Lachine, Montreal: prices, rent, and living guide

The most dramatically changed borough on the island over twenty-five years, with waterfront parks, a canal path that runs all the way downtown, and the cheapest houses with yards anywhere in Montreal proper.

Best valueFamiliesFirst time buyers

Typical house

$690K

Typical condo

$390K

One bedroom rent

$1,320/mo

Walk Score

Transit 54 · Bike 84

Known for: The Lachine Canal, the waterfront boardwalk, and the Lachine-Est redevelopment. Waterfront parks and canal frontage at the west end of the island.

Prices and rent in Lachine

A typical Lachine house costs about $690,000 and a typical condo about $390,000.

Estimated price by unit size

Condo	Estimate	House	Estimate
Studio	$281,000	2 bed	$566,000
1 bed	$390,000	3 bed	$690,000
2 bed	$530,000	4 bed	$849,000
3 bed	$694,000	5+ bed	$1,035,000

Estimated monthly rent

Unit	Monthly rent
Bachelor	$1,030
1 bedroom	$1,320
2 bedroom	$1,690
3 bedroom	$2,260

Unit-size prices and rents are scaled from one benchmark per neighbourhood and are estimates, not appraisals. Compare Lachine with the rest of Montreal in the best neighbourhoods in Montreal guide.

Who Lachine suits

Buyers who want waterfront, canal frontage and a house with a yard for the least money on the island, and who work west or can work from home.

Who it is wrong for

Anyone commuting downtown daily, since transit is commuter rail and buses rather than metro, and buyers who want an established restaurant scene.

Pros

The best waterfront parks on the island for the price, with the canal path running all the way downtown
Lowest house prices of any borough on this list, with detached houses starting under $500,000
Lachine-Est is a large canal-side redevelopment that will add housing and amenity over the next decade

Cons

No metro: Angrignon is a bus ride and the Lachine and Dorval commuter rail stations are limited service
One of the higher low-income rates on the island, concentrated in Lachine-Est
Retail on Notre-Dame is patchy, with long vacant stretches between good blocks

Living in Lachine

Getting around

Lachine and Dorval commuter rail, bus routes to Angrignon on the Green Line. Walk Score 68, Transit Score 54, Bike Score 84.

Safety

Mixed by sector. The waterfront and western streets are quiet and residential; Lachine-Est carries the borough's concentration of low-income households and more reported incidents.

Restaurants

Limited and patchy along Notre-Dame, with the marina and waterfront restaurants the strength in summer.

Shopping

IGA and Maxi on Notre-Dame, Marché Lachine, and the Dorval and Pointe-Claire shopping centres nearby.

Within a short walk or transit hop

Parks: Parc René-Lévesque, the Lachine Canal path, Parc Stoney Point, the lakeside boardwalk
Library: Bibliothèque Saul-Bellow, Montreal public library network
Recreation: Lachine marina and rowing club, the canal cycling path, Complexe sportif de Lachine
Groceries: IGA and Maxi on Notre-Dame, Marché Lachine, the Dorval grocers nearby
Schools: Collège Sainte-Anne de Lachine, École Paul-Jarry, Dalbé-Viau High School

Safety text is a qualitative description of the area, not crime statistics. Scores are approximate and vary within the neighbourhood.

Renting in Lachine

A one bedroom runs about $1,320 a month, and a two bedroom about $1,690.

Good value, in plexes and older walk-ups, with a large non-market housing presence in Lachine-Est. Among the cheapest rents on the island for waterfront proximity.

Where Lachine is

Lachine: frequently asked questions

Is Lachine a nice place to live?

The City of Montreal calls its living environment outstanding, and the waterfront parks, canal frontage and heritage sites back that up. Residents are more mixed: some sectors are quiet and charming, and Lachine-Est carries the borough's concentration of poverty.

Is Lachine considered Montreal?

Yes — it is a borough of the City of Montreal at the western end of the island, though it was an independent city until 2002 and still feels separate. It includes Saint-Pierre and the Lachine Canal's western end.

How much are homes in Lachine?

Single-family listings currently run from about $450,000 to $2.89 million, which is the widest range of any borough on this list. The lower end is the cheapest way to buy a house with a yard inside Montreal proper.

What is Lachine-Est?

The former industrial district at the eastern end of the borough, now the site of one of Montreal's largest planned redevelopments. It also carries more than half of Lachine's 4,600 low-income residents, which shapes how the plan is being argued about.

How is the commute from Lachine?

There is no metro. The Lachine and Dorval commuter rail stations have limited service, and buses connect to Angrignon on the Green Line. Driving downtown takes twenty-five to forty minutes depending on the 20 and the Turcot.

Nearby Montreal neighbourhoods

LaSalle

Riverfront green space and metro access, at south-west island prices

House $700K · Condo $395K· Walk 70

4.3 km from Lachine

FamiliesBest valueFirst time buyers

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

The anglophone west end, leafy and family oriented

House $950K · Condo $470K· Walk 85

5.9 km from Lachine

FamiliesBest valueStudents

Côte-des-Neiges

The most internationally mixed square kilometre in Quebec

House $1.05M · Condo $420K· Walk 87

7.5 km from Lachine

StudentsBest valueFirst time buyers

Westmount

An independent city of mansions on the mountain's south slope

House $2.4M · Condo $780K· Walk 80

7.8 km from Lachine

LuxuryFamilies

Similar to Lachine elsewhere in Montreal

Saint-Henri

Canal-side lofts, Notre-Dame Street antiques, and rapid change

House $800K · Condo $460K· Walk 90

Young professionalsBest valueInvestors

Saint-Laurent

A working borough with the island's best value family housing

House $830K · Condo $430K· Walk 63