I met my ex boyfriend when I lived in Granby. He lived in Montreal. He’s always been a big city guy, while I prefer the peaceful setting of the country life. I was still going to high school, he was working and living with his dad and sister, in an apartment. It was exciting for me to go visit him on the weekend. I had to take a bus from Granby to Montreal and it was always exciting when I would leave on Friday night. I could see the big city lights from far. He would pay for my bus ticket since I wasn’t working and going to school.
Montreal was impressive to me. I was always amazed to see how big it was, how tall the downtown buildings were. At night it was beautiful and so cool, to see the lights and tall buildings, in the distance as my bus was getting closer when I would leave in the late evening. I enjoyed riding the bus to go visit him, it was a nice, peaceful time for me.
Montreal is a big island, with a few million people living on it. Almost 1 million people commute everyday from all the surrounding cities. Public transport was great when I lived there. I would buy a monthly pass for 20$, and could go almost anywhere. This also included subway transit. A lot of people, like us, who didn’t have a car at the time, would rely on public transport. It was fun to go to different places almost everywhere. It’s SUPER confusing at first because the subway is so big.
It took me a while to learn which way to go, in the subway. Montreal has a lot of shops, boutiques, restaurants, parks, churches, and nightclubs. It also has a huge amusement park, on Ste-Helen island. I went to it a few times when i was younger. In high school, at the end of the year, we had a few choices, to where we would want to spend our last high school day. It was a vacation with our friends. Six Flags now owns the amusement park that was called, La Ronde.
Montreal gets a lot of tourism during the summer for good reasons. There are many things to do, places to go. Ste-Catherine street in downtown Montreal is the most popular street. Montreal also has a lot of history, if you are into that. You would love our old, beautiful churches, old Montreal where the port is and gets various boats and shipping. It’s very lively in the summer. People are very friendly and welcoming. It has a lot of diversity and people of different races, makes it very welcoming and warm. Most people speak French but there are also a lot of English speaking people.
Food
My favorite restaurant to go in Montreal were :
- Amir (Super good Lebanese/Mediterranean food)
- Casa Grecque (Greek Food)
- St-Hubert BBQ (They have super good BBQ chicken!)
- Schwartz’s (Best Smoked meat sandwich by far !!!)
Lifestyle
There is so much to do it’s hard to get bored.
When I lived there, we lived a very active life. We would go to nightclubs until late in the morning, eat a slice of Pizza for 2$, after dancing for hours. We would then take the bus back home, and go to sleep. I found jobs really easy there. It’s even easier if you speak French & English. What is nice is the public transport available, that makes it a lot easier for people who don’t have cars, to get to work. It’s also very friendly to cyclists. If you want to go back to school later in your life, because for some reason, you had to quit, there are so many programs available that can help you.
I have many great memories of my life when i lived there. It’s a big, busy city, but also, apparently in bigger cities, comes with it, a lot of people who are stressed, live at a fast pace. It was very different from living in my hometown in Granby. We lived in the Rosemont area, St-Michel, Montreal Nord, we moved a few times. My ex had a lot of friends, so we went out a lot with them.
If you like big cities, then Montreal totally is for you, if you are looking to relocate to Quebec. It has everything you could possibly need. It is the second most Populous city in Quebec. Montreal is one of the most bilingual cities in Quebec and Canada, with 58.5% of the population able to speak both English and French!
Culture
Montreal remains an important Center of art, culture, literature, film and television, music, commerce, aerospace, transport, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, education, tourism, food, fashion, video game development, and world affairs. It is home to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.
Montreal Fireworks Festival is the world’s largest annual fireworks festival. The city hosts a number of festivals annually from many different countries.
Montreal also has a Casino, which I went to, that was a lot of fun ! There are so many good things about living in Montreal. If you are planning to immigrate to Quebec, Canada and want to slowly integrate yourself in French culture, and you speak English, Montreal is a great place to start. You can learn French through immersion. There are also places, where you can learn French or English, for a very low cost.
In the winter, Montreal offers a lot of various activities to do as well. I myself, never really was a winter/snow/cold person, so I never really participated in those kinds of activities, but there are a lot of people who enjoy ice skating, snow boarding etc. I think you will like our culture, our sense of humor, and our friendliness.
When I lived there, I was always able to ask for help, if I got lost or I was looking for something. We like to help people. I think that is a big benefit of living in a big city, where people immigrate, from all around the world. It makes it so much more interesting and it really helps create a fun environment for everyone.
Life
Overall, living in Montreal can be a unique and rich experience, with a lot of history and culture to explore. People are proud of their culture, and who they are. June 24th is a very important date and a big deal of celebration for us, like the 4th of July is, in the United States. We are loud, we love drinking, having fun, celebrating with friends, people, with music and French Quebec bands. It’s never dull to hang out with a French Canadian person 😉
Montreal is flourishing, quite safe for such a big city, and open to diversity, making it a perfect place for newcomers to thrive. This city is beautiful, and offers all the advantages of big cities. Many career opportunities are available, while the quality of life is pretty good.
You can enjoy life to the fullest, without fear of walking along the streets, and facing violence, as is the case with some other major cities. You will discover the advantages of a calm place to live. Montreal is known for its safety, for being such a big city. Of course it has bad areas that should be avoided, like any other major cities. I never felt scared when I walked alone late at night. My husband, who is a United States citizen, said the same thing when visiting.
A mix of history, modern culture and nature, Montreal is the reflection of its citizens. Safe, dynamic, innovative, welcoming, active: it has a thriving economy and an unmet quality of life, with festivals and major events, coexisting and succeeding one another, season after season.
Higher taxes
Québec has the highest sales tax, tied with the Atlantic provinces (15%). More importantly, Québec has the highest income taxes in Canada. If your income is under 50 000$ a year it won’t hit you too hard, but individuals with higher incomes will feel the pinch, paying easily 4–7% more of their income in taxes, than elsewhere in Canada. Also, Québec is the only province with its own provincial tax agency, Revenu Québec.
That means Québec residents must file two income tax forms, one for the federal government and one for the province. Residents of all other provinces file only a federal income tax form. Prices for most consumer goods vary. Beer for example is cheap, but gas prices are among the highest in Canada. Electricity in Québec is cheaper than the rest of Canada. As a consequence, most people heat with electricity.
Education
In Québec high school ends in the 11th grade. Students then typically attend college, called Cégep, for two or three years. (2 year programs for those who wish to attend university and 3 years for professional programs, like a “community college”, which lead to work). In the rest of Canada, high school extends to the 12th grade. Students can then go to community college or university.
Loi 101 the infamous “Law 101” dictates that only families, in which at least one parent was educated in English, in Canada, have the right to enroll their children in English public schools. If neither the father nor mother were educated in English in Canada, they will have to enroll their children in French schools. The only alternative is to choose an English private school, which is not particularly common, in most regions.
Life in Montreal doesn’t feel drastically different, the biggest difference being linguistic. A huge benefit to living in Montreal, is the simple fact that most people are bilingual, something that can’t be said about the rest of Canada. I feel that Montreal is at least slightly more bureaucratic, than the rest of Canada, which can rub people the wrong way.
There were stories in the past of people that could not go see their dying relatives, because of the distance, it was a many day trip. Today it is a matter of hours. We don’t measure distance in kilometers or miles, we measure in hours. Québec and Montreal are 2 hours apart.
Young people are more independent, children leave their parents sooner, you have more young and poor couples starting their life from scratch. Young people don’t save, until they start their life. In fact they jump into it, without preparation and money. Liberty being a key value.
Roads
The roads are badly maintained, but it is not a priority. Roads are not separated from the environment, like in France, it just goes through. Sometimes the curves are unbelievable. But the most shocking thing about the driving experience, are the truckers, especially the truckers that drive too fast. They go 30 km/hour faster than the limit and almost push into your car, if you don’t go as fast as they go. Roads are scary here, winter and summer too, because people are more aggressive in the summers.
Affordable Electricity
The cost of residential electricity in Montreal, is the lowest in Canada, and by some accounts, the lowest in all of North America.
The average cost per kWh is $0.073. This can be compared to the national average in Canada, which is $0.174. Depending on what American city is used for comparison, the cost of residential electricity is one-quarter to one-half of that in the United States.
This low price holds steady whether you reside in Montreal, Quebec City, or any of the rural communities across the province. In terms of how the electricity is sourced in Quebec, the majority is generated with hydroelectric dams. This qualifies the electricity used in Quebec to be labeled as coming from a renewable source.
Lower Housing Costs
Across both city and rural environments, real estate and housing rental prices in Montreal are considered low. Montreal, has an average home price of 72 percent of the Canadian average. The monthly rent differential is also comparative. Overall, Montreal is the fourth cheapest city of 68 top cities in North America.
Weather
With the vast majority of the population living in Montreal, occupying an area with a humid continental climate, residents can enjoy four distinct seasons each year. Summer can be excessively hot at times. The winters are harsher than those accustomed to more southerly climates, but for some, they bring the scenic wonders of having the joys of snow, during the Holiday season. Metropolitan areas and the immediate suburbs are the ones that are most inconvenienced by heavy snowfalls.
A big part of our life is spent figuring out how not to freeze in the winter. House insulation, clothing, transports, etc. Your life can be reduced to something like shoveling morning, and evening, all the time. Then people discuss the best snow removal options.
People with money are the ‘flybird’, as they go to Florida, for the winter to avoid all this. I think that in Florida there are more of us than anybody else. It is caused by the harsh winter.While the weather was also listed as a pro for living in Montreal, the harshness of the winters could be daunting for some individuals.
While some enjoy wintery scenes and winter sports, others may find the cold temperatures uncomfortable. People who are older or suffer from muscle and bone ailments might find Montreal winters too harsh for their liking. During harsh winter storms, travel on the road and via air can also be interrupted. This can create slowdowns in the cities and potentially isolate more rural communities for days at a time.
Outdoor Sports
Montreal weather also allows those who enjoy outdoor activities and sports, to partake in a wide spectrum of options. Summer through mid-autumn allows for hiking, cycling and kayaking and canoeing. Mid-autumn through early-spring allows for winter sports, such as skiing, snowboarding, outdoor hockey, etc. to be enjoyed. Both urban and rural residents enjoy this variety of summer and winter activities.
Potentially Higher Heating Bills
Harsh winters require increased use of residential heating across Montreal. With the price of natural gas, being on average 63% higher than in the province of Ontario, and other parts of Canada, the use of natural gas for this type of constant and frequent heating, could be seen as cost-prohibitive.
This is why only about 14 percent of Quebec households rely on gas furnaces for heating. The remaining 86 percent of households use electric furnaces. Considering that Quebec has the lowest residential electrical costs in North America, this makes for a logical and practical decision.
However, as low as electricity prices are in Quebec, studies indicate that in homes that consume 20 percent above the average for heating will experience electrical bills that are close to being on par with the combined electrical and gas bills of other parts of Canada — negating the advantage of lower electricity costs.
This added use of electricity can come from homes that are not properly insulated, inefficient heating systems, or households with family members inside the home throughout the day. An example of the latter would be households made up of retired couples or homes with young infants.
Rural areas, where older structures are present or larger floor layouts require more heating, may feel more of a burden in this regard.
Is Montreal a good choice ?
All in all, Canada is a very beautiful place to live, but it’s not cheap. It’s a big country, with a lot to do and discover. I appreciate going back to visit my family, but I would not move back to Canada. Like my husband, we did feel it was safer being in Canada as well. Taking a walk late at night in Canada felt much safer than in the USA, for sure.
After all, we only have one life, and we should make the most of it, if possible, and be happy, where we live. I think it’s very important to choose a place and be happy, where you live. Otherwise, it might just be very boring, with nothing to do, to see or visit. Unless you are like us, we love to visit new places, drive a lot, take pictures and hike. It is up to you and the choices you make, to be happy in life 🙂