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 for daily life for an expatriate in Montreal).
Summary:
Housing
Leisure activities
The charges
Have a drink
Telephone and internet
Transportation
The races
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 area, you can easily find a decent apartment or condo for between $1000 and $1500 per month (for a 3 ½apartment, so a T2 in France, one bedroom closed). The same thing in the heart of Montreal will be between 1500 $-1700 $. 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 have an idea of the housing, don't hesitate to have a look at the reference classifieds site in Canada : Kijiji. You can also find roommates there. Note that in Montreal, access to property is more accessible than in large French cities and allows you to acquire a home for about $350,000/$550, 000. Here is some advice to find an apartment in Montreal as a future expatriate and choose your future neighbourhood.
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The charges
Water is free in the city of Montreal, for electricity count $40 on average for a 3 ½. Everything depends on your consumption and the insulation of your apartment... In winter, the bill may increase a little 😉
ℹ️ Note, that in many recent or new apartments, electricity is included in the price of housing.
Telephone and internet
Whether it is for a mobile or a landline, the packages are much more expensive than in France.
The same goes for internet and cable TV packages .A word of advice: plan on spending at least $60 per month for an internet box and to have a decent speed (although this amount can often be included in the rent depending on the landlord) .
In addition, you will have to add 25 $ if you wish to use cable TV. Concerning cellular telephony, the prices are very varied. On average, you will have to pay 60 $ on average for a smartphone package at bell or videotron with unlimited calls and data.
The Maplrs' trick:
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 to be about$350.
To find products at unbeatable prices, don't hesitate to explore areas less touristy than the city center. Markets and small grocery stores offer products at very interesting prices.
This will lower your average lower your average shopping basket. When it comes to shopping for clothes, you'll be happy to find outlets that offer discounted brand-name items.
The Maplrs' trick:
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, summer and winter alike, the city often offers free activities for young and old. Here are some budget ideas for the most "classic" leisure activities:
The cinema
Count $12.5 for a full price ticket. But on Tuesday nights in some of the cineplex in the city, it's half price, or 6.75 $
The restaurant
Count on a non-alcoholic starter/main course or main course/dessert in a "traditional" restaurant for $35 per person. Don't 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 restaurants, no tip, but between 8 to $15 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 apartments have a gym directly in the residence and with free use for the tenants!
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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 home 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 $14. 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's much cheaper at Tim Hortons ;)).
Transportation
In Montreal, the monthly pass for public transport (OPUS card) is $90,50$ each ticket is 3,50$. For more information, you can visit the STM WEBSITE (Montreal's transportation company)
If you wish, an alternative could be to use a car-sharing scheme (e.g. communauto) or a Bixi.
Medical care
The equivalent of Social Security in Quebec is called RAMQ for Régie d'Assurance Maladie du Québec.
It is free for immigrants. As in France, some medical care considered non-urgent is not covered by the Quebec public system.
In many cases, group insurance (mutual insurance) is provided by your employer. If this is not the case, you can subscribe to a basic private insurance.
Here is a full article to help you see more clearly about Canada's health care system.
Cost of living in Montreal: example of monthly budget for an expatriate
Below is an example of a budget for an expatriate in Montreal:
|
|
| Apartment 3 ½ in downtown | 1 600$ |
| Electricity | 80 $ |
| Insurance | 20 $ |
| Internet / Television | 85 $ |
| Telephone | 60 $ |
| TOTAL | 1845 $ |
|
|
| Opus Card | 90,50 $ |
| Races | 350 $ |
| 5 pints per week | 160 $ |
| 1 "traditional" restaurant per month | 35 $ |
| 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. | 882,50 $ |
| TOTAL with taxes (approx. 15%) | 1015 $ |
Monthly total (recurring expenses and daily living)
2860 CAD
A very attractive cost of living in Montreal
With this example the budget for housing/going out and daily living is approximately 2,860 CAD per month. An IT Developer with 5 years of experience will earn approximately $85,000 CAD gross per year, or $7,083 CAD gross per month, or approximately C$4,781 net per month (net salary includes tax payments, as they are deducted at source). The cost of living is therefore very interesting in Montreal! In fact, we talked 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 an adventure in Montreal?
At Maplr, we will help you find your IT job in Montreal for free and assist you in all phases of your relocation.
Our team is here to guide you and give you all the information you need to start your new life in Montreal! Join our community now.
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