Montreal Rent Is Going Up & Here's What You'll Pay In The Cheapest Neighbourhoods
The city-wide average hovers over $1,500.
A row of apartments in Montreal.
In a world where the cheapest homes are often few and far between and Montreal's housing crisis has led tenants to unionize, finding cheap rent in Montreal is becoming increasingly challenging, even in the city's cheapest areas.
The neighbourhood with the lowest average rent is Ahuntsic-Cartierville, where an unfurnished one-bedroom goes for $1,297, according to the most recent report by aggregator Liv.rent.
November usually marks the beginning of downward trends in rent across Canada, but this year Montreal and Vancouver are both seeing gradual increases, Liv.rent reported. The $14 increase Montreal saw this month brings the average citywide rent to a yearly high of $1,555 for an unfurnished one-bedroom — markedly more expensive than June, when the same apartment configuration averaged $1,464.
The cheapest neighbourhoods for unfurnished single tenants — besides Ahuntsic — are Hochelaga-Maisonneuve at $1,329, Villeray-Parc-Extension at $1,401 and Verdun at exactly $1,500.
These areas are hundreds of dollars cheaper than the priciest area, which is (drumroll please) the downtown area, followed closely by the Plateau.
Compared to Ahuntsic-Cartierville, downtown is $589 more expensive for that same unfurnished one-bedroom. It's even worse for higher-occupancy units: a two-bedroom in Ahuntsic-Cartierville costs an average of $1,694 per month, while the same apartment in the heart of the city would cost $2,483.
That's a difference of a hair-raising $789 — even higher than the price of splitting a $1,589 two-bedroom in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
In a market this tough with prices that could strike fear into the bravest tenant's heart, it's important to stay well aware of your rights as a tenant. Paying downtown prices is struggle enough without getting scammed for a fraudulent deposit.
