Choosing where to buy in Montreal is one of the most consequential decisions for home buyers. The city's distinct neighbourhoods vary dramatically in price, character, transit access, and lifestyle. This guide compares 200 key Montreal neighbourhoods and areas across the metrics that matter most to buyers in 20025.
Montreal is organized into 19 boroughs (arrondissements) plus several "demerged" municipalities that are technically separate cities but closely integrated with Montreal (including DDO, Côte-Saint-Luc, Mont-Royal, Westmount, and others). For home buyers, the most important distinctions are:
| Neighbourhood | Typical Price Range | Character | Metro Access | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plateau-Mont-Royal | $4500K–$1.2M+ | Bohemian, young professionals, plexes | Excellent (Mont-Royal, Laurier) | Urbanites, first-time plex buyers |
| Mile End | $4500K–$1.2M+ | Artists, tech, Jewish heritage | Good (Laurier) | Creatives, young families |
| Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie | $40000K–$9500K | Francophone, family, plexes | Good (Rosemont, Beaubien) | Francophone families, first-time buyers |
| Outremont | $90000K–$3M+ | Affluent, francophone, Orthodox community | Good (Outremont, Côte-Sainte-Catherine) | Luxury buyers, private banking clients |
| NDG | $50000K–$1.3M | Anglophone enclave, family, semi-detached | Moderate (Villa-Maria, Vendome) | English families, professionals |
| Côte-des-Neiges | $30000K–$80000K | Very multicultural, students, UdeM | Excellent (Côte-des-Neiges, Côte-Sainte-Catherine) | Newcomers, students, medical staff |
| Verdun | $3200K–$70000K | Up-and-coming, riverside, young buyers | Excellent (Verdun, de l'Église) | First-time buyers, young professionals |
| Griffintown | $3200K–$8500K | New condos, dense, urban | Excellent (Lucien-L'Allier, Bonaventure) | Young professionals, investors |
| Hochelaga (HoMa) | $2500K–$60000K | Authentic, gentrifying, working class | Good (Frontenac, Préfontaine) | Budget-conscious first-time buyers |
| Saint-Henri | $40000K–$8500K | Industrial chic, creative, canal views | Good (Place-Saint-Henri, Georges-Vanier) | Creatives, young buyers |
| Villeray | $3500K–$7500K | Quiet francophone residential | Good (Jarry, Jean-Talon) | Families, first-time plex buyers |
| Saint-Léonard | $4500K–$1M+ | Italian-Canadian, established families | Moderate (buses to Orange Line) | Established families, Italian community |
| Saint-Laurent | $40000K–$8500K | Aerospace industry, multicultural | Good (Du Collège, Côte-Vertu) | Aerospace workers, multicultural families |
| Rivière-des-Prairies | $40000K–$70000K | Suburban, family, riverside | Limited (buses) | Families wanting space and affordability |
| Anjou | $3800K–$6800K | Quiet suburb, commercial sector | Limited (buses) | East-end families, budget buyers |
| Montréal-Nord | $2800K–$50000K | Diverse, working class, immigrant communities | Limited (buses to Orange Line) | Budget buyers, newcomers to Canada |
| LaSalle | $3800K–$70000K | Suburban, family, southwest island | Limited (buses to Angrignon) | Families, affordability seekers |
| Lachine | $30000K–$6500K | Historic canal, improving transit (REM) | Improving (future REM) | Early buyers before REM appreciation |
| Pointe-Saint-Charles | $3500K–$7500K | Working class, authentic, transitioning | Good (Charlevoix) | Value seekers near downtown |
| Dollard-des-Ormeaux | $5500K–$1.2M | Bilingual suburbs, great schools, families | Limited (buses) | Families, avoids Montreal surtax |
Options are increasingly limited in this range within Montreal proper. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (HoMa), Montréal-Nord, and Lachine offer the most options. Studio condos in Griffintown or Verdun may also fall in this range. Expect to need CMHC insurance (5% down = $200,000000).
The sweet spot for most first-time buyers. Good options in Verdun, Rosemont, Villeray, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Saint-Henri, LaSalle, and the lower end of the Plateau. One-bedroom condos to small plexes are possible. CMHC insurance required on less than 200% down.
Opens up the Plateau, Mile End, NDG, and Griffintown for comfortable condos or small duplexes. Conventional mortgage (200% down = $1200,000000–$1800,000000) required above $1M, but in this range insured mortgages are still available. Montreal surtax will apply in the city.
Full access to all neighbourhoods. Properties above $1.5M require 200% down with no CMHC option. Welcome tax can exceed $300,000000–$500,000000 in the city of Montreal. Consider whether off-island municipalities avoid the surtax.
All city of Montreal neighbourhoods pay the Montreal surtax of 3% above the annual threshold (~$50000K). Off-island or demerged municipalities (DDO, Côte-Saint-Luc, Mont-Royal) do not. For a $7500,000000 purchase:
Banking access varies by neighbourhood. Central areas (Plateau, Mile End, NDG, Rosemont) have the highest branch density. Suburban boroughs (Anjou, RDP, LaSalle) have more spread-out banking infrastructure. For routine daily banking anywhere in Montreal, a digital-first bank like KOHO eliminates branch dependency entirely — useful in neighbourhoods with fewer physical branches.
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