Montreal

[shahzadchowdhry]

Hello everyone,
I was just checking the rent of apartments in west islands. The apartments are more than expensive in west islands than those in CDN- NDG areas (especially near concordia uni). Initially, the area I was looking at was Gatineau-Hull. However, now I am leaning towards Montreal coz i heard there are more survival jobs there. But, now confused abt where in Montreal. I have seen there is 1 1/2 apartment starting at $500 in CDN where as in west islands starting at $700. My budget for rent is max $700. I would really appreciate if someone could tell me which area has better jobs opportunities, and also better for families.
Regards
Shahzad

 

[limanoid]

Don't go to the West Island. It's expensive for what it is and, in my opinion, only good if you have a car and want to live in a house. Most "survival" jobs are located in the downtown and getting to downtown during non-rush hour from the WI sucks. What is the point of making minimum or near minimum wage if are spending all of it on rent?3

If you have a family, a 1 1/2 will not fit. That is a studio apartment which is a bedroom and kitchen/living room all together and a closed bathroom.

CDN-NDG is affordable and a decent area. You can get a 3 1/2 for less than $700, I am sure. There are diverse residents, and its closer to the centre of everything than West Island is. And it's better for your budget. Check out http://montreal.en.craigslist.ca/ and look under apartments/housing.

If you are alone for the time being, maybe you can rent a room in an apartment instead of renting an entire place.

Hello everyone,
I was just checking the rent of apartments in west islands. The apartments are more than expensive in west islands than those in CDN- NDG areas (especially near concordia uni). Initially, the area I was looking at was Gatineau-Hull. However, now I am leaning towards Montreal coz i heard there are more survival jobs there. But, now confused abt where in Montreal. I have seen there is 1 1/2 apartment starting at $500 in CDN where as in west islands starting at $700. My budget for rent is max $700. I would really appreciate if someone could tell me which area has better jobs opportunities, and also better for families.
Regards
Shahzad

 

[shahzadchowdhry]

Hi limanoid,
thanks alot. very informative. Now, i think i know where to go. We will try to save as much as we can on rentals at the beginning, then may be move to a bigger apart. r u in montreal?
Regards
Shahzad

 

[limanoid]

I have at one time lived in and around Montreal.

By the way, the system for describing a place is strange in Montreal. 1/2 refers to the bathroom. And anything over 3 1/2 guarantees a closed bedroom. A 2 1/2 most often has a closed bedroom, but sometimes not.

Also, fyi: the selection for apartments is more limited at this time of year. July 1st is an unofficial "moving day" in Quebec. A lot of people move on this day, which allows you to get a larger selection of places to choose from. If getting a place soon, maybe they will have the lease renew on July 1st rather than in a year's time. This would give you an option of either renewing it for a year once July comes around or simply moving out and finding a better place since you will be more settled at that time.

 

[seradad]

West Island is good for families. If you need a job. Stay down town unless you are bilingual