Some questions about Montreal (how much, homes, living in)

[chaz longue]

Originally Posted by Gustave100

Québecois accents can be hard to decipher, just as they are in parts of the US, but in particular, in the UK.

McGill and Concordia are English schools. HEC is mixed, and it might be harder to get by with no french.

But, really, if you make a small effort, and take classes here, your efforts will be appreciated, and you will get by. Whenever I call Sweden (for a contract I currently have), I always explain to whoever answers the phone, "I am very sorry, I don't speak Swedish". It is, of course, very possible to survive with no french at all. If one is polite, people tend to be understanding.

And it is still a very cheap, safe place.

Thanks, Gustave!

[Air]

Montreal isn't cheap anymore. The rents and house prices have gone through the roof, and if you come with US dollars, they are now worth less than the Canadian dollar. Things are still priced sometimes twice as much as in the US, with 15 percent sales tax on top of that.

It's still a great city, though

[chaz longue]

Originally Posted by Air

Montreal isn't cheap anymore. The rents and house prices have gone through the roof, and if you come with US dollars, they are now worth less than the Canadian dollar. Things are still priced sometimes twice as much as in the US, with 15 percent sales tax on top of that.

It's still a great city, though

I agree, Air - the dollar's slide is sad. And Montreal's not tha bargain it used to be. But I can't think of anything priced at twice the cost of it's equivalent in the US. And food continues to be a real bargain. I can eat out in Montreal for a cost approaching what I can cook a meal for in the US...That's bacause of the very productive farmland South of the city. Produce in Montreal is gorgeous, plentiful and cheap.

The arts are supported in Quebec too, and I'm always amazed at the variety of inexpensive opportunities to enjoy arts and culture in Montreal. That makes it easier to spend money on goods and services, I think - being surrounded by the arts...

But perhaps I'll soon be in for a real shock - I've now got TWO kids looking at McGill. At least tuition will be relatively cheap...and for Quebec citizens, it costs next to nothing, I understand...

Cheers,
David Beckett

[chaz longue]

What are rents like now, Air?

How about home prices?

I'd welcome some insight into housing costs in Montreal...

David B.

[Air]

The rents and house prices have gone up very high in the last few years. For real estate, check out mls.ca - Welcome For rentals and FSBOs, look at LesPAC - Site d'annonces classées numéro 1 au Québec. Immobilier, Autos, Emplois, Rencontres et plus and toutMontreal.com, services et répertoire de sites web de Montréal and Free Kijiji Canada Classifieds | Free Ads | Petites Annonces Gratuites

Most professions are highly regulated, meaning that Quebecois are first and often only. I have never, ever seen a construction worker or contractor who was not Quebecois, and you can get ticketed for going up on the roof to do repairs yourself and not hiring one of them. So your repairs are going to be expensive, too.

Wow, we complain about the food and produce here. Is it that bad in Vermont? All the Quebecois at the grocery store in Champlain, NY are always in seventh heaven because of the price differential. Milk is half as costly as here. Cheap wine is at least 10$ a bottle in Quebec. Cheese is a fortune. But you have to be careful to declare everything at the border and not go over the limit, or pay the duty. As for produce, there are vegetable stands until 30 Sept, but I find them very expensive as well.

Gasoline is a fortune, too! Heat is electric, and that is not so bad, however. A small house $150 a month on the economic plan, same for a lower level apartment because you are heating your neighbours. Living upstairs saves you a lot, can be as low as 50.

Income tax is extremely high. Someone with 25K earnings would pay nothing to the US, several hundred to the Canadian federal and over 2K to Quebec. I pay 86$ biyearly for my drivers licence and around 150 for my car registration.

The Jazz Festival has a large part that is free, there are many other free activities around town. The bus and metro cost 3$, monthly pass 60$. Montreal residents get a lot of free admissions with a 10$ Acces card. The Botanical Gardens and Biodome are fun, there are fireworks every night for a month in summer. The cinemas and film festivals are world class.

So for a university student not consuming too much, bringing their clothes from across the border, maybe there are some savings on tuition. I don't think there are many Quebecois at McGill or Concordia, which are really 100% anglophone in 100% anglophone neighbourhoods, so it's not too many who may benefit from resident tuition anyway. Keep you US health insurance because the doctor shortage is bad in Quebec, although for someone of student age, you could risk it.

I think a student from Vermont would enjoy McGill or Concordia, but they might not learn a word of French. You would have to make an effort. I don't know if someone who is not already fluent in French would be able to go to UdeM or UQAM. There are French language classes offered to immigrants, but not foreign students.

As for me, I would like to bring my daughter to the US for the lower costs overall and the opportunity to learn English! There is no English language instruction in the public schools for children except those whose parents attended English language schools in Quebec. The rest of Canada is probably twice as expensive as Quebec if not more so.

[chaz longue]

Originally Posted by Air

The rents and house prices have gone up very high in the last few years. For real estate, check out mls.ca - Welcome For rentals and FSBOs, look at LesPAC - Site d'annonces classées numéro 1 au Québec. Immobilier, Autos, Emplois, Rencontres et plus and toutMontreal.com, services et répertoire de sites web de Montréal and Free Kijiji Canada Classifieds | Free Ads | Petites Annonces Gratuites

Most professions are highly regulated, meaning that Quebecois are first and often only. I have never, ever seen a construction worker or contractor who was not Quebecois, and you can get ticketed for going up on the roof to do repairs yourself and not hiring one of them. So your repairs are going to be expensive, too.

Wow, we complain about the food and produce here. Is it that bad in Vermont? All the Quebecois at the grocery store in Champlain, NY are always in seventh heaven because of the price differential. Milk is half as costly as here. Cheap wine is at least 10$ a bottle in Quebec. Cheese is a fortune. But you have to be careful to declare everything at the border and not go over the limit, or pay the duty. As for produce, there are vegetable stands until 30 Sept, but I find them very expensive as well.

Gasoline is a fortune, too! Heat is electric, and that is not so bad, however. A small house $150 a month on the economic plan, same for a lower level apartment because you are heating your neighbours. Living upstairs saves you a lot, can be as low as 50.

Income tax is extremely high. Someone with 25K earnings would pay nothing to the US, several hundred to the Canadian federal and over 2K to Quebec. I pay 86$ biyearly for my drivers licence and around 150 for my car registration.

The Jazz Festival has a large part that is free, there are many other free activities around town. The bus and metro cost 3$, monthly pass 60$. Montreal residents get a lot of free admissions with a 10$ Acces card. The Botanical Gardens and Biodome are fun, there are fireworks every night for a month in summer. The cinemas and film festivals are world class.

So for a university student not consuming too much, bringing their clothes from across the border, maybe there are some savings on tuition. I don't think there are many Quebecois at McGill or Concordia, which are really 100% anglophone in 100% anglophone neighbourhoods, so it's not too many who may benefit from resident tuition anyway. Keep you US health insurance because the doctor shortage is bad in Quebec, although for someone of student age, you could risk it.

I think a student from Vermont would enjoy McGill or Concordia, but they might not learn a word of French. You would have to make an effort. I don't know if someone who is not already fluent in French would be able to go to UdeM or UQAM. There are French language classes offered to immigrants, but not foreign students.

As for me, I would like to bring my daughter to the US for the lower costs overall and the opportunity to learn English! There is no English language instruction in the public schools for children except those whose parents attended English language schools in Quebec. The rest of Canada is probably twice as expensive as Quebec if not more so.

Terrific post, AIR. Thanks!

One of my kids, although born in VT, and an English speaker, is studying Arabic at a school with a great reputation here in the US. Montreal is looking more and more attractive to her because she's a serious French and Arabic student and I know she'd really be happy to hear so much Arabic spoken, not to mention the French...

[Air]

Originally Posted by chaz longue

Terrific post, AIR. Thanks!

One of my kids, although born in VT, and an English speaker, is studying Arabic at a school with a great reputation here in the US. Montreal is looking more and more attractive to her because she's a serious French and Arabic student and I know she'd really be happy to hear so much Arabic spoken, not to mention the French...

I don't know what to suggest for a place to study, but the North African influence is already huge in Montreal, and the Arabic community is growing. Many interesting and educated people arriving every day from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, and we have Omanis and Egyptians and people from so many other countries in our neighbourhood. Plus French-born people of Algerian descent who emigrate to escape prejudice in their country. And Lebanese, of course.

You can find Arabic speakers, markets and cultural events all the time in Montreal. I just noticed a Tunisian enclave on Jean Talon West, around the Cartago travel agency, but it's a bit rundown by there. There was an Arab festival at Places des Arts for a week about a month ago, and there are film festivals and music festivals at other times.

I guess Ville St-Laurent section is very international. Jean Talon market has many Arab stands and cafes. Don't forget to go to go to the Lebanese supermarket called Adonis (rue Sauvé ouest and rue de l'Acadie nord, another branch in Laval) to buy your hummous, breads, pastries, 777 rice, halal meats, etc. The best falafel is at Freiha, next door to the Laval store. I met Moroccans who live in Burlington who trek to Adonis for provisions.

Here's a link to something that might interest your daughter, a joint MBA programme between HEC Montréal and McGill and a school in Lebanon.

HEC Montréal - D.E.S.S. en gestion offert à l'USEK (Liban) - Mot du doyen (broken link)

Do Vermont public schools offer this kind of language combination?

[castor]

Originally Posted by Air

I don't think there are many Quebecois at McGill or Concordia, which are really 100% anglophone in 100% anglophone neighbourhoods

You are wrong! At least HALF of the students at those universities are Quebecois, 20% are francophone. Don't think that a Quebecois cannot be an English-speaking person...And a lot of francophones speak English and attend an English university, it is very common here.

[Air]

Originally Posted by castor

You are wrong! At least HALF of the students at those universities are Quebecois, 20% are francophone. Don't think that a Quebecois cannot be an English-speaking person...And a lot of francophones speak English and attend an English university, it is very common here.

Which means 80% anglophone. I was trying to avoid the use of anglophone and francophone because the poster was American and perhaps not familiar with our usage of the terms. Sorry if I did a bad job of it

But you are confirming that McGill and Concordia are majority English-speaking environments. The poster's daughter wants to be exposed to French. We are a francophone family who lived for a time in that area.

[chrismpv]

My son is starting at a trade school in Montreal in February 2008 (in english). I hope that he will be able to find night school that offers french classes.

For appartments, we are visiting a building close to Concordia where you can rent a studio for $600 a month.