City guides
Mississauga is a large city in Peel Region, just west of Toronto, and one of Canada's biggest cities — with a large, growing immigrant population, including a substantial and expanding Persian community. Many Iranian families looking for newer, more affordable housing than central Toronto settle here: more space, newer homes, GO Transit access to Toronto jobs, and close to Pearson Airport. This guide walks you through everything you need to settle in.
More space and newer, usually more affordable housing than central Toronto, a growing Persian community with Farsi-speaking services, GO Transit access to downtown Toronto jobs, and proximity to Pearson Airport. The city is full of malls, parks and amenities and feels safe and family-oriented. Note: outside the City Centre a car helps a lot — Mississauga is more car-oriented than downtown Toronto.
City Centre / Square One — dense condos and the commercial/transit hub by Square One mall, best for transit-close living. Streetsville — a charming village feel. Erin Mills — family-friendly with a mall and good schools. Meadowvale — green and quiet. Port Credit — waterfront on Lake Ontario with a GO station. Cooksville — very diverse and usually more affordable.
Mississauga is usually more affordable than central Toronto and has newer housing, but it's still part of the pricey Greater Toronto Area. Prices shift constantly, so check live listings (rentals.ca, PadMapper, Facebook Marketplace, and Farsi rental groups) rather than a fixed figure. Note: in Ontario a deposit is typically last month's rent — landlords can't charge a separate damage deposit.
MiWay local buses cover all of Mississauga, and the Hazel McCallion LRT on the Hurontario line is coming online. For downtown, GO Transit (Lakeshore West and Milton lines) gets you to Union Station, with connections to Toronto's TTC. Get a PRESTO card for all of it. Pearson Airport is within Mississauga. Outside the City Centre it's car-oriented, so a car makes commuting much easier.
Register for the Ontario health card (OHIP) as soon as you arrive. Good news: the old 3-month wait was eliminated in 2020, so apply right away. Finding a family doctor can take time — until then, use a walk-in clinic or call Health811 (24/7 nurse line).
As the Iranian community in Mississauga and the wider GTA grows, so do Persian groceries (fresh bread, produce, halal meat), bakeries, restaurants, salons and Farsi-speaking accounting and immigration offices — in Mississauga and in the Iranian neighbourhoods of north Toronto reachable by car or GO. To find them, use our directory:
Browse Iranian businesses in the GTA →
Mississauga's public schools are run by two boards: the Peel District School Board (PDSB) for public schools and Dufferin-Peel Catholic (DPCDSB) for Catholic schools. Enrolment is based on your home address, so check the catchment school before you rent. To keep your kids' Farsi alive there are weekend classes nearby — and our free Farsi-school tools:
Free Farsi tools for kids →
1) Get your SIN · 2) Open a Canadian bank account · 3) Enrol in OHIP · 4) Buy a PRESTO card · 5) Get a Canadian SIM · 6) Register your address. Full step-by-step in our newcomer guides below.
General info, subject to change — always verify with official sources.