Living on the South Shore · Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu · 2026 neighbourhood guide
The Haut-Richelieu's central city, the southern ring's most affordable with a CEGEP, a hospital and a downtown: what it offers, what it costs, and who it is for.
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is the Haut-Richelieu's central city, 40 kilometres from Montreal via Highway 35: Old Saint-Jean and its rue Richelieu, Fort Saint-Jean and the Royal Military College, the Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the Haut-Richelieu hospital, the Chambly Canal, the international balloon festival, and five former merged towns (Saint-Jean, Iberville, Saint-Luc, L'Acadie, Saint-Athanase) that make as many markets. In Q2 2026 the single-family home sold there for $509,000 (-6 % year over year, +44 % in five years) in 31 days, with 98 active listings in the Saint-Jean sector; the condo for $350,000 (-8 %) in 27 days. Seller's market below $770,000, balanced above. The southern ring's most affordable city with a CEGEP, a hospital and a real downtown.
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu has the scale of a real city: a historic downtown, Old Saint-Jean, with rue Richelieu, its restaurants and its riverside promenade; Fort Saint-Jean and the Royal Military College; a CEGEP, a regional hospital, a courthouse; and very different neighbourhoods born of the 2001 mergers. Saint-Luc, to the west, is the 1970s-to-2010s suburb, the most family-oriented; Iberville, across the Richelieu, is a former village with its old houses and its market; L'Acadie, to the northwest, is rural and agricultural; Saint-Athanase, south of Iberville, mixes countryside and recent developments. The Chambly Canal and its bike path link the city to Chambly. Francophone, with a military base and a CEGEP, the city has a mixed population and a market that caught up in five years (+44 %).
Old Saint-Jean and the riverfront concentrate the old houses, the plexes and the condos, at or above the median for the renovated. Saint-Luc, to the west, is the sector of 1980s-to-2010s family houses, at or above the median, where the volume happens. Iberville offers the old houses and the bungalows below the median, the entry level with character. Saint-Athanase and L'Acadie line up country houses and recent developments on large lots; our listing at 76 4e Avenue in Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu, downstream, shows the Haut-Richelieu's riverside market. The good deals of 2026: houses above $770,000 (balanced market) and Old Saint-Jean plexes.
No train: exo Haut-Richelieu buses reach the Panama terminus in Brossard and the REM, or the Longueuil terminus, via Highways 35 and 10. Highway 35 crosses the city toward Montreal and the U.S. border, Route 104 toward Chambly and Route 133 along the Richelieu. The car is the norm; the trip to Montreal is by express bus or by car via the 35 and the 10.
The Chambly Canal and its bike path, the Richelieu promenade, the balloon festival site and the neighbourhood parks are the large spaces; the arenas, the pools and the Théâtre des Deux Rives complete the offer. Shops are on rue Richelieu, boulevard du Séminaire, boulevard Saint-Luc and at the shopping centres along the 35.
The city falls under the Centre de services scolaire des Hautes-Rivières and the Riverside School Board; the Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and the Royal Military College are on site. The Haut-Richelieu hospital is the regional hospital. Libraries, arenas, pools, theatre, courthouse.
The QPAREB's Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu sector shows a single-family home at $509,000 (-6 % year over year, +44 % in five years) sold in 31 days, with 98 active listings, and a condo at $350,000 (-8 %, +36 % in five years) in 27 days with 27 listings. The market belongs to the seller below $770,000 (2.3 to 6.2 months of inventory) and is balanced above (9.9 months). The year-over-year dip, after +44 % in five years, reflects the mix of sales and rising supply: the price is set on the street's closed sales.
| QPAREB sector, Q2 2026 | Single-family, median | 1 year | 12 months | 5 years | Days | Condo, median | 1 year | 5 years | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | $509,000 | -6 % | $515,000 | 44 % | 31 | $350,000 | -8 % | 36 % | 27 |
| South Shore, all | $648,500 | 2% | $640,000 | 39 % | 30 | $403,000 | 2% | 42 % | 39 |
The balance of power by price range (four months of inventory separates a seller's market from a balanced one; beyond eight, the buyer leads):
| Price range (single-family, 12 months to Q2 2026) | Months of inventory | Market |
|---|---|---|
| < 260K | 2.3 months | Seller |
| 260K - 390K | 2.7 months | Seller |
| 390K - 640K | 2.4 months | Seller |
| 640K - 770K | 6.2 months | Seller |
| >= 770K | 9.9 months | Balanced |
Montreal's South Shore remains a seller's market in most of its sectors; the monthly picture is in the South Shore August 2026 report, and prices city by city in home prices by city on the South Shore.
For families who want a real city (CEGEP, hospital, downtown, river) at a price below Chambly and Saint-Hubert, with Saint-Luc for the suburb and Iberville for character; for military families, students and first-time buyers targeting a condo under $350,000. Less so for those working downtown Montreal every day without a car: 40 kilometres of highway and no train.
See living in Chambly, downstream on the Richelieu, and first-time home buyer in Montreal.
The median single-family home was $509,000 in Q2 2026 (-6 % year over year, 44 % in five years), sold in 31 days according to the QPAREB, with 98 active listings. The actual price depends on the street, the lot, the year built and the condition.
The sector's median condo was $350,000 in Q2 2026 (-8 % year over year, 36 % in five years), sold in 27 days, with 27 active listings. On the North Shore, a condo is often a townhouse or a semi-detached under co-ownership, not only an apartment.
Old Saint-Jean for the downtown, the river, the plexes and the condos; Saint-Luc for the 1980s-to-2010s family suburb; Iberville for the old houses and the lowest price. All three are in the same city, at a $509,000 median in the Saint-Jean sector.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 6, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.