by There’s way more that goes into moving to Montreal from US than just barely getting a visa or legal entry into the city.
Founded on May 17, 1642, the current day city of Montreal, first known as Ville-Marie (or “The City of Mary”) is the second-most populous city in Canada.
The city is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city.
Owing to its dominance as the center of technology in Canada, Montreal still plays a crucial part in the nation’s finance, commerce, education, aerospace, fashion, transport, pharmaceuticals, design, art, culture, tourism, food, film industry, and many more world affairs.
Montreal is also well defined in the video game development industry and has established itself as the commercial capital of Canada; little wonder why everyone wants to hop into it.
Having heard all this about Montreal, one may no longer be able to hold the urge to go there on a visit, but of course, there are still some pros and cons that may influence your decision making process of moving to Montreal from US.
Moving to Montreal from US – What You Need to Know!
We’d be listing out all the necessary facts that you must note when moving to Montreal from US (New York to be more specific).
The following things are what you should consider when moving to Montreal from US:
- Demographics
- Quality of living
- Affordability of housing
- Environmental factors
- Leisure and entertainment
- Transportation
These factors can further be broken down thus:
#1: Demographics
When it comes to demographics (a common factor that relates to the population density of people living in the city), Montreal ranks better than the US.
The city has a population density that is about 78.37% less than New York’s, and with an average of 2,205 people per km² as compared with New York’s 10,194 people per km². it’s pretty clear now why we have more people moving to Montreal from the US.
These statistics show with no doubt that Montreal is far less crowded than New York, making it easier to live in.
#2: Quality of Living
Taking a look at the comparative quality of living in both cities (Montreal and New York), you’ll see that, going by their 0.44:0.47 income inequalities, Montreal loses by 0.03 mere units, but it’s still 25 units ahead in the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.
Montreal also wins by a 5.4 unit lower murder rate as statistics have revealed their 1:6.4 unit murder rate.
And basically, Montreal is one of the safest places to live in the world today, which makes it a central attraction for people moving from the United States to Canada.
#3: Affordability of Housing
There are so many people moving to Montreal from the US as a result of the high cost of housing in the United States.
An average one-bedroom flat apartment in Montreal goes for about $1,004.41, while a whopping $3,025.73 is spent on a similar space in New York.
This $2,021.32 difference would leave you with a specific choice of whether to move to Montreal or Not.
4: Environmental Factors
Since different climatic conditions work for different people, it’s also good that you know the temperature and humidity ranges of both places.
New York is 6.5°C hotter than Montreal as both cities have 14.2°C and 7.7°C temperatures respectively.
New York (68%) also has an 11.1% lower humidity rate as compared to Montreal’s (79.1%), as well as a seaside beach, leaving Montreal with just lakes.
5: Leisure and Entertainment
Both cities (Montreal and New York) actually qualify as the best places for leisure and entertainment, but New York’s big sporting facility (including stadiums, arenas, etc.) makes it stand out.
New York also has one (1) more landmark from the UNESCO World Heritage list while Montreal wins as a site of pilgrimage for world religion, and is/was a host city of the Olympics, all of which New York is yet to achieve yet.
#6: Transportation
Despite having one more airport than Montreal that has just two (2), New York still doesn’t win the majority vote in terms of being the best city with the best transportation facilities.
Montreal has seven (7) more efficient traffic-controlled IBM than New York.
The average monthly ticket in Montreal is also $59.9 cheaper than that in New York since statistics have shown us that the average monthly public transport ticket in both cities is $70.1$ and $130 respectively. This makes it a good reason why most people today are moving to Montreal from the US, most especially those who don’t own a private car as they are bound to spend less on transport in Montreal than in New York.
Other factors that might influence your moving to Montreal from US include:
- The price of beer (0.5l) in Montreal is $0.53 lower than that in New York.
- New York has a 4.3% lower unemployment rate than Montreal.
- New York boasts of a $3,469.72 higher average salary than Montreal.
- New York demands 4.2% lower VAT than Montreal.
- New York holds a $0.96 lower average price of milk (1 liter) as well as $0.25 lower fuel price (1 liter) than Montreal.
A few more reasons why Montreal is the talk of the town is due to the following sets of events that it has hosted in the past:
- The 1976 Summer Olympics, making it the only Canadian city to have held the Summer Olympics and the 1967 International and Universal Exposition.
- The Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One from 1978 till date
- Montreal International Jazz Festival (the largest jazz festival in the world).
Montreal also hosts the “Just for Laughs” festival which stands as the largest comedy festival in the world, as well as the “Les Francos de Montréal”, which is the largest event to commemorate French-language music anywhere in the world.
Also, good news to the sports fans as Montreal is also home to ice hockey and several other sporting activities.
Conclusion
The cost of moving to Montreal from the US all depends on how many people you are carrying along for your trip. But basically, it will cost you about $5,300 when moving to Montreal from the US on your own, and roughly about $10,000 moving as a family.
Though considered as the most expensive city to live in Canada, Montreal is still one of the cheapest and most comfortable cities to live in on your next move from the United States.