City Series: The Average Cost of Living in Montreal

Montreal, Quebec is a vibrant city in Canada known for its architecture, culture, and dining experiences. But what does it cost to live there?

As the largest city in Quebec, Montreal is a French-speaking metropolis that offers a culturally rich place to live. But if you’re planning to move to Montreal, you may be wondering what kind of monthly budget you’ll need to afford living in this exciting city.

Whether you’re relocating from Quebec City or a town on the other side of North America, we break down the average cost of living in Montreal.

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Montreal’s Cost of Living

Discover how much it costs to call Montreal home with the below data based on statistics provided by Numbeo.

1. Housing

In any city, the cost of housing varies greatly depending on multiple factors. The size, location, and whether you own your home all affects monthly expenses and pricing. For example, if you were to rent a studio apartment away from Montreal’s downtown core, you’d pay a lot less than you would to rent an entire home with three bedrooms in Old Montreal.

What is the cost of rent in Montreal?

If you were to rent an apartment with one bedroom in Montreal’s city centre, it would cost you an average of $1,380 per month. In comparison, renting a three-bedroom unit on the outskirts of downtown would set you back an average monthly price of $1,795.

It’s important to remember that your rent likely won’t cover all of your housing expenses, such as your tenant’s insurance, which is paid for separately.

Related: Moving into an apartment checklist

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What is the cost of a home in Montreal?

It costs approximately $8,595 per square metre for a downtown condo in the city. Further out from the centre of Montreal, however, you’ll typically pay almost half that, with condo units ringing in closer to $4,690 per square metre.

While not cheap, the price of a house in Montreal is on the more reasonable side when compared to some of the national averages. The average price of an entire home in the city is around $587,000.

When determining what you can afford to buy, you’ll also want to consider additional costs, such as homeowner’s insurance, annual maintenance, and property taxes.

2. Childcare

Sending one child to a private childcare facility like a daycare or preschool will cost you around $900 per month.

If you’d prefer to hire a full-time nanny, however, your monthly childcare expenses will likely jump up to about $1,900.

3. Education

Depending on the type of institution you’re looking to send your child or children to, the cost of education in Montreal can greatly vary. Although all public schools are free for Canadian residents, there is no set amount of tuition that a private school may charge.

For example, $19,675 is the average annual tuition for Montreal Our Kids’ private schools.

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4. Entertainment and Fitness

If you’re someone who enjoys attending the gym, sporting events, and movies, you’ll want to include the cost of leisure activities in your monthly budget. Below is a brief overview of what these kinds of expenses may set you back each month.

To belong to a gym, a monthly fitness club membership is typically about $45 in Montreal. Tickets to the movies, on the other hand, are an average of $16 per person.

Sports’ fans can expect to pay anywhere from $20 per ticket to well over $100, depending on the game or event. For example, the average Montreal Canadiens game costs around $103, whereas an Alouettes ticket is about $78 on average. For a CF Montreal soccer game, the average price of admission is $37.

So, if you were to have a gym membership, see a monthly movie, and attend one sports game a month, you’d spend an average of $135.

5. Food

How much you pay for food each month will depend on how often you like to eat out or order in, versus make home-cooked meals.

In Montreal, you’ll likely spend anywhere from about $13 per person at a fast-food restaurant to just over $45 per person at a mid-range eatery.

In addition to the above expenses, your grocery store bills will likely set you back just under $400 each month. This is assuming that you buy essential food items like cheese and milk during every shop, and that you purchase groceries on a weekly basis.

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6. Transportation

Depending on whether you plan to use public transit as your mode of travel in Montreal, or you have your own car, your expenses will greatly differ.

A monthly pass for Montreal’s public transport system is $90.50. This expense is fairly affordable when compared to the price of a new Volkswagen Golf, or equivalent car, which would cost you approximately $30,000. And that’s not including the maintenance, car insurance, gas, or parking.

7. Utilities

Common costs covered under utilities often include items like internet, cable, heating, and electrical. Below are the average monthly prices of these types of expenses in Montreal:

• Cell phone prepaid talk time: $0.49 per minute (no plan)

• Internet and cable: $62

• Electricity and heating: $108

Previous City Series Articles

Want to know how much it costs to live in other Canadian cities? Check out APOLLO Magazine’s previous articles in this series:

• The Average Cost of Living in Vancouver

• The Average Cost of Living in Calgary

• The Average Cost of Living in Ottawa

• The Average Cost of Living in Toronto

• The Average Cost of Living in Edmonton

No matter where you’re located, living expenses add up. Protect your finances with comprehensive insurance coverage from APOLLO.

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