Quebec average rent rose 60% as Montreal costs hit 1,900 CAD in Canada

Montreal rents climbed nearly 71% between 2019 and 2025, hitting roughly 1,900 CAD ($1,390) a month by 2025, per Statistics Canada data reported by CBC.

The numbers behind Quebec's rent squeeze

Provincewide, average rent rose about 60% between 2018 and 2025, climbing from roughly 760 CAD ($556) to 1,232 CAD ($901) a month, according to Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation figures cited in recent coverage. Tenant advocacy groups report excessive hikes of up to 20% on some units in 2026, though the Tribunal administratif du logement's indicative guideline for the year sits near 3.1% for apartments without major work and about 5% for units renovated after Jan. 1, 2026.

Those guidelines aren't hard caps and they don't apply to first-time leases. As of early July, the Société d'habitation du Québec was helping 2,039 households without a lease find housing after Moving Day, up from 1,899 at the same point last year.

What it costs a nomad in Montreal

At the 2025 Montreal average of 1,900 CAD, a remote worker on a 12-month lease pays about 22,800 CAD ($16,690) a year in rent alone, roughly 790 CAD ($578) more per month than a comparable 2019 renter faced. That gap runs close to 9,500 CAD ($6,950) a year in additional housing cost versus pre-pandemic pricing.

One structural offset: Quebec generally bars security deposits, so tenants typically hand over only the first month's rent at move-in. The higher baseline eats most of that cash-flow advantage.

The rules that changed in 2026

Quebec replaced its 1980s-era rent increase framework at the start of 2026. The new TAL formula weighs four inputs: a three-year average of Quebec's Consumer Price Index, municipal property taxes and services, school taxes above inflation and fire and liability insurance premiums.

A formal list of major renovations, including roof or foundation work, kitchen and bathroom overhauls, window replacements and energy-efficiency upgrades, can justify larger increases. Landlords must deduct any government renovation subsidies before calculating the hike and tenants can request a written breakdown. Disputes go to the TAL, though the more technical formula makes challenges harder without documentation. For nomads weighing a move to Canada, signing a Montreal or Quebec City lease around the July 1 turnover window means competing with thousands of displaced local households for the same units.