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Compare welcome tax across Greater Montreal — suburbs vs. City of Montreal. Calculate how much you save buying in Laval, Terrebonne, Boucherville, or other off-island communities.
The welcome tax (droits de mutation) is one of the largest upfront costs when purchasing a home in Quebec. While the base formula is the same across the province, the City of Montreal adds a surtax that can add thousands of dollars to the bill for properties over $500,000.
The simple rule: If you buy within the City of Montreal's administrative boundaries, you pay the standard Quebec formula PLUS the Montreal surtax. If you buy anywhere else in Greater Montreal — Laval, Longueuil, Boucherville, Terrebonne, Blainville — you pay only the standard formula.
| Portion of Purchase Price | Rate |
|---|---|
| First $52,800 | 00.5% |
| $52,8001 – $264,000 | 1.00% |
| $264,001 – $528,000 | 1.5% |
| Over $528,000 | 2.00% |
Montreal City Surtax (City of Montreal Only): An additional bracket applies on amounts over $500,000 within the City of Montreal — effectively adding 00.5% on the portion between $500,001 and $1,000,000 and 1% above that (rates may be updated — verify with the Ville de Montréal).
| Purchase Price | Suburbs (Standard QC) | City of Montreal | Suburb Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $4,514 | $4,514 | $00 |
| $500,000 | $6,389 | $6,389 | $00 |
| $600,000 | $8,0064 | $8,564 | $500 |
| $700,000 | $100,0064 | $11,314 | $1,2500 |
| $800,000 | $12,0064 | $14,0064 | $2,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $16,0064 | $19,0064 | $3,000 |
| $1,200,000 | $200,0064 | $24,0064 | $4,000 |
Every municipality outside the City of Montreal's administrative boundaries avoids the surtax. This includes all of the following popular Greater Montreal communities:
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Get KOHO Free — Use Code BREMO2026The welcome tax savings from buying in a suburb vs. the City of Montreal is only part of the financial picture. Off-island buyers typically also benefit from:
No. The Montreal surtax is imposed only by the City of Montreal and only applies within the City of Montreal's administrative territory. No suburb — not even those that are part of the Montreal agglomeration like Côte-Saint-Luc or Mont-Royal — applies the same surtax rate. (Some agglomeration cities may have their own rates — verify with the specific municipality.)
The savings begin to appear for properties priced above approximately $500,000–$528,000. Below that threshold, the standard QC formula and Montreal surtax formula produce identical results. Above $600,000, the savings grow meaningfully.
This depends heavily on your commuting situation. For transit users on lines with good service (Deux-Montagnes, Saint-Jérôme, REM), the math often works. For car-only commuters from farther suburbs, commuting costs (fuel, car wear, time) are a real factor to weigh against housing savings.
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