Living in Montreal – Inspiring Insights
Are you thinking about moving to Montreal? At SDC International Shipping, we’ll try to describe how living in Montreal feels.
The city boasts much positivity, but your experience will depend entirely on you. And there’s no doubt that living in Montreal is a fantastic adventure, any way you slice it.
This Canadian city with a European feel attracts many Americans. Almost 5 million residents in Greater Montreal are totally fine to bear with some cones of life because the pros are too hard to resist.
Read on to find out about essential things related to life in Montreal.
Abundant Job Opportunities
Montreal is a center of important industries, such as aerospace, software, electronics, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and transportation. Recently, it has gained a reputation for being a tech hub after Toronto. So if you are a tech professional, the opportunities are hard to beat. Currently, over 175,000 tech employees and 5,000 tech companies are present in Montreal, and there’s always more room for growth. So it’s no wonder that the city is on the hunt for international tech talent. This translates into tons of exciting jobs in AI, video games, IT, animation, special effects, and cybersecurity.
According to reports, nearly 50% of people in Montreal work in the sales and services industry. The leading three sectors are business, manufacturing, and retail.
No matter if you have a gig lined up before moving to Montreal, there’s definitely a job for you.
Salary You Need for Living in Montreal
The salaries vary between different careers. The minimum wage per hour is $13.50.
You can live in Montreal with a salary of 35k (CAD) a year with a roommate but won’t be dining out in cool restaurants too often. Even more, going to the theater or other cultural events, including rooftop bars, will be rare occasions.
A salary of 80k in the Montreal metropolitan area will afford a more comfortable social life. You may rent a decent apartment for yourself and eat out more than a couple of times a week.
If you are earning 130k + annually, you will be able to enjoy everything the city has to offer. Getting drinks after work, purchasing expensive tickets for the latest shows, etc.
The good news is that Montreal is considered much cheaper than Ottawa. For example, consumer prices are 4.28% lower. It means that even with the average salary, you can still live comfortably because less money is needed for rent, transportation, and eating out.
Affordable Rents
Living in Montreal is very realistic for many people because of the affordable cost of housing in the city. You may find a charming apartment for $500 a month in the Montreal neighborhood. Typically, one-bedroom apartments start at $700. The price for a two-bedroom apartment ranges from $1,000 to $2,000. The city’s high-entry areas like Westmount and the Outremont are usually $300-$400 more expensive.
If you are interested in buying a home in Montreal, be prepared to pay around $400,000 (2020) for a single-family home, which is $100,000 lower than the Canadian average.
Commuting into Montreal
Many people in Montreal own cars to get to their offices but honestly, with congested roads during rush hours, even car owners prefer to use public transport to commute to work. Most buses run once every 15 minutes.
The most convenient mode of travel is a subway; it operates every 6 minutes. Although crowded at rush hour, it’s better than being stuck in traffic jams. To find out about transit fares, visit www.stm.info.
Montreal has very robust cycling infrastructure. In fact, the famous BIXI system is regarded as the best bike system in the world, with over 600 stations located throughout the city. So riding a bike is much more stress-free and safer.
Family Life in Montreal
If you are moving to Montreal with children, then you should know that the city has the reputation of being kid-friendly. The following are the benefits of raising your children in Montreal:
- Low daycare ($9.00 per day) costs make it easier for parents to balance their family and work life. The main boon is that the Canadian government provides financial help to parents, helping them cover some daycare expenses.
- Post-secondary education is also very affordable. For example, McGill University in downtown Montreal is one of the best educational institutions in Canada, with the lowest tuition fees in the province of Quebec.
- Montreal’s official language is French, and children attending public primary schools must attend French schools. For your child, it’s an excellent opportunity to become 100% bilingual! For schools where the primary language of instruction is English, you may have to consider private schools.
- Montreal has plenty of parks, playgrounds, and activities geared to kids.
Living Safe in Montreal
Statistics Canada and the FBI (2018) ranked Greater Montreal No. 1 for low homicide rate among 20 of the large cities in Canada and the US. So living in Montreal is pretty safe.
Besides, you are unlikely to feel unsafe in the city because you will never be alone on the streets. So many people are exploring Montreal at any given hour, and you just need to know which streets to stick to and which to avoid.
Bilingual Living in Montreal
Montreal is dubbed a truly bilingual city with 60% Francophone and 40% Anglophone. The job market is competitive, but candidates with abilities to converse in both languages stand out. More than half of the population speaks both English and French, so the city has a good English/French balance. On the streets of this city, you will hear French and English in daily conversations. And other languages, too.
Multicultural Living in Montreal
Multiculturalism is reflected in manifold ways. For instance, Canada embraces refugees and immigrants and doesn’t care about their race, religion, or culture.
Speaking of Montreal, it is one of the most diverse cities in Canada and the world. Different neighborhoods will tell you their unique stories. Go to ChinaTown, Little Italy, or Little Portugal to experience that cultural diversity. You will also find lots of restaurants reflecting many ethnic groups. You might be surprised to see how Canada celebrates diversity, and Montreal is no exception. Every year the city holds hundreds of festivals dedicated to multiculturalism.
Where is this coming from?
Multiculturalism is engraved in the Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1998 and section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms under the Department of Canadian Heritage. So the integration of newcomers is natural to Canada. It is part of its present, and will remain the same in the future.
Eating Out in Montreal
When talking about Montreal, we should mention the food. Yes, it has an incredible food scene.
You can find fancy restaurants in Montreal where you’ll need to spend a fortune to try some of the exclusive dinners, but the best part is a broad spectrum of other great and affordable eats.
Montreal is an epicenter of different cultures so that you may enjoy the best of the best regarding all types of cuisine – Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and American. On the other hand, you can’t overlook the local Montreal icons like smoked meat sandwiches, bagels, and poutine! In addition, food traces from Jewish, Haitian, Portuguese, and many other cultures can be seen on the city’s food map.
After living in Montreal, some of our clients said that it was hard to find other cities that satisfied their cravings for good food.
Hangout Places in Montreal
When you live in Montreal, it’s hard to find a reason to stay home because there are so many things to do, especially in summer.
The city has lots of museums, galleries, and historic sites with beautiful architecture.
There’s an urban park near Mount Royal with trails and cross country skiing and tobogganing in the winter for cycling and hiking enthusiasts. The summit of Mount Royal offers one of the best views in Canada.
A family-friendly destination, Olympic Park is a great place for its nature museums, open-air events, and winter activities.
At the Old Port of Montreal or Vieux-Montreal, you can enjoy pedal boats, cruises, tours, festivals, street entertainment, etc. This picturesque neighborhood is where the city began, offering many historical attractions.
Finally, we couldn’t help but mention Montreal’s nightlife. In this sense, it is rightfully the entertainment heart of Canada. You will explore many stylish small bars and expensive clubs that are open until 3 a.m. So you can always find something fun to do even if you finish your work closer to 9 p.m.
Is It Worth Moving and Living in Montreal?
Living in Montreal can be a great experience if you have planned out your life and started learning the French language. A diverse Montreal society allows for great opportunities to meet people from different corners of the world, follow your dream and enjoy life in its many manifestations.
If you have made up your mind about moving to Canada, SDC International Shipping is a mover that can help you move your household goods and auto. We know that moving overseas comes with some challenges, but we believe that the newness is thrilling and will make you stronger and more resilient.