You are planning to move to the largest French-speaking city in America and you are wondering what the cost of living is in Montreal. Perfect! You've come to the right place.
What if we told you that Montreal is THE city for professional and personal opportunities? Indeed ,Montreal is known as a major player in information and communication technologies. The scale of digital technology is such that some Montreal companies are in shortage of computer scientists and developers; a godsend to find your future job ... wellYOUR future job, as we say here 😉
Example of a cost of living analysis in Montreal
Settling down to seize a great professional opportunity is good, but doing so while increasing your purchasing power is even better. Indeed, the average salary The average salary for a developer with 5 years of experience is around 75,000 CAD gross per year, which is more than 17% higher than in France. The same goes for those with more or less experience: the salary in Montreal is far more interesting than in France for tech profiles.
Let's take a look at how much it can cost to live in Montreal in 2022 when you are a newcomer to Canada (you will find at the end of this article an example of a concrete budget of daily life for an expatriate in Montreal).
Summary ?
Housing
The charges
Telephony and internet
The races
Leisure activities
Have a drink
Transport
Medical care
Housing
Montreal is a Canadian city with relatively low prices compared to the rest of the country, although the price of housing varies greatly depending on the area of the island and the size of the house. If you move outside of the downtown core, you can easily find a decent flat or condo for between $800 and $1100 per month (for a 3 ½(for a 3 ½ bedroom apartment in France, a one-bedroom apartment). The same thing in the heart of Montreal will be between 1300$-1500$. You will have to add 20$ per month for your home insurance (minimum coverage).
ℹ️ Note that there is no habitation tax for tenants in Montreal.
If you want to get an idea of where to live, don't hesitate to check out Canada's leading classified ad site : Kijiji. You can also find roommates there. Note that in Montreal, access to property is more accessible than in France and allows you to acquire a home for about $200,000/$250,000 . Here is some advice to find a flat in Montreal as a future expatriate and choose your future neighbourhood.
The charges
Water is free in the city of Montreal, for electricity count 50$ on average for a 3 ½. It all depends of course on your consumption and the insulation of your flat... In winter, the bill may increase a little 😉
ℹ️ Please note that in many new or recent flats electricity is included in the price of the accommodation.
Telephony and internet
Whether it is for a mobile or a fixed line, the packages are much more expensive than in France. The same goes for internet and cable TV packages .A piece of advice, plan on a minimum of 60$ per month for an internet box and to have a correct speed (although this amount can often be included in the rent price depending on the landlords) . In addition, you will have to add 25$ if you want to use cable TV . As far as cellular telephony is concerned, prices are very varied. On average, you should expect to pay 60$ on average for a smartphone package at bell or videotron with unlimited calls and data.
The Tuques Rouges tip:
Koodomobile offers great prices (sometimes even under $50) for a mobile plan with over 10G0 of data!
The races
The average monthly cost of food for one person is estimated at around$500. To get the best prices, don't hesitate toexplore areas less touristy than the city centre. Markets and small grocery shops offer products at very interesting prices . This willlower your average shopping basket. When it comes to shopping for clothes, you will find outlets with discounted branded goods.
The Tuques Rouges tip:
For your groceries, you can check out Costco for discounts on large quantities!
Leisure activities
Living in Montreal also means being able to take advantage of the many activities on offer. In summer and winter, the city often offers free activities for young and old. Here are some budget ideas for the more "classic" leisure activities:
?the cinema
Count 12.5$ for a full price ticket. But on Tuesday nights in some of the cineplexes in the city, it's half price, or 6.50$
?️The restaurant
The cost of a non-alcoholic meal in a "traditional" restaurant is $30 per person. Do not forget to add taxes (15%) and tips (approx. 15%). Count 80$ for a restaurant with a starter, main course, dessert and wine. For fast food, no tip but between 8 to 15$ for a on average for a submarine or a good poutine!
?♂️The gym
A membership in a gym is about 50$/month . But you should also know that in Montreal many flats have a gym directly in the residence and with free use for the tenants!
Have a drink
?a beer in a pub
Montreal is known for its many microbreweries and pubs. The price of a pint varies a lot depending on the day/week and in particular, it will be cheaper during happy hours for 5@7 with colleagues. Prices vary between 5$ and 10$ (plus 1$ tip)
?a drink with friends
You are invited to a colleague's house for a dinner ? As a good guest, don't forget to go to the SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec) to buy a good bottle of wine. It will cost you about 12$. And if you want to bring a pack of beer, count 17$ for a pack of "Bud Light".
☕ A coffee in a bar
A coffee in a bar-restaurant will cost you 2,5$ and 4$ for a cappuccino (it is much cheaper at Tim Hortons ;))
Transport
In Montreal, the monthly pass for public transport (OPUS card) is $90,50$ each ticket is 3,50$. For more information, you can visit the STM WEBSITE (Montreal's transportation company)
Medical care
The equivalent of Social Security in Quebec is called RAMQ for Régie d'Assurance Maladie du Québec. It is free for immigrants. As in France, some medical care considered non-urgent is not covered by the Quebec public system. In many cases, group insurance (mutuelle) is provided by your employer. If this is not the case, you can subscribe to a basic private insurance. Here is a full article to help you see more clearly about The health care system in Canada.
Cost of living in Montreal: example of monthly budget for an expatriate
Below is an example of a budget for an expatriate in Montreal:
|
|
| 3 ½ bedroom flat in the city centre | 1300$ |
| Electricity | 80$ |
| Insurance | 20$ |
| Internet / Television | 85$ |
| Telephony | 60$ |
| TOTAL | 1545$ |
|
|
| Opus Card | 90,50$ |
| Races | 500$ |
| 5 pints per week | 160$ |
| 1 traditional restaurant per week | 30$ |
| 1 Fast food per week | 40$ |
| 1 Restaurant with friends | 80$ |
| 2 Evenings with friends | 24$ |
| 2 cinemas per month | 13$ |
|
Sports hall
|
50$ |
|
Some coffee (and donuts 😉 at Tim Hortons)
|
40$ |
| TOTAL EXCL. | 1027,50$ |
| TOTAL with taxes (approx 15%) | 1181$ |
Monthly total (recurring expenses and daily living)
C$2726
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A very attractive cost of living in Montreal
With this example, the housing/going out and daily living budget is approximately C$2,726 per month. An IT Developer with 5 years experience will earn approximately C$75,000 gross per year or C$6,250 gross per month or approximately C$4,346 net per month (the net salary includes the payment of taxes, as they are deducted at source). The cost of living is therefore very interesting in Montreal! We told you about it in this article.
Here is also a site for examples of other expenses in Montreal.
Discover our other blog posts about your move to Montreal!
What is the salary of a computer developer in Montreal, Quebec, Canada?
When it comes to the cost of living, it's interesting to compare it to the salary you could expect. Discover our complete study on salaries for computer developers in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Want to try your hand at adventure in Montreal?
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Great article, very precise.
Thank you
I have lived in Montreal for over 20 years. You have not subtracted the insurance and pension fund from the net. At 75000, you have to count about 45% of withdrawal, if you want to have the full package.
Thank you for this article!
Do you also help Africans who want to immigrate and who do not live in France?
Indeed 🙂 We support all French speaking Tech profiles
Thank you very much
Thank you for the article. Very interesting!
That's very interesting, thank you.
Hello, interesting article but I would increase the grocery budget by double, excluding the purchase of alcohol. Meat, dairy products, fish and charcuterie are much more expensive than in France. For restaurants, the "bring your own wine" offer "table d'hôtes" formulas around $40-$50 per person.
take into account that the majority of services consumed in restaurants and bars are the basis for the calculation of taxes and tips. so 2×15% on average.
Source: my life in Montreal in Mile End
Hello ! I am currently in France training to become a web / mobile developer at the bac +2 level.
The idea of going to Quebec, and particularly to Montreal, interests me a lot, I would like to know if there is a possibility to be referred?
I don't know if coming directly with my bags and looking for a job would work well!
Thank you very much for the article, it helps me to see more clearly about life there.
I am very satisfied with the ideas you have exposed for future arrivals in Montreal ... I plan to settle here to start my business soon and if possible to follow a training in IT . Thank you very much ...
I am French and I have been living in Montreal for 2 years, and this budget seems much too low. To give you an idea, I eat quite a lot of vegetables (admittedly a lot of them are organic), fish and meat but reasonably, and not much cheese. And there are 2 of us, and the grocery budget is about 250 dollars a week! But we order takeaway (or restaurant when no covid!) 2 times a week, and I didn't count it in the 250 dollars... so unless you eat a lot of pasta, rice and maybe fast food like nugget or pizza from supermarket, 250 dollars/month is really not much it seems!
Super interesting