Is Mississauga from Toronto?

By car, the trip from downtown Mississauga (Square One) to downtown Toronto (Union Station) is about 26 km as the crow flies and roughly 30 to 40 km by typical driving route. Drive time is 35 to 60 minutes depending on traffic on the Gardiner Expressway and QEW.

By train, GO Transit’s Lakeshore West line from Port Credit GO to Toronto Union Station takes about 23 minutes. From Cooksville, Erindale, Streetsville, or Meadowvale GO on the Milton line, expect 30 to 45 minutes depending on the express schedule (GO Transit, 2026 timetable). With Ontario’s One Fare program (launched February 2024), riders no longer pay a second fare when transferring between GO, MiWay, and the TTC inside two hours, which makes a Mississauga-to-Toronto commute roughly the same out-of-pocket as an inside-Toronto commute (Metrolinx, One Fare program).

Where Is Toronto Pearson Airport in Relation to Mississauga?

Toronto Pearson International Airport is located inside Mississauga, in the northeastern neighbourhood of Malton. The official airport address is 6301 Silver Dart Drive, Mississauga, ON L5P 1B2 (Greater Toronto Airports Authority). A small portion of the airfield extends into Toronto’s Etobicoke district, but the terminals, the GTAA head office, and the bulk of the runways are all within Mississauga’s city limits.

That matters for newcomers in two ways. First, when an immigration document or work permit lists “Toronto Pearson,” the geographic reality is Mississauga. Second, the Malton neighbourhood, Airport Corporate Centre office cluster, and the warehousing belt along Dixie Road and Derry Road form one of Canada’s largest concentrations of airport-adjacent jobs, from cargo handling to aerospace to hotel work.

Mississauga in the Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the Statistics Canada census metropolitan area covering Toronto and 24 surrounding municipalities across the regions of Halton, Peel, York, and Durham. Mississauga is the second-largest GTA city by population, behind Toronto itself and ahead of Brampton, Markham, and Vaughan (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census).

Inside the GTA, Mississauga sits in a useful spot for newcomers:

• It is closer to Pearson Airport than any other GTA municipality.
• It is on Lake Ontario, with public waterfront parks like Jack Darling Park, Lakefront Promenade, and Marie Curtis Park.
• It is on every major east-west GTA highway (401, 403, 407, QEW), so commuting to Mississauga from Oakville, Burlington, Brampton, or western Toronto is straightforward.
• It has a central transit hub at Square One / City Centre Transit Terminal, where MiWay, the Transitway BRT, GO buses, and (from September 2025) the Hazel McCallion Line LRT along Hurontario Street all connect (Metrolinx, Hurontario LRT project page).

Who Lives in Mississauga?

Mississauga’s 2021 Census population was 717,961, down a half percent from 721,599 in 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census). The City of Mississauga’s own forecast projects growth to about 878,000 residents by 2051 as intensification along the Hurontario corridor accelerates. As of mid-2024, Statistics Canada’s sub-provincial estimate placed the city at roughly 740,000.

The city is one of the most internationally diverse in Canada:

• About 53 percent of Mississauga residents identify as immigrants (2021 Census).
• More than 60 percent identify as visible minorities, with significant South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Black, Arab, and Latin American communities.
• The most-spoken non-official languages at home include Urdu, Arabic, Polish, Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Spanish, and Portuguese (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census language profile).

For newcomers from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, China, the Caribbean, and the MENA region, this means established communities, places of worship, grocery stores, doctors, and lawyers who already speak the language. If you are planning the move from South Asia, our step-by-step guide on how to move to Canada from India covers documents, costs, and timelines. If you are coming from the Philippines, see how to migrate to Canada from the Philippines.

Check Out These 8 Things You Need To Know Before Moving to Mississauga:

Mississauga Neighbourhoods Worth Knowing

Mississauga is made up of distinct neighbourhoods, several of which were independent villages before the city was incorporated in 1974.

• Port Credit: Lakeside village south of the QEW, anchored by the Port Credit GO station. Walkable, restaurant-heavy, popular with young professionals and downsizers.
• Streetsville: Historic main street settled in 1818, now a heritage district along Queen Street South. Family-friendly, with the Streetsville GO on the Milton line.
• Erin Mills: Planned community in the west end built in the 1970s, dense with townhouses and Erin Mills Town Centre.
• City Centre / Square One: Mississauga’s downtown, organised around Square One Shopping Centre, Celebration Square, and a growing condo skyline along Burnhamthorpe and Hurontario.
• Cooksville: Older, multicultural neighbourhood at Hurontario and Dundas, well served by transit and historically affordable.
• Meadowvale: Western suburb built around Meadowvale Town Centre and Lake Aquitaine, popular with families.
• Mississauga Valley and Erindale: Established central neighbourhoods near the Credit River and the University of Toronto Mississauga campus.
• Malton: Northeast neighbourhood next to Pearson Airport, working class, very diverse, near logistics and aerospace jobs.
• Lorne Park and Mineola: South Mississauga, historically the highest-priced postal codes in the city, leafy and low-density.
• Clarkson: Southwest waterfront community along the Lakeshore, served by Clarkson GO.

Cost of Living in Mississauga

Mississauga sits between Toronto and Brampton on price. As of Q1 2026:

• Average rent for a one-bedroom apartment: about CAD $2,200 (Rentals.ca / Urbanation March 2026 report). Cheaper than Toronto’s roughly $2,400, more expensive than Brampton’s roughly $1,700.
• Average sale price for all home types: about CAD $1.05 million (Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, Q1 2026 Mississauga aggregate). Detached homes average in the $1.4–1.7 million range, condos in the $560–650K range.
• Transit: MiWay adult cash fare is $4.25, with the PRESTO electronic fare card priced lower per ride. GO Transit fares from Mississauga to Union Station range $5.20 to $7.50 one way depending on station (GO Transit, 2026).

If you are working out what you can actually afford, a rent or mortgage stress test is a sane first step. See our mortgage calculator for Canada and the apartment prices guide for current GTA benchmarks.

Getting to and Around Mississauga

By air: Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is inside Mississauga and is Canada’s busiest airport, with non-stop flights to roughly 180 destinations worldwide.

By car: Five major highways serve Mississauga.

• Highway 401, the busiest highway in North America, cuts east-west across the north of the city.
• Highway 403 runs east-west through the centre, past Square One.
• Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) hugs the lakeshore in the south, connecting to Toronto and Niagara.
• Highway 407 ETR is a tolled east-west alternative across the north.
• Highway 410 connects to Brampton.

By train: Two GO Transit lines run through Mississauga.

• Lakeshore West stops at Long Branch (technically Toronto), Port Credit, and Clarkson.
• Milton line stops at Dixie, Cooksville, Erindale, Streetsville, Meadowvale, and Lisgar. Trains run weekday peak only (Metrolinx).

By local bus: MiWay is Mississauga’s municipal transit operator, running roughly 90 routes and the Mississauga Transitway, a 18-km bus rapid transit corridor parallel to Highway 403.

By LRT (from late 2025): The Hazel McCallion Line, an 18-km, 18-stop light rail running up Hurontario Street from Port Credit to the Brampton Gateway Terminal, is in final testing as of April 2026 and is scheduled to enter passenger service in 2026 (Metrolinx, Hurontario LRT).

For a deeper feel of how the broader Toronto region fits together, see our Toronto travel and living guide. For the city directly to the north, see our Brampton city guide for newcomers.

Jobs in Mississauga

Mississauga’s economy is diversified across finance, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, ICT, aerospace, and logistics. Major employers headquartered or with significant operations in the city include:

• Aerospace and aviation: Magellan Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney Canada (in nearby Longueuil but with Mississauga ops), Air Canada (Pearson hub), WestJet (Pearson).
• Banking and finance: RBC Mississauga campus, BMO operations centres.
• Pharma and life sciences: GSK, AstraZeneca, Astellas, Hoffmann-La Roche.
• Tech and ICT: Microsoft Canada head office, Oracle Canada, Salesforce, Siemens Canada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
• Consumer and retail: Walmart Canada head office, PepsiCo Canada, Kellogg Canada, Maple Leaf Foods.
• Industrial and logistics: Maersk, FedEx, UPS, plus a vast warehousing belt along Dixie, Derry, and Britannia.

For newcomers needing employer-sponsored work permits, our explainer on how to get an LMIA covers the federal labour market impact assessment process.

Climate in Mississauga

Mississauga has a humid continental climate. Expect:

• Summer (June to August): Daytime highs 24–28 °C, with humidex frequently pushing the felt temperature above 30 °C.
• Winter (December to March): Daytime highs −2 to −5 °C, with overnight lows down to −15 °C in cold snaps. Annual snowfall averages around 108 cm (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto Pearson station normals).
• Spring and fall: Mild and short. Cherry trees and tulips bloom in late April through mid-May.

For newcomers from tropical or temperate countries, the practical implication is that you will need a real winter coat (rated to at least −20 °C), insulated boots, and an understanding that snow tires are functionally mandatory in Ontario from December through March.

Mississauga vs Toronto: A Quick Comparison

Factor	Mississauga	Toronto
2021 Census population	717,961	2,794,356
Average 1-bed rent (Q1 2026)	~$2,200	~$2,400
Walkability	Mixed; walkable in Port Credit, Streetsville, City Centre	High in core neighbourhoods
Time to Union Station by GO	23–45 min	n/a
Major airport	Pearson (in city)	Pearson (shared border)
Highways through the city	401, 403, 407, 410, QEW	401, 400, DVP, Gardiner

If you weigh affordability, lake access, and airport proximity highly, Mississauga is often the smarter newcomer landing pad. If you weigh walkability and downtown nightlife highly, Toronto wins.

Pros and Cons for Newcomers

Pros

• Lake Ontario shoreline with public parks.
• Cheaper than Toronto, with similar GTA job access.
• Pearson Airport inside the city.
• Strong immigrant communities across South Asia, MENA, the Philippines, China, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
• Multiple GO Train lines into Toronto.
• Lower property tax rate than Toronto.

Cons

• Most neighbourhoods are car-dependent.
• Winter is real and long.
• Detached home prices remain above $1.4 million.
• Pearson noise affects northern neighbourhoods.

Frequently Asked Questions About Where Mississauga Is

Is Mississauga part of Toronto?

No. Mississauga is a separate, self-governing city in the Regional Municipality of Peel. It borders Toronto to the east but has its own mayor, council, transit system (MiWay), and police service (Peel Regional Police).

What province is Mississauga in?

Mississauga is in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province. It is in the southern part of the province, on the shore of Lake Ontario.

How far is Mississauga from Toronto?

About 26 km in a straight line from city centre to city centre, and 30–40 km by car. By GO Train from Port Credit to Union Station, the trip is about 23 minutes.

Is Mississauga in the GTA?

Yes. Mississauga is the second-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area after Toronto itself, ahead of Brampton, Markham, and Vaughan.

What is the closest airport to Mississauga?

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is inside Mississauga in the Malton neighbourhood. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on Toronto Island is about 30 km away by road.

Is Mississauga a good place for newcomers to Canada?

Yes for many newcomer profiles. The city has large established immigrant communities, lower rent than Toronto, easy airport access, and a diversified job market across pharma, finance, logistics, and tech. It is less ideal for newcomers who want a fully walkable downtown lifestyle without a car.

Why is Mississauga called Mississauga?

The name comes from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Anishinaabe people who lived along the Credit River before European settlement. The river still runs through the centre of the city today.

Sources

• Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Mississauga (City) [Census subdivision], Ontario.
• Statistics Canada, sub-provincial population estimates, January 2025.
• City of Mississauga, Population Growth Forecast.
• Region of Peel, Population and Dwelling Counts 2021.
• Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Toronto Pearson International Airport.
• Metrolinx, GO Transit 2026 timetable; Hurontario LRT (Hazel McCallion Line) project page; One Fare program.
• Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB), Q1 2026 Market Watch.
• Rentals.ca / Urbanation, National Rent Report, March 2026.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto Pearson climate normals.
• Government of Ontario, Bill 112 (Hazel McCallion Act), 2023 and 2024 updates.