Living in Montreal

In Montreal, unemployment is 10.3% (2021).

24.2% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021. The unemployment rate was 10.3% in May 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-1920 sources

Population1,791,508people1 Jul 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary3,181EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada

Unemployment rate10.3%country median 8.4% — 23% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population

Recorded crime3,674offences per 100,000country median 4,873 — 25% belowIndependent source · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024

PM2.5, annual mean5.06µg/m³country median 3.6 — 39% aboveOfficial source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.

Higher unemployment than 69% of Canadian cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 91% of Canadian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 74% of Canadian cities that publish it.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Montreal?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CanadaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Montreal.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month5 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€518

Utilities, 85 m² flat€70

Internet, 60 Mbps€37

Mobile plan, 10 GB€30

Fitness club€29

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	29 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Grocery basket, monthly	79.79 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	36.76 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	518.3 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	14.83 eur	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	29.92 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Montreal. Jul 2026. Prices in Montreal¹⁸Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	70.4 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Households spending over 30% of income on rent	24.2 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Dwellings	878,542 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁸Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)	722.7 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023²Official

Is Montreal a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker47%strong on work, weak on safety · range 39–55%

Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 48–64%

Student40%strong on education, weak on work · range 33–47%

Family51%strong on family, weak on cost · range 43–59%

Retirement54%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–64%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Montreal?

The median gross salary is about 3,181 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

Median gross salary: 3,181 EUR/month · Statistics Canada¹⁰
Median gross salary (regional): 2,200 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁷

What is the unemployment rate in Montreal?

The unemployment rate is 10.3 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Montreal is 10.3%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

125

108

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–1818–2020–22

Montreal 10.3%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	3,181 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,200 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁷Official
Average net monthly salary	2,580 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/montreal/¹⁹Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate	10.3 %country median 8.4%	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Montreal. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support

Open official service

Open the Canada service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Montreal. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Montreal?

Police recorded 3,674 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 3,674 offences per 100,000 · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²⁰

Recorded crime across major citiesMontreal highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Winnipeg7,894

Edmonton7,108

Halifax6,020

Vancouver5,438

Calgary4,796

London4,743

Québec4,630

Ottawa4,298

Hamilton4,257

Toronto4,177

Gatineau3,756

Montreal3,674

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	3,674 offences per 100,000country median 4,873	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²⁰Independent

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Workers commuting by bicycle	3.4 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Workers commuting by public transport	28.4 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Workers walking to work	9.6 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Destinations from nearest airport	4 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat⁶Official
Nearest airport	YHU	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official
Distance to nearest airport	11.9 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official
Public transport monthly pass	64.58 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Montreal. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For newcomers to Canada.

English, FrenchFree

Open official information

Open the full Canada section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Montreal.

Find courses near Montreal

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were −9.2°C in January and 21.7°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 85.8 mm in January and 91.1 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 5.06 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Montreal?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 5.06 µg/m³ · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

-5°-13°

-3°-12°

2°-7°

11°1°

19°8°

24°14°

27°17°

26°16°

21°11°

13°4°

6°-2°

-1°-9°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

103

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.55.1WHO 5 · EU 25

NO₂8.1WHO 10 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaAnnual PM2.5 in Montreal is 5.1 µg/m³. Of 123 cities with data, 46 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1113–1415–1616–1717–1820–2140–41

Montreal 5.1

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	8.11 µg/m³country median 7.0	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.⁵Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	5.06 µg/m³country median 3.6	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴Official
Annual mean temperature (modelled)	6.43 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Annual precipitation (modelled)	1,085 mm/year	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January mean temperature (modelled)	-11.25 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January minimum temperature (modelled)	-41.45 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July maximum temperature (modelled)	36.61 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July mean temperature (modelled)	21.72 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Daily precipitation rate (modelled)	2.97 mm/day	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Solar exposure (modelled)	3.54 kWh/m²/day	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Average daytime high by month	Jan -5 · Feb -3.4 · Mar 2.4 · Apr 11.3 · May 19.4 · Jun 24.2 · Jul 26.7 · Aug 25.7 · Sep 21.1 · Oct 13.2 · Nov 6.1 · Dec -1.2 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — MONTREAL/PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan -13.5 · Feb -12.4 · Mar -6.5 · Apr 1.1 · May 8.3 · Jun 13.8 · Jul 16.7 · Aug 15.6 · Sep 10.9 · Oct 4.5 · Nov -1.7 · Dec -8.7 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — MONTREAL/PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official
Average temperature by month	Jan -9.2 · Feb -8 · Mar -2 · Apr 6.2 · May 13.9 · Jun 19 · Jul 21.7 · Aug 20.6 · Sep 16 · Oct 8.9 · Nov 2.3 · Dec -5 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — MONTREAL/PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 85.8 · Feb 65.5 · Mar 77.2 · Apr 90 · May 85.6 · Jun 83.6 · Jul 91.1 · Aug 93.6 · Sep 89.2 · Oct 103.1 · Nov 84.2 · Dec 91.9 mm	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — MONTREAL/PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 365.1 km² in 2021. Population density was 4,833.5 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Montreal?

The published population was 1,791,508 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada⁹

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 288,660 is not 33.4% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport83.9%
Foreign residents16.1%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	365.1 km²	2021	Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Montréal, CSD 2466023)¹³Official
Foreign-resident share	33.43 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Foreign residents	288,660 people	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status.¹⁴Official
Population density	4,834 people/km²	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.¹⁴Official
Population	1,791,508 people	1 Jul 2022	Statistics Canada⁹Official

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	42.1 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	36 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree¹⁶Official
Median age	38.8 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹²Official

Alternatives for people set on Montreal

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Ottawa as a Montreal alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Median gross pay, region: €3,246 Ottawa vs €2,200 Montreal+48%
Median gross pay, city: €4,221 Ottawa vs €3,181 Montreal+33%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,298 Ottawa vs 3,674 Montreal+17%
Nearest airport: 6.0 km Ottawa vs 11.9 km Montreal−50%
Annual PM2.5: 3.9 µg/m³ Ottawa vs 5.1 µg/m³ Montreal−24%
Residents: 1,071,868 Ottawa vs 1,791,508 Montreal−40%
Foreign residents: 25.9% Ottawa vs 33.4% Montreal−23%

Full comparison More about Ottawa

Prague as a Montreal alternative in another country

Better on 1 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Median gross pay, city and median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, city: €2,176 (2025) Prague vs €3,181 (2020) Montrealno percentage
Transport pass: €23 Prague vs €65 Montreal−65%
Median gross pay, region: €2,138 (2025) Prague vs €2,200 (2020) Montrealno percentage
Nearest airport: 13.0 km Prague vs 11.9 km Montreal+9%

Full comparison More about Prague

Alternative cities in Canada

Other cities in Canada to compare with Montreal, nearest in population first.

All Canada cities

Calgary1,413,800 residents Ottawa1,071,868 residents Toronto3,025,647 residents Edmonton1,010,899 residents Winnipeg749,607 residents Mississauga717,961 residents

How does Montreal compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Montreal's.

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Montreal in rankings

#1 of 30 in Major cities with the coldest modelled January mean #2 of 30 in Largest cities in Canada #6 of 30 in Most international cities in Canada #7 of 30 in Major cities with the highest modelled annual precipitation #15 of 30 in Major cities with the hottest modelled July mean #20 of 30 in Major cities with the highest modelled solar exposure

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Montreal when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Montreal's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Montreal?

The published population was 1,791,508 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Montreal?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate..

How safe is Montreal?

Police recorded 3,674 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024.

What is the typical salary in Montreal?

The median gross salary is about 3,181 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the unemployment rate in Montreal?

The unemployment rate is 10.3 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.

What is the typical salary around Montreal?

The median gross salary is 2,200 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Is Montreal a good place to live?

Montreal may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 25). Montreal, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version b3e4064c4f098b8c537b32d714c3b849]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/montreal/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_montreal-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_b68f2b4cad5a,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Montreal, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-25},
  version = {b3e4064c4f098b8c537b32d714c3b849},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/montreal/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Montreal, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/montreal/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version b3e4064c4f098b8c537b32d714c3b849; retrieved 2026-10-25; built 2026-10-25.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Canadian Climate Normals — MONTREAL/PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU INTL A, 1991-2020 Canadian Climate Normals · climate.weather.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023 CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey · assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-18
NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology NASA POWER · power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-10-25
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-13

Show 10 more sources

Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Montréal, CSD 2466023) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03
Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/montreal/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05
Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024 Statistics Canada · www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26

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