Moving to Montreal....What should I expect?

[mck]

I will be moving to Montreal for grad school in two years, I am from Edmonton, Alberta. I will be attending Concordia University, I have been looking for apartments online and was wondering which areas would be good? I would like to live close to the University so less commute time, I have been looking at Westmount, Outremont, La Salle, Mont-Royal etc. I am a student so do not want to pay too much. Also I was wondering if I should go furnished or unfurnished, I know that in Edmonton there is a bedbug problem and was curious if this was the same in Montreal.

I am also wondering what to expect once I move... I am English and speak little French, but am open to learn. Will I get by fine?
Is it expensive to live in Montreal? I am used to 5% GST and no PST but continuously shocked by the rent prices here in Edmonton. Are there many differences in Montreal?

I assume the weather has to be better than it is here?

Is it easy to get around Montreal? Edmonton's transit system is very simplistic and minimal and it is better to have a vehicle here, would I be better off to have a vehicle in Montreal as well?


If anyone can help me out with these questions I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks!!!!

 

[petros]

Are ya Catholic, If not fake it and you`ll do just fine.

Oh and je me souviens means I can`t drive.

 

[s_lone]

Hey mck,

I've been living in Montreal since 2004. And I graduated at Concordia University so I hope I can help a bit.

Which campus will you be studying at? There is Loyola campus in NDG (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce). And then there is the downtown campus.

First of all, if you live close to a Metro station (subway), it's very easy to get around. I highly recommend choosing a spot which is at a walking distance from a metro station. There is also a decent bus service but living close to a metro is just really practical. I don't have a car and feel absolutely no need for one. Besides, parking in wintertime can sometimes be a nightmare.

I've never been to Edmonton so I don't know what the weather is like specifically. But it's clearly more to the north so I guess it tends to be colder around your place. But the thing with Montreal is that it tends to be humid (it's an island). Cold mixed with humidity tends to feel colder so you better be warmly dressed. And God knows we can get a lot of snow. But it can vary much from one winter to another.

The cost of living is on the rise but it seems clear to me that Montreal and Quebec in general is still a relatively cheap place to live in Canada. We do have a PST here but I'm pretty sure rent prices are cheaper than in Edmonton. Me and my girlfriend pay 850$ a month for a decent 5 room appartment in a decent neighbourhood.

Expect to pay something like 75$ a month for unlimited access to bus and metro.

Here's my take on the language thing. A lot of anglophone students live in Montreal using a minimum amount of French. It's remarkably easy to live in English. Of course, you will meet predominantly anglophone folks at Concordia. The island is basically split in half with the west side being more anglophone and the east side more francophone. The middle ground is traditionally considered as being St-Laurent boulevard which cuts the city in 2 on its ''north south'' axis (which technically is a Northwest-Southeast axis but that's not the way we orient ourselves on the grid on a daily basis) The more east you go, the more French you should expect. I highly encourage exploring both sides of the city. The linguistic and cultural diversity is Montreal's cultural beauty. And despite all you ever heard about language issues in Quebec, the truth is that on a day to day basis, Montreal is a peaceful place to live in and it's filled with tolerant and open minded people. You meet a few assholes here and there but that's the same everywhere. Just keep in mind that French is the official language of the province and that it's very useful to know a minimum. You're bound to use it at one point or another.

As for areas you can live in, make sure you remember what I said about Metros. You'll be happy to live relatively close to a station. On google map, the Metro Stations are indicated by a capital M sign. Here's a little guide... If you will study at the downtown campus, you might want to try living close to a Green line metro station...

STM - métro map

You can also check out Verdun, NDG, St-Henri or Côte-des-Neiges which is said to be Canada's most multicultural neighbourhood.

Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to ask more questions. Good luck!