Cost of living in Montreal

FCGIT13

I'm wondering what the cost of living is like in Montreal?

Does anyone here who is living in Montreal have an estimate of how much it costs a month?

In terms of:
Rent.
Transport.
Food.
Other Costs.

Your input would be appreciated!! Thanks.

alexjk

I'm living in Montréal for about a year now so I'll try to answer as best I can.

Rent: Rent is not expensive in Montreal, it's by far cheaper than Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary. I've a large room all bills included in a warm apartment near a metro stop for 400 a month.

Transport: Transport is great here. There is an extensive 24 hour bus service and the metro. STM runs them both and a monthly ticket is 79 dollars.

Food: Food is actually pretty expensive in supermarkets, especially during winter. If you can help it, buy your vegetables in the smaller vegetables shops because it's the same produce but far cheaper. Adonis and P&A are the cheapest supermarkets. Everything else is pretty much the same price.

Other costs: If you're tempted to jaywalk, make sure there are no cops around or it's a 57 dollar fine plus tax. Keep all your transport receipts so you can claim tax back next year.

montreal2011

I concur with alexjk!

Rent: Very cheap compared to most other large Canadian cities. Be wary of heating most of all. If heat is not included, then it can lead to very big bills in winter. Electricity (Hydro Quebec) is very cheap; estimate $25 / month (if heating is electric, expect it to be many multiples of that in winter).

Transport: As alexjk said, on the island of Montreal, a month pass for bus and subway is under $80, otherwise it's $3 per one-way trip.

Food: Montreal has a huge variety of restaurants, I read that it vies with NY for the most restaurants per person in North America. alexjk's tips on grocery shopping is good. Try the markets also, farmer runs stalls often mean the best prices.

Other Costs: Be careful if you put an electric bill in your name. Since bills can be high in winter (usually due to heating, maybe even AC in summer), you can get your bill evened (I forget the correct term) throughout the year. Check if there are any outstanding payments due before taking on the hydro bill.

Tax, from your wages, and in the shops, are the highest in Canada.

Final note, Montreal is full of problems, e.g. political corruption, which leads to the next problem: bad infrastructure; often ridiculous and divisive language laws, yet it is the best place that I have ever been and I would find it hard to leave.

I made a thread a while ago, might be some useful info in there for you: Canada by numbers

treefiddy

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Canada&city=Montreal I'm heading to Montreal this week it seems a lot cheaper than most places in Canada.

ician

Just a few things to add - when looking for an apartment check the address on Hydro Quebec's website and you can see what you the previous elec+heating bills have been for the apartment. They can vary alot! For the coldest winder months dec, jan and feb I got a bill of 140 dollars for a 2 bedroom, some people I know got a bill for over 500 for the same period.

I find food is quite expensive here, the economy supermarkets have pretty bad quality too, and they more upmarket supermarkets like IGA are outrageously expensive.

Other costs: If you intend on having a car it is quite expensive ($100 licence + $320 registration yearly) plus petrol is much more expensive here than other provinces surrounding Quebec, especially on the island of Montreal.

If you get sick, seeing a doctor here is a nightmare. Practically impossible to get a family doctor, and you will wait HOURS at a clinic and ER waiting times are unimaginably long.