What Is A Good Salary in Montreal in 2023?
Montreal isn’t the most expensive city to live in Canada, but the prices aren’t the lowest either. When applying for jobs in Montreal, you’ll need to earn a salary that can sustain the city’s cost of living. With a good income in Montreal, you can meet the costly expenses and save up for bigger investments.
An annual net salary of CA$36,000 is considered a good salary for a single person living in Montreal. Anyone earning between CA$4,000 and CA$5,000 gross per month is living a good life in the city. For a family of four, a total of CA$70,000 per year is considered a good salary.
Montreal is a thriving cultural and industrial hub. It’s home to various multinational companies and businesses owing to its strategic location near the East coast. Read on to find out how much you can earn working in this city and if the amount can sustain you.
To learn about salaries in Toronto, check out this article.
What is considered a good salary in Montreal, Canada?
Montreal provides about 87% of job opportunities in the entire Québec region. For this reason, you’re likely to get a job in the trade, scientific, health, or technical service sectors. Will the amount you earn to be considered a good income in Montreal?
A monthly net income between CA$3,000 and CA$3,500 is a good salary in Montreal. With that, you can comfortably afford to pay rent in the downtown neighborhoods and save up a good amount.
To achieve this, you should earn around CA$50,000 annually before tax. Anyone making above CA$4,000 gross per month is among good earners in Montreal.
This is an ideal salary for a single person and is above the city’s average. For a couple with two kids, you’ll need twice the amount to live a good life in Montreal.
Those in the medical field, like dentists and physicians, are among the top earners in Montreal, with annual salaries of CA$96,585 and CA$92,701, respectively. Office managers and nurses fall among the good salary earners category with between CA$43,657 to CA$47,717 annually.
If you’re a single person with a salary level of CA$3,000 per month after-tax or CA$56,000 annually in Montreal, your life will look like this:
- Housing: You can rent a one-bedroom house for CA$900 in the city’s areas of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve or Villeray/Parc-Extension. Utility bills, including water, electricity, heating, garbage, and air conditioning, will cost you about CA$325 monthly.
- Health insurance: You can pay for the public premium health insurance, which costs CA$60 monthly or CA$710 annually. For expats, we recommend health insurance from Cigna Global.
- Food and groceries: Although it depends on your eating habits, you can spend about CA$300.
- Monthly disposable income: CA$800 for weekend getaways, eating out, shoes, and clothes.
- Savings: You can save up to CA$600 every month for other investment plans.
If you are a family of four with a net household salary of CA$90,000 annually or CA$7,500, let’s look at what life will be like for you in Montreal.
| Expense | Amount |
|---|---|
| Housing | A two or three-bedroom house within the city for between CA$1,500 to CA$2,000. Utility bills cost about CA$525 a month. |
| Health insurance | You can subscribe to a premium family health care of CA$157 a month. |
| Food and groceries | About CA$1,500 a month is enough for food and groceries. |
| Disposable income per month | CA$2,000 for family getaways, internet, and education for children |
| Savings | You can save around CA$2,000 every month. |
How much you can spend largely depends on your lifestyle, spending habits, and where you’re living in Montreal. Houses are costly around the city’s downtown areas and cheaper in the outskirts.
Example of a good salary in Montreal
- Annual net salary: CA$84,000
- Monthly net salary: CA$7,000
This is the average salary of those in the legal and paralegal sector, yet, it’s above average wage across all professions.
It’s more than the monthly average cost of living in Montreal; thus, it’s a good amount. With this salary, this is what your life will look like in Montreal:
- Housing: You can pay rent for a three-bedroom house going for CA$1,800.
- Groceries and food: CA$400 is enough if you’re an average spender.
- Health insurance: CA$157 for a premium plan.
- Transportation: CA$90.
- Monthly disposable income: CA$2,000 for clothes, shoes, gym membership, and weekend getaways.
- Savings: CA$1,500.
- You can afford rent in the city center.
- You can eat out frequently.
- You can travel for vacations twice every year and enjoy weekends in different cities.
With this salary, the total fixed cost per month is CA$5,900. With a gross wage of CA$8,750, your take-home amount is CA$7,000 per month. This salary allows you to live comfortably in Montreal and put up a good amount into savings.
The average salary in Montreal in 2022
The average monthly net salary in Montreal in 2022 was CA$2,781, a CA$83 increase from 2021. This corresponds to CA$33,372 per year.
Most entry-level positions pay CA$33,141, while experienced employees earn about CA$72,419 annually. Professionals who take night jobs earn an average annual salary of CA$42,413. The starting salaries are CA$33,150 annually, and experienced workers get CA$65,955.
The average monthly salary for different enterprises in Montreal is as follows:
| Enterprise | Average monthly salary |
|---|---|
| Large companies | CA$5,199 |
| Average sized enterprises | CA$4,122 |
| Small enterprises | CA$2,143 |
| Microenterprises | CA$2,249 |
| Public sector | CA$2,997 |
The average salaries of common professions in Montreal are:
| Profession | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| Chief accountant | CA$70,000 |
| Auditor | CA$36,494 |
| Architect | CA$77,500 |
| Financial analyst | CA$73,750 |
| Nanny | CA$29,250 |
| Teacher | CA$62,008 |
| Electrician | CA$52,543 |
| Chemical engineer | CA$72,500 |
| Journalist | CA$37,733 |
| Detective | CA$34,106 |
Here is another overview of average salaries in Montreal provided by Teleport.org:
| Job | Median salary |
|---|---|
| DENTIST | $122,431 |
| PHYSICIAN | $117,507 |
| C LEVEL EXECUTIVE | $111,808 |
| PHARMACIST | $87,359 |
| BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT | $79,891 |
| HARDWARE ENGINEER | $78,596 |
| CHEMICAL ENGINEER | $78,444 |
| PRODUCT MANAGER | $75,293 |
| FINANCE MANAGER | $74,021 |
| IT MANAGER | $73,905 |
| MOBILE DEVELOPER | $73,465 |
| ATTORNEY | $73,050 |
| SALES MANAGER | $68,682 |
| OPERATIONS MANAGER | $66,561 |
| SOFTWARE ENGINEER | $66,076 |
| ARCHITECT | $65,999 |
| PROJECT MANAGER | $64,817 |
| DATA SCIENTIST | $64,723 |
| MECHANICAL ENGINEER | $63,773 |
| BUSINESS ANALYST | $61,929 |
| MARKETING MANAGER | $61,378 |
| ELECTRICAL ENGINEER | $60,809 |
| ACCOUNT MANAGER | $56,099 |
| CIVIL ENGINEER | $54,439 |
| FINANCIAL ANALYST | $54,154 |
| WEB DEVELOPER | $53,259 |
| HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER | $52,322 |
| SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR | $52,106 |
| RESEARCH SCIENTIST | $51,856 |
| UX DESIGNER | $51,404 |
| ACCOUNTANT | $50,773 |
| INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER | $49,523 |
| POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER | $48,394 |
| DATA ANALYST | $48,168 |
| TEACHER | $48,028 |
| OFFICE MANAGER | $47,717 |
| EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT | $46,809 |
| NURSE | $43,657 |
| GRAPHIC DESIGNER | $42,884 |
| WEB DESIGNER | $42,843 |
| COPYWRITER | $42,507 |
| LECTURER | $42,368 |
| QA ENGINEER | $41,702 |
| FASHION DESIGNER | $41,233 |
| CONTENT MARKETING | $38,711 |
| INTERIOR DESIGNER | $37,752 |
| WAITER | $36,461 |
| CHEF | $36,278 |
| ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT | $34,974 |
| CUSTOMER SUPPORT | $34,934 |
| RECEPTIONIST | $28,503 |
| CASHIER | $20,627 |
Different fields in Montreal pay varying salaries to their employees. Below is a breakdown of average wages in the various sectors.
| Field | Average salary (monthly) |
|---|---|
| Public administration | CA$12,347 |
| Education | CA$2,880 |
| Medicine | CA$5,145 |
| Collective catering | CA$3,704 |
| Trade | CA$2,880 |
Is CA$100k a good salary in Montreal?
An annual salary of CA$100,000 in Montreal is above the city’s average. This is about CA$8,300 monthly, making it ideal for decent living in the city. With this amount, your life will look like this:
- Rent: You can live in a two or three-bedroom apartment in the city center, going for CA$2,000 to CA$2,500 a month.
- Food and groceries: A total of CA$400 for a single person and about CA$1,000 for a family of four.
- Utilities: CA$600 inclusive of electricity, garbage, internet, and water.
- Transport: A monthly pass of CA$90 per person.
- Health insurance: CA$157.
- Disposable income: CA$2,000.
- Savings: CA$2,000.
If you are a single person earning this amount, you can live a luxurious life in Montreal. You can pay all your fixed monthly expenses and put a good amount into savings for a house or car.
Even for a couple earning a total of this amount, your income is above the average Montreal salary. They can save about CA$2,000 monthly, travel across the country, and eat out once in a while.
CA$100,000 annually in Montreal allows you to cover your living expenses comfortably, have a good disposable amount, and save for bigger investments.
If you want to buy a home, for example, a three-bedroom house that costs CA$995,000 in Montreal, mortgage rates range between 5-8%. This means you can spare about CA$4,975 yearly towards that. A downpayment depends on the house price; between 5% to 20% is common.
What salary do you need to live in Montreal?
Montreal has a low cost of living when compared to other Canadian cities. Toronto and Vancouver are the most expensive cities to live in the country. Rent, food, and transportation cost about a third less in Montreal than in Toronto.
The average living expenses for different households are as follows:
- A single person’s household: CA$2,996
- A family of four: CA$5,800
A single person can live comfortably on a CA$3,000 net monthly salary, while a family of four will need about CA$7,000.
Living in the center of Montreal translates to higher costs of living. The cheapest areas to live in are the outer parts, far from social amenities. You’ll save a good amount on the rent in those areas.
The amount of money you need to live comfortably in Montreal highly depends on the cost of living. Since it’s not high, expenses are manageable with a good salary. These expenses are
Rent
The housing costs in Montreal are lower than those of other places in the country. However, rent prices are rising. The cost, however, depends on the house’s size and the island’s region. If you choose to live in the outer part of the city, you’ll pay less than living in the heart of Montreal.
Rent prices for different house sizes in different Montreal areas are as follows:
| Region | Studio | One-bedroom | Two-bedroom | Three-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte-des-Neiges | CA$1,007 | CA$1,210 | CA$1,508 | CA$1,738 |
| Greater Montreal | CA$1,165 | CA$1,580 | CA$2,200 | CA$2,850 |
| Plateau-Mont-Royal | CA$1,084 | CA$1,475 | CA$2,150 | CA$2,400 |
| Our Lady of Grace | CA$995 | CA$1,503 | CA$1,895 | CA$1,950 |
| Verdun/Lasalle | CA$857 | CA$1,250 | CA$1,665 | CA$1,800 |
Food
If you want affordable food prices in Montreal, buy from less touristy areas like small grocery shops and farmers’ markets. The cost of regular food items are
- 1 liter of milk: CA$2.96
- 1 kg of cheese: CA$16
- 1 kg of beef: CA$17.20
- 1 kg of tomatoes: CA$4.69
- A dozen eggs: CA$3.79
- 1 kg of rice: CA$3.84
Eating out
The cost of eating out in Montreal is fairly affordable. There are restaurants with food from different cultures and countries which cost as follows for two people serving:
- Asian restaurant: CA$36
- Japanese restaurant: CA$43
- French restaurant: CA$58
- Mexican restaurant: CA$30
Transportation
Montreal offers both bus and metro means of public transportation. A single ticket costs CA$3.49 on average and a monthly pass costs about CA$90. If you own a car, gasoline costs CA$2.04 a liter. Those who use taxis pay 1.73 per kilometer.
Also read: What is a good salary in Toronto.
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