Moving to Montreal – Apartment Hunting Tips

So, if you’ve been around for a minute, you’ll know at the end of 2020, I relocated to Montréal to finally reunite with my boyfriend after months of ongoing border closures. Moving to Montreal was a big undertaking during a pandemic for numerous reasons (mostly immigration and emotional). I’ll spare you those details, it’s been much documented here, here and here. What I want to focus on today is everything you need to know about apartment hunting!

Seriously, if I hadn’t had my boyfriend doing most of the on-the-ground work, I probably would have been at a loss. Which is why I wanted to make this handy navigation guide for you! Be warned, French bureaucracy (and the language) still has a stronghold and you’ll need to navigate both when moving to Montreal and searching for your first apartment!

***If you want a recap of my time in La Belle Province check out what I thought about my first Québec winter, why March is the worst month and a lengthy reflection after coming back to the PNW (where I currently type this) after 6 months.

All caught up? Great, let’s get into it!

Practicalities of Moving to Montreal

Before you even begin searching where to live in Montreal, you need to keep a few things in mind.

Language

French is THE official language of the province of Québec and while Montreal is definitely more bilingual than the rest of the province, French is still Queen. So what does that mean for you while searching Montreal apartments?

Well, most listings are going to be in French, sorry. It’s a legal requirement, because French is THE official language etc., etc. However, many listings will also be in English. If you don’t see it at first, try scrolling down (it’ll usually say anglais à suivre/English to follow).

If you don’t speak any French, now is the time to learn! Even if your French is très mal, you won’t be at a complete disadvantage. You can use Google translate for listings. BUT note if the landlord hasn’t bothered to make a bilingual listing it’s a safe bet they won’t offer an English lease (bail in French) or want to communicate with you in English. This could be complicated down the line if you’re trying to use Google translate to get your washer fixed or a burst pipe repaired!

We had 3 homes during my stay and only one English speaking landlord, at our last place in the Plateau. However, it was a unique situation in that the building owners were old family (Anglophone/Portuguese) friends of my boyfriends’. This is def not the norm, BUT not impossible. Especially if you’ll be on Montreal Island or in more English/international neighborhoods (like the Plateau). More on in my best places to live in Montreal post.

As a general rule, the island of Montreal is more Francophone to the east and more Anglophone to the west, HOWEVER this is not a hard or fast rule, just a generalization.

Number of rooms

Okay, so here’s something that I felt pretty stupid about after, BUT if you’re living in Montreal as an American you’ll probably be confused too. So while I was still in Seattle, my boyfriend began sending me listings of potential places, mostly in French.

In case you didn’t know, I speak and read French fairly well (IMO) so this wasn’t an issue.

However, I began seeing discrepancies between room numbers in the link/post title and the listing details. I, quite confused texted my boyfriend at one point –

Ummm so is this a 2 or 4 bed? Either way it’s a great price, but WOW if that’s what a 4 bed costs….

Again, I speak and understand French and while it’s not perfect, I like to think I got a handle on the numbers?!!

Then, before my boyfriend could respond, it hit me.

OHHHHH! They do it the French/European way!!

Now, my fellow non-European/Quebecers, what, in the hell, does that mean?

Well, in (Francophone) Europe and Québec, they refer to apartments and rentals in the total number of rooms. So if you’re looking for a 2-bedroom in QC they call it a “4 and a half”. This refers to 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, living and I think the bathroom is technically the “half”. Whereas in the rest of (Anglophone) Canada and the United States, we typically say “a 2-bedroom” and that’s that.

I saw discrepancies in this too, seems like it can often be up to the landlord what constitutes a room (I believe bedrooms must have doors). I’ve also heard a few shady stories about landlords putting up screens in living rooms so they can call it two rooms. I believe these are anomalies and rental laws are VERY tenant friendly in Montreal (like in New York, once you’re in, it’s hard to get rid of you), but keep that in mind!

Geography

For detailed descriptions of Montreal neighborhoods, check out my “best places to live in Montreal” post. However, before that, you need to think about your needs, lifestyle and what you want out of moving to Montreal. Here’s the top things to keep in mind when choosing where to live in Montreal –

Lifestyle

This is a general category, but probably the most important one! As I said before, you need to think about what you want out of moving to Montreal. Do you want big city life to be in the heart of everything? Then try Westmount, Downtown, etc.

Do you want a young crowd, international feel and lots of bars and restaurants on your doorstep? Then our neighborhood in the Plateau would be perfect.

*Note this is definitely not our priorities anymore (my boyfriend has repeatedly said he often feels old walking around our streets LOL), the place just fell into our lap. The best part for me is the proximity to Mont Royal, which brings me to –

Do you want easy access to nature and recreation? Montreal is a great city for that (actually I think most Canadian cities are), BUT if you want to have easiest access on a daily basis, there are some neighborhoods better than others. I’d recommend finding Mont Royal on a map and then drawing a radius of a couple of miles to get an idea.

Transportation

Do you want to own a car or survive on public transport or bike or walk? When you look at where you want to live, keep in mind if there’s a metro stop, bus routes (preferably numerous for options) nearby. Also, check if it’s an easy walk or bike ride to where you’d frequently need to travel to.

Proximity to work/school

Again, where are you working or studying in the city? You don’t necessarily need to live in the exact neighborhood of your office or campus (or even the one right next door), but you don’t want to spend more than necessary on your commute.

For all those working from home permanently since 2020, lucky you, don’t need to think about this!

Language

As previously mentioned (and further detailed on my “best places to live in Montreal post“), the city is much, much more bilingual than the rest of Québec. HOWEVER not every neighborhood is the same! Some are more French (typically to the east) and others more English (typically to the west). And as a large, international city, other languages are prevalent as well. This isn’t necessarily strict rules, but keep in mind if you only speak one language and would prefer to be somewhere where that’s the norm.

Where to look for a room/apartment in Montreal

There are numerous sites to find rentals in the area, here’s the main ones I’ve personally used:

• Kijiji – A Canadian site to buy/sell/rent everything from real estate to pets. This is where we found our first rental in the South Shore, they have short and long term leases, as well as properties for sale if you’re in the market.

• Craigslist – I know this site can get a bad rap for being sleazy, but with a bit of patience it can be a great way to find rentals or roommates.

• Louer – Another good site with a lot of options.

• Rentals.ca – Sort of like Canadian Zillow for rentals.

• Airbnb – I’d only use this for month-to-month short term places while you find a long-term lease, as it can be spendy.

Cost of Living – important to keep in mind when moving to Montreal

In general, for a large, cosmopolitan city in North America, the cost of living in Montreal is lower than most. Especially when compared to the likes of New York, Toronto, San Francisco and even my hometown, Seattle.

However, as with most things it all depends on your perspective. If you’re coming from a smaller city or outside of an urban setting, it could seem a bit expensive. And, if you’re coming from overseas of course, the exchange rate will play into that. Living in Montreal as an American and one that is from a relatively HCOL area in general, I definitely felt that Montreal was cheaper while still affording a high (dare I say, better…quality of life).

In general you can get a 1-bed or 2-bed (ahem…I mean a 3 ½ or a 4 ½) in Montreal for what you’d pay for a 1-bed or smaller in Seattle. Facture in the exchange rate, and you can see why I’m excited! This also depends on the neighborhood you choose to move to. The one’s I’ve highlighted as more affordable will help your bottom line even more.

And, unless you’re living in the suburbs, you can typically get by without a car, saving tons per month!

Besides that, it really depends on your lifestyle. I don’t tend to eat or get takeout too often, but when I did, I wasn’t shocked by the price. Groceries too I’d say were comparable, or cheaper than other cities I’ve lived in.

Alcohol Costs (LOL)

The one caveat is liquor, as it’s controlled by Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) the provincial government’s alcohol control board. What that means is that prices are stable throughout the province and stores, but a bit higher (especially with QC sales tax on top of GST) than you may be used to elsewhere. You can buy beer, wine and cider in most grocery stores. If you want hard alcohol you’ll need to head to the SAQ (yes the liquor stores are named after the governing body).

If you’re interested, I wrote a whole piece for Real Simple about moving and COL (and I get more into taxes too!).

Moving to Montreal Costs for Students

I’ve never studied in the city, but from what I’ve heard, the cost of living in Montreal for students is relatively reasonable. Especially when you factor in that Quebec has the cheapest tuition in all of Canada. This applies non-residents and international students.

Pros & Cons of Moving to Montreal

As with anywhere, there are bad things and good things about a place and there’s no exception for the largest French-speaking city after Paris. I typically like the not-so-great before the happy stuff, so let’s start with the disadvantages of living in Montreal.

Disadvantages of Moving to Montreal

Note that most of these I don’t see as complete negatives, just things I think some people could struggle with.

Cold – moving to Montreal requires hardiness!

I know, I know, I can already hear you yelling into the screen; “Didn’t you write an entire post about how the winter ended up being better than you expected?!” Yes, dear readers, yes.

However, note that that comes with a few caveats –

First, it was only one winter, I can see why longtime residents would tire of it just as I tired long ago of the dark, gray, rainy (albeit warmer) PNW winters. So after a few years, there would probably be less childhood joy in all the snow. But my boyfriend, born and raised in QC did say it wasn’t as bad as he remembered. He also enjoyed it a bit more thanks to his outdoorsy PNW girlfriend pushing him outside everyday no matter the temp.

Either way, you need to bulk up your wardrobe before moving to Montreal. Especially if you’re coming from somewhere that doesn’t have a real winter. I’d also seriously think about if you can handle 4 – 6 months of snow and double digit negatives.

Also, I was told it was a particularly mild winter, SO maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about haha.

Language, friends, always needs to be at the forefront when moving to Montreal

Like it or not you’re going to have to learn some French living here. Do people get by without? Yup, but hey, we move abroad to live differently, no? So why not enhance your experience and ensure customer service reps are nicer to you and expand your social options? Even having the basics helps a lot.

If you are particularly language or French adverse (in which case, why are you on this site…haha joking…sorta), maybe look into a different Canadian city.

Big on nightlife

Not for me 🙂

Advantages of Moving to Montreal

And now for the happy stuff! Unfortunately, a lot of this I didn’t exactly get to experience due to Covid, but I can’t wait to go back and experience Montreal in full swing.

Parks – a way of life

ALL the parks. Okay admittedly, this was like the ONE thing we could do during restrictions. BUT I can’t wait to experience it without the whole Covid thing lingering in the back of our minds. Also fun fact – did you know drinking in public/the parks is totally legal in Montreal? Yup! As long as you have food with you, you can pass it off as a “picnic”! I really wish more North American cities were cool with this, I mean what’s the harm?

*Note this is only for the city/island of Montreal, we learned the hard way it does not apply to the South Shore haha.

Free events/stuff to do

Okay, this is something I’m definitely missing out on, especially since I left just as summer (aka festival season in the city of festivals/look up in French) was about to go in full swing. But seriously, Jazz Festival, Street Art, Grand Prix, there’s never a shortage of things to do! A lot were canceled again in 2021, but let’s start planning/dreaming for 2022!

Not to mention the numerous public pools to escape the heat, beaches, lakes, you name it!

Moving to Montreal means a High Quality of Life

I dedicated an entire section to the cost of living (COL) and how it’s pretty low in Montreal compared to other large North American cities. Yet I only briefly mentioned how you get a decent quality of life for a reasonable price. So, allow me to elaborate!

What do I mean by this? Well, for starters, you can find a nice, spacious apartment for much less than a shitty (and much smaller) place in NYC/Vancouver/etc. Not to mention other stuff is generally cheaper or on par, decent quality and there’s just so much available from bars, cafes, restaurants and shops.

You don’t need to spend your life in traffic thanks to amazing (and affordable) public transport. You have access to numerous green spaces in every neighborhood, it’s relatively safe, even compared to other Canadian (even safer than US) cities.

Damn, if it wasn’t for harsh winters, the need to learn French and immigration laws, I think everyone would move here!

Weather

Okay lol. I know, I put this in the disadvantages, BUT I said none of those were hard negatives. The weather is lovely if you like a proper winter and a place to live that embraces (rather than endures) it. AND you get a lovely pay off in May through most of September with lovely summers AND some of the best fall foliage in North America.

All in all, you get 4 distinct seasons (although spring can feel quite short) for a well-rounded feel.

And finally, 3 things don’t need an explanation…

• The food

• The people

• The mountain

Montreal, I miss you dearly and I know I’ll be back frequently (as long as my partner remains there), and I hope I’ve inspired a few of you if you weren’t already considering moving to Montreal!

Have you ever considered moving to Montreal? What do you love and hate the most about moving to a new city? Comment below!