Montreal vs Ottawa real estate
$649,000 typical home versus $634,000. Closing-day land transfer differs by about $704. January differs by 0.6°C.
Ottawa is cheaper on the typical home by $15,000. Montreal: Quebec welcome tax (droit de mutation). Ottawa: Ontario LTT only (no municipal LTT).
- Typical home
Montreal
$649,000
Ottawa
$634,000
- Condo
Montreal
$435,000
Ottawa
$385,500
- Sitting 2-bed rent
Montreal
$2,050/mo
Ottawa
$2,300/mo
- Annual tax on typical home
Montreal
$4,932
Ottawa
$7,780
- Land transfer on typical home
Montreal
$8,451
Ottawa
$9,155
- January daily average
Montreal
-9.7°C
Ottawa
-10.3°C
Higher by $15,000
Higher by $49,500
Lower by $250
Lower by $2,847
Lower by $704
Lower by +0.6°C
Home prices
Typical, detached, and condo. Treat mixed benchmark/average/median pairs as directional.
Home prices by property type, 2026
APCIQ, June 2026 and OREB, July 2026. Montreal figures are median prices; Ottawa figures are benchmark prices, so treat the gap as directional rather than exact.
What your income buys
Move income, down payment, and rate. The stress test and each city’s mill rate are already in the model.
Qualifying at 6.50% (stress test)
Amortization
Property type
Montreal
Your maximum price
$640,000
Average condo costs $435,000
Within reach, $205,000 of room
Needs about $103,000 household income
Ottawa
Your maximum price
$605,000
Average condo costs $385,500
Within reach, $219,500 of room
Needs about $98,000 household income
Estimates use a 32% gross debt service ratio, $125/month heating, and each city’s residential property tax rate. Qualifying uses the greater of your rate plus two points or 5.25%. Condo fees, CMHC insurance on down payments below 20%, and closing costs are not included.
Closing day
Land transfer on the same purchase price. Alberta is registration fees only; Halifax has no first-time rebate.
Montreal
$11,471
Quebec welcome tax (droit de mutation)
Ottawa
$12,475
Ontario LTT only (no municipal LTT)
Montreal saves you about $1,004 on closing day.
Land transfer charges only. Legal fees, title insurance, inspections, and any first time buyer rebates are excluded. Alberta figures assume a 20% down payment because registration fees scale with the mortgage amount.
A month of costs
Switch renter, couple, or owning household. Housing dominates; the rest is transit, groceries, utilities, and dining.
- Housing
- Transit
- Groceries
- Utilities & internet
- Dining out
Mid 2026 estimates using average rents, each city’s adult transit pass, and typical grocery and utility spends. The owning profile uses a mortgage on the typical home at 20% down, 4.5%, 25 years, plus property tax and insurance.
Climate
Environment Canada 1991–2020 normals. Temperature and precipitation for every month.
Average daily temperature (°C)
Average monthly precipitation (mm)
Environment and Climate Change Canada 1991 to 2020 climate normals. Precipitation combines rain and the water equivalent of snow.
No long-form article for this pair yet. The numbers above still use the same 2026 board prices, mill rates, and climate normals as the published comparisons.
Other Montreal and Ottawa pairs
- Calgary vs Montreal
- Calgary vs Ottawa
- Halifax vs Montreal
- Halifax vs Ottawa
- Montreal vs Toronto
- Montreal vs Vancouver
- Montreal vs Victoria
- Montreal vs Winnipeg
Or go back to the city comparison tool and pick any two.
More Montreal resources
Sharing the lease? The Montreal rent split calculator splits by equal share, income, square footage, or hybrid, with this city's sitting rents by bedroom.
Selling? The Montreal home sale proceeds calculator nets commission, tax on the fee, legal, and the mortgage payout on this city's typical structure.
Underwrite the rental before you offer. The Montreal cap rate calculator is preloaded with CMHC vacancy, sitting two-bedroom rent, and this city's mill rate.
The biggest cash cost on closing is usually land transfer tax. Work it out bracket by bracket with the Quebec land transfer tax calculator.
Selling at the same time? The Quebec real estate commission calculator estimates realtor fees and the tax charged on them.