non-french guy looking to move to Mtl

architext · #1 Posted **May 10, 2009, 4:47 PM**

I will be moving to Montreal in Sept to study masters...

I live in toronto for 12 years so far. Right now my French is non-exsistent. Could I find any work in Montreal? I know it would be hard.

Anyway, I want to make the most of my stay there. Where could I find cheap rent that is subway accessible, and is it expensive to insure and store a car? I want to take it with me. Or I could buy a beater car instead. All depending whether I need a car or not.

Most important question, what is the cost of living compared to Toronto

Thanks

lio45 · #2 Posted **May 10, 2009, 5:11 PM**

FYI, there are extremely few "French guys" living in Montreal... probably way below 1% of Montreal's population. The main two groups by far are French-speaking Canadians and English-speaking Canadians.

The Montreal crowd has unfortunately left this forum en masse for greener pastures. Go to mtlurb.com, you'll reach a LOT more Montrealers that way and they'll be glad to give you way more details than I could.

Here's what I can tell you:

1) It's definitely feasible to find work there even though you speak only English, especially a "cheap labor" part-time student-type job (I gather from your post that this is what you'll be looking for).

2) Rents go down as you move out of the center... depends on how high are your standards and how much you want to spend to be downtown. Cost of living is cheaper than Toronto. If you live on the island, your car is going to be a PITA more than an asset (IMHO).

I would personally prefer living on the South Shore (the subway goes there) and leave my car there... your car will be very useful if you want to explore the area (I would obviously suggest that at some point you visit the Eastern Townships in your free time

and for that your car will be very handy) but it's likely to be quite useless for going around Montreal compared to mass transit for your commute.

Rents are cheaper on the South Shore, it's still relatively close to downtown by subway or bus, and it's going to be easy to park your car...

Rumors · #3 Posted **May 11, 2009, 2:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by architext

I will be moving to Montreal in Sept to study masters...

I live in toronto for 12 years so far. Right now my French is non-exsistent. Could I find any work in Montreal? I know it would be hard.

Anyway, I want to make the most of my stay there. Where could I find cheap rent that is subway accessible, and is it expensive to insure and store a car? I want to take it with me. Or I could buy a beater car instead. All depending whether I need a car or not.

Most important question, what is the cost of living compared to Toronto

Thanks

LoL...yes you can.

le calmar · #4 Posted **May 11, 2009, 3:57 AM**

As lio said, you won't need a car in Montreal, the city is pretty much mass-transit oriented and it has one of the best networks in North America IMO. (the highest rate of commute ridership in NA if I'm not mistaken) If you're looking for cheap rent, metro accessible, not too far away from downtown, I think you'll want to look for neighbourhoods like Verdun or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Rico Rommheim · #5 Posted **May 11, 2009, 4:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by le calmar

As lio said, you won't need a car in Montreal, the city is pretty much mass-transit oriented and it has one of the best networks in North America IMO. (the highest rate of commute ridership in NA if I'm not mistaken) If you're looking for cheap rent, metro accessible, not too far away from downtown, I think you'll want to look for neighbourhoods like Verdun or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Mass transit usership, I believe we are behind TO, NY and another city....but you're right we have an efficient transit system. Provided you live in the core, you shan't need a car. I haven't driven a car in 20 years, because I never had a need for it.

Quote:

If you're looking for cheap rent, metro accessible, not too far away from downtown, I think you'll want to look for neighbourhoods like Verdun or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

I do not recommend Verdun. Its a good working class neighborhood, but the place, in spite of its density and occasional charm has a stagering lack of supermarkets and has a total ban on places that sell alcohol, including depanneurs, restaurants and you'll find no bars, taverns etc... there.

Don't know about Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its the 3rd poorest neighborhood in Canada, but has some great instances of architecture, good cheap rent and some good spots. But You'll find almost no english spoken there. Its almost entirely francophone which might be a problem for you early on.

begratto · #6 Posted **May 11, 2009, 5:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I do not recommend Verdun. Its a good working class neighborhood, but the place, in spite of its density and occasional charm has a stagering lack of supermarkets and has a total ban on places that sell alcohol, including depanneurs, restaurants and you'll find no bars, taverns etc... there.

What the heck are you talking about? There are 4 major supermarkets in Verdun: there's a Metro on de L'Église, an IGA on Wellington, another one on Bannantyne and a Provigo on Verdun. There's also the Atwater Market just a one métro stop away from Verdun. That's plenty of choice.

Also, the bylaw about alcohol was revoked many years ago.

Rico Rommheim · #7 Posted **May 11, 2009, 7:21 AM**

I reckon.

tremblay · #8 Posted **May 11, 2009, 6:32 PM**

Since you speak no French, you may want to look at NDG (Notre-Dame-de-Grace). There's two metro stations nearby (Vendôme, Villa-Maria) and you'll probably find the rents cheap since you're coming from Toronto. You'll probably feel more at home than in the eastern parts of the city.

Nicko999 · #9 Posted **May 11, 2009, 10:03 PM**

The Western Part of the Island is anglophone and the Eastern Part is francophone. But most people in Montreal are able to communicate in both languagues.

And as Rico said, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is very poor and French speaking! But if you want to find something really cheap and close to downtown, it's the place to go.

Rumors · #10 Posted **May 12, 2009, 12:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by tremblay

Since you speak no French, you may want to look at NDG (Notre-Dame-de-Grace). There's two metro stations nearby (Vendôme, Villa-Maria) and you'll probably find the rents cheap since you're coming from Toronto. You'll probably feel more at home than in the eastern parts of the city.

architext this is a very good place for you, or you can share a place in the McGill ghetto that's around Concordia.

architext · #11 Posted **May 12, 2009, 10:47 PM**

thanks so much for the help! I sure gotta start thinking about it, but I really got no time now, maybe during the long weekend I'll come up. I really gotta start familiarizing myself with the area!

I never been in Montreal yet either!!!!

big T · #12 Posted **May 13, 2009, 1:29 AM**

I really recommend the whole NDG / Cote-des-Neiges area (basically anything west of mount royal). I live on Queen Mary Rd in Snowdon, 5 minutes from the Snowdon metro station and it's a fantastic area. You definitely will not need a car, and if you like the idea of having one available you could look into Communauto (car sharing scheme, I'm sure you have something similar in Toronto) which are all over the city.
Cote-des-Neiges - NDG is also an extremely multicultural, immigrant-friendly area where you can totally get by in English if you need to. Coming from Toronto I think this may help the transition.

MolsonExport · #13 Posted **May 13, 2009, 5:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by architext

I will be moving to Montreal in Sept to study masters...

I live in toronto for 12 years so far. Right now my French is non-exsistent. Could I find any work in Montreal? I know it would be hard.

Anyway, I want to make the most of my stay there. Where could I find cheap rent that is subway accessible, and is it expensive to insure and store a car? I want to take it with me. Or I could buy a beater car instead. All depending whether I need a car or not.

Most important question, what is the cost of living compared to Toronto

Thanks

Lucky you. Best city in Canada for graduate studies.

Work: you will want to pick up some rudimentary french (this can be had soon, given effort). This will allow you to work in restaurants/bars and some stores. Otherwise, I recommend getting a T/A or R/A position at the university. There are some other jobs, if you have specialized skills. But take the opportunity to learn Canada's other official language. Valuable for so many reasons, most of which to truly experience the unique culture of Quebec.

Place to stay: NDG! served by several metro stations (Vendome, Villa Maria, Snowdon nearby). Also, the Concordia ghetto downtown (Guy metro, Atwater metro). Or the pricier McGill ghetto (mcgill station). The areas around Mount Royale, and Sherbrooke stations are interesting and eclectic. Cote-des-Neiges is an affordable option, but has some really crappy parts. This applies also to Verdun and parts of LaSalle. There is also NDG around Loyola (Montreal West)...no metro, but downtown is 10 minutes away by bus.

Cost of living? about 2/3 that of Toronto. Great food at wonderful prices. Transit is quite a bit cheaper. Rent is considerably cheaper. Plus, there is just so much more free "entertainment" available by walking the streets and neighborhoods of Montreal (Ste. Catherines for Babes, Vieux Montreal for culture, etc.).

Jringe01 · #14 Posted **May 13, 2009, 7:36 PM**

St Henri's not a bad neighbourhood either. I've lived here for 4 years and it's largely quiet. I pay 450 a month to room with someone in a nice appartment with internet and phone included right near a metro station.