Old Montreal, Montreal: prices, rent, and living guide
The most architecturally remarkable place to live in Canada, with converted stone warehouses, Notre-Dame Basilica, and the Old Port waterfront on the doorstep.
LuxuryCar free livingYoung professionals
Typical house
$1.6M
Typical condo
$760K
One bedroom rent
$2,000/mo
Walk Score
95
Transit 90 · Bike 88
Known for: Notre-Dame Basilica, cobblestone streets, and the Old Port waterfront. Cobblestones, seventeenth century stone, and the Old Port.
Prices and rent in Old Montreal
A typical Old Montreal house costs about $1,600,000 and a typical condo about $760,000.
Estimated price by unit size
| Condo | Estimate | House | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $547,000 | 2 bed | $1,312,000 |
| 1 bed | $760,000 | 3 bed | $1,600,000 |
| 2 bed | $1,034,000 | 4 bed | $1,968,000 |
| 3 bed | $1,353,000 | 5+ bed | $2,400,000 |
Estimated monthly rent
| Unit | Monthly rent |
|---|---|
| Bachelor | $1,560 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,000 |
| 2 bedroom | $2,560 |
| 3 bedroom | $3,420 |
Unit-size prices and rents are scaled from one benchmark per neighbourhood and are estimates, not appraisals. Compare Old Montreal with the rest of Montreal in the best neighbourhoods in Montreal guide.
Who Old Montreal suits
Buyers who want the most architecturally remarkable address in Canada, converted stone warehouses, and the Old Port as their front garden.
Who it is wrong for
Anyone who needs everyday amenities like a full grocery store, and residents who would find summer tourist volume unbearable.
Pros
- The most architecturally remarkable place to live in Canada
- Converted stone warehouses with genuine heritage character
- Walk Score of 95 with three metro stations and the Old Port waterfront
Cons
- Tourist volume in summer is overwhelming
- Everyday amenities like groceries are genuinely scarce
- Heritage conversions carry high condo fees and restrictive rules
Living in Old Montreal
Getting around
Place-d'Armes, Square-Victoria, and Champ-de-Mars stations. Walk Score 95, Transit Score 90, Bike Score 88.
Safety
Very safe and heavily policed, with constant tourist activity. Pickpocketing in peak season is the main issue.
Restaurants
Dense and largely upscale, with hotel restaurants, bistros and terrasses concentrated on Saint-Paul and along the Old Port.
Shopping
Galleries, boutiques and tourist retail dominate. Everyday shopping is genuinely scarce, which residents note.
Within a short walk or transit hop
- Parks
- Old Port promenade, Parc du Bassin Bonsecours, Place d'Armes
- Library
- Grande Bibliothèque, plus the Bibliothèque de Montréal archives
- Recreation
- Old Port skating rink, Bota Bota spa, Lachine Canal cycling
- Groceries
- Marché Bonsecours vendors, IGA express, Marché Atwater a short ride
- Schools
- Limited within the area; most families look to Griffintown or the Plateau
Safety text is a qualitative description of the area, not crime statistics. Scores are approximate and vary within the neighbourhood.
Renting in Old Montreal
A one bedroom runs about $2,000 a month, and a two bedroom about $2,560.
Small, expensive and heavily weighted to short-term and furnished rentals. Loft conversions in heritage buildings are the character stock; long-term unfurnished listings are genuinely scarce.
Where Old Montreal is
Buildings near Old Montreal
Condo and rental buildings within about two kilometres of the centre of Old Montreal, with fees, reviews and what residents say.
Old Montreal: frequently asked questions
Is Old Montreal a good place to live?
It is like living in a slice of historic Europe, with cobbled streets, stone buildings and the Old Port at the bottom. About 13,000 people live within its half-mile borders. The trade is tourist volume, limited everyday services and high prices.
What is the prettiest street in Old Montreal?
Rue Saint-Paul is the usual answer, particularly the stretch east of Place Jacques-Cartier. Rue Saint-Sulpice and Cours Le Royer are the quieter alternatives that locals point visitors toward.
Is it better to stay in downtown Montreal or Old Montreal?
Old Montreal for the atmosphere and the Old Port; downtown for services, transit and price. If you are living rather than visiting, downtown or the Plateau give you far more of what you need day to day.
What are the disadvantages of living in Old Montreal?
Tourist crowds most of the year, limited grocery and everyday retail, expensive and often small heritage units, cobblestones that are hard on cycling and strollers, and winter street maintenance that is genuinely difficult in a heritage district.
How many people live in Old Montreal?
Around 13,000 within the neighbourhood's roughly half-mile footprint, up substantially from a few thousand three decades ago as warehouses were converted to residential.
Nearby Montreal neighbourhoods
Le Village
North America's largest gay village, and the cheapest central rent in the city
House $720K · Condo $430K· Walk 96
1.3 km from Old Montreal
StudentsBest valueCar free living
Downtown Montreal
The only Canadian downtown that still feels like a neighbourhood at night
House $1.4M · Condo $620K· Walk 96
1.5 km from Old Montreal
StudentsYoung professionalsCar free living
Griffintown
New condo towers on former industrial land beside the canal
House $900K · Condo $510K· Walk 91
1.6 km from Old Montreal
Young professionalsFirst time buyersInvestors
Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
Spiral staircases, murals, and the coolest neighbourhood in the world
House $1.15M · Condo $585K· Walk 92
2.8 km from Old Montreal
Young professionalsCar free livingStudents
Similar to Old Montreal elsewhere in Montreal
Little Burgundy
Jazz history, canal frontage, and the Sud-Ouest's best food strip
House $950K · Condo $540K· Walk 90
Young professionalsCar free livingFirst time buyers
Mile End
Bagels, bookshops, and the city's densest creative economy
House $1.25M · Condo $620K· Walk 94
Young professionalsCar free livingStudents
Saint-Henri
Canal-side lofts, Notre-Dame Street antiques, and rapid change
House $800K · Condo $460K· Walk 90
Young professionalsBest valueInvestors
Westmount
An independent city of mansions on the mountain's south slope
House $2.4M · Condo $780K· Walk 80
LuxuryFamilies