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Costs of living in Montreal

Hello people from the Lemmyverse.

This September I will move out to Montreal for a Ph.D. Internship program that lasts until December. I have searched the costs of living but much of the content is outdated and not trusty enough for my taste.

How much should I expect to pay in Rent, Groceries, Transportation and in a Gym membership? Given that I will be there for work, I will not make tourism in anywhere fancy or expensive, I hope.

What I am most worried is the costs of rent. I am ok in sharing a place, not a room, with a bunch of people - needing only to be cheap.

My total budget is between 1400~1800 CAD per month.

If anyone can help me with that, I would be glad. Thanks :)

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  • Apartment

    • On the Island you'll have a hard time finding any apartment under 1000$, the last one I had was 1200$ for a 3-1/2 (2 years ago) and it was disgusting and unsanitary (thank the lords i got out bug free).
    • Maybe if you go way north MTL you can find some cheaper, but transport is going to be harder since the metro is more focused down south of the island.
    • Look for people who want roomates on Facebook or Kijiji
    • My advice is to look outside Montreal in Laval or Longueuil, rent will be cheaper though bus/metro fare will be a little more.

    Transportation

    • Metro+Bus is about 120$/month with tax, for the Montreal Island (Zone A) this is unlimited fare across the island.
    • There is also Bixi which is a bicycle rental service, costs 22$/month and let's you grab a nearby bike and go where you need. There are stations all over the island where you can park/grab one, and even electric assisted bikes.
    • Communauto is like Bixi but for cars, once signed in it shows nearby cars and you can reserve one for the day or so. Just need to make sure to park it where it's allowed. Very useful since owning a car in Montreal is a big pain especially during winter. So this gives the advantage of one without the hassle.

    Food

    • I can't really tell you about standard groceries
    • I gave up on prepping and organizing the fridge and switched to Hello Fresh, which ends up being 110$/week for 5 suppers. I still need to figure out lunch and breakfast, they sell some though.

    Gym

    • I don't do gym, but i've got colleagues who do it. Econofitness is popular and you'll find one almost anywhere (259$/year for the week-long pass). You'll save money by looking at what's close and getting your workout from a local business instead though.

    • Thanks for the tips! Probably will try Bixi, given that the city looks bike-friendly. I was already planning to live in Laval, here in Brazil I am used to move from a city to another to do stuff. I am keeping an eye on facebook, but thanks for the tip on Kijiji. Google was only pointint me to Roomies dot ca or Uniplaces

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