What Students Actually Pay to Live Near McGill, Concordia and UdeM

Why Montreal costs less than Toronto or Vancouver

Zumper's Montreal market data lists a studio average of $1,465 a month, a one-bedroom at $1,740 and a two-bedroom at $2,190, with an overall median near $1,872, as of August 2026. Zumper's Montreal rent report puts the city well below Toronto's one-bedroom average and further below Vancouver's, which is one reason Montreal draws a large share of Canadian students studying away from home. That calculation changes again once tuition enters the picture, since out-of-province tuition at McGill, Concordia and Bishop's has shifted in ways that affect your total cost of living here, not just rent.

Quebec's July 1 moving day

Quebec has a long standing custom of starting residential leases on July 1, known locally as moving day. Landlords across Montreal set most lease terms to that date, so apartment listings cluster heavily in the spring rather than trickling out year round. If you search for a lease starting in September to match the school year, expect a smaller pool of listings than a search built around July 1.

Some student-heavy buildings and sublets run on an August or September cycle to match the academic year, so this is not universal, but it explains why Montreal's rental rhythm looks different from Toronto's.

McGill: Milton-Parc, the Plateau and NDG

McGill's downtown campus sits next to Milton-Parc and the Plateau-Mont-Royal, both walkable and both priced above the citywide average because of it. Moving further into NDG, short for Notre-Dame-de-Grace, lowers your rent while adding a metro or bus ride.

McGill offers secured housing to first-year undergraduates who are 22 or under and have accepted their offer of admission. For the 2026-27 year, you need to confirm your room and pay your deposit by June 14, 2026, and accepting a room becomes a binding lease under Quebec law for the full academic year. McGill's housing fees and applying page has the current terms. Getting that offer in hand in the first place means clearing the admission requirements for out-of-province students at McGill, Concordia and Bishop's, which differ from Quebec's own CEGEP-based path.

Concordia and UdeM: two different downtowns

Concordia splits across its downtown Sir George Williams campus and its Loyola campus in NDG, so your rent depends heavily on which campus you spend more time at. UdeM sits near Outremont and Cote-des-Neiges, both known for a large student population and a mix of older walk-up apartments that price below downtown rates. Anglophone Canadians weighing UdeM against a French-only option should read about applying to Université Laval or UdeM as an anglophone Canadian before locking in a neighbourhood.

Getting around without a car

Montreal's metro system connects downtown to most student neighbourhoods, and all three schools sit within a short walk or one transfer of a metro station. McGill and Concordia's downtown campuses sit closest to the Green and Orange lines, while UdeM has its own dedicated station on the Blue line. A unit near a metro stop costs more than one a 15-minute walk away, and that gap is usually worth paying if your winter commute matters to you, since Montreal winters turn a long outdoor walk to a bus stop into a real daily cost. The same premium for proximity shows up near University of Ottawa and Carleton, where a short walk to class carries its own price tag.

What "unfurnished" means in a Montreal lease

Quebec apartments commonly come without a fridge or stove included, unlike the norm in most other provinces. Confirm this before you sign, since budgeting for appliances on top of your deposit and first month's rent changes your real move-in cost. Some student buildings and newer developments do include appliances, so ask directly rather than assuming either way.

Building your Montreal budget

Quebec leases are hard to break early. The standard lease automatically renews unless you or your landlord cancel it inside the legal notice window, so read your lease terms before you sign. Budget for the possibility that you cannot easily exit a 12-month commitment if your plans change mid-year, and check whether heat is included, since many older Montreal apartments still run on electric baseboard heat billed separately. Leases in Quebec are commonly written in French, so ask your landlord for an English copy or bring someone who reads French to review the terms with you before you sign. If your family still claims you as a resident of another province while you're here, filing taxes when you study in a different province than you live in is worth sorting out before your first tax season, not after.