Montreal’s rental market has transformed dramatically in recent years — and not for the better. According to a new Statistics Canada report, asking rents in the city have surged by nearly 71% since 2019. Let that sink in. That’s nearly double the price in just six years.
In the first quarter of 2025, the average asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Montreal hit $1,930, up from $1,130 in 2019. While that might still seem like a bargain compared to Vancouver ($3,170) and Toronto ($2,690), the pace of increase here tells a more troubling story.
Let’s look at the bigger picture. Vancouver’s asking rents have only risen 27% over the same period. Toronto’s, just 5%. In other words, while the country’s most expensive rental markets are plateauing, Montreal and other Quebec cities — like Drummondville and Sherbrooke, where rents have also nearly doubled — are catching up fast. And for many residents, especially those without rent control or new to the market, the pressure is becoming unbearable.
Sure, Montreal still ranks 17th among Canadian cities for average asking rent, but that’s cold comfort when incomes aren’t keeping pace. For newcomers, students, and working-class families, finding an affordable place to live has become a game of chance — one that many are starting to lose.
The report rightly points out that asking rents don’t tell the whole story. Long-term tenants might still be paying significantly less thanks to Quebec’s rent control laws. But asking rents reveal where the market is headed, and the message is clear: we’re in trouble.
This isn’t just a Montreal problem, or even a Quebec problem — it’s a national one. But what makes Montreal’s situation more urgent is that the city has long been seen as Canada’s last affordable major metropolis. That image is quickly eroding. If policymakers don’t act soon — by accelerating housing construction, enforcing stricter rent protections, and curbing real estate speculation — we risk pushing a whole generation out of the rental market.
Montrealers deserve better than this. We need more than just numbers in a report. We need real action, and we need it now.
