Living on the South Shore · Sainte-Julie and Varennes · 2026 neighbourhood guide
The suburb at the foot of Mont Saint-Bruno and the old riverside town: what Sainte-Julie and Varennes offer, what they cost, and who they are for.
Sainte-Julie and Varennes form the east of the southern ring between Boucherville and the Richelieu: Sainte-Julie, a planned 1970s-to-2010s suburb at the foot of Mont Saint-Bruno, with its cottage streets, parks and recent downtown; Varennes, an old riverside town with its basilica, Old Varennes, 1980s-to-2020s neighbourhoods and its industrial park. In Q2 2026 the single-family home sold there for $630,000 (flat year over year, +49 % in five years) in 22 days, with 157 active listings; the condo for $391,000 (+6 %, +61 % in five years, the South Shore's strongest rise) in 28 days. Seller's market below $940,000. Highways 20 and 30 and buses to Longueuil link them to Montreal.
Sainte-Julie was built in one go between 1970 and 2010 as the east's family suburb: curving streets of cottages and semi-detached houses, parks in every neighbourhood, a recent downtown around city hall and boulevard Armand-Frappier, and Mont-Saint-Bruno national park at its western door. Varennes is the opposite: an old riverside town, with its Sainte-Anne basilica, Old Varennes and its stone houses, a riverside promenade, then 1980s-to-2020s neighbourhoods toward Highway 30 and a large industrial park (petrochemicals, energy) that makes it a job hub. Both towns are francophone, family-oriented and calm.
In Sainte-Julie, the streets near Mont Saint-Bruno and the golf course are the most sought-after, above the median; the centre and the 1980s and 1990s neighbourhoods make the volume, at the median; the recent developments toward the 20 offer townhouses and condos. In Varennes, Old Varennes and the riverfront are above the median, with old houses and waterfront properties; the 1990s-to-2020s neighbourhoods toward the 30 and boulevard Lionel-Boulet are at the median, with semi-detached houses and condos. The good deals of 2026: houses above $940,000 (balanced market) and Sainte-Julie's 1980s cottages to refresh.
No station or metro: exo Sainte-Julie and Varennes buses reach the Longueuil terminus (Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke metro) via Highway 20 with reserved lanes, and the REM in Brossard via the 30. Highway 20 leads to Boucherville and the bridge-tunnel, Highway 30 to Brossard, Sorel and Vaudreuil. The car is the norm.
Mont-Saint-Bruno national park (trails, lakes, skiing) is at Sainte-Julie's door; in Varennes, the riverside promenade, Parc de la Commune and the Varennes islands. Neighbourhood parks, arenas, pools and Sainte-Julie's sports complex complete the offer. Shops are on boulevard Armand-Frappier in Sainte-Julie and on boulevard Lionel-Boulet and route Marie-Victorin in Varennes.
Both towns fall under the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes and the Riverside School Board, with high schools on site. The Pierre-Boucher hospital (Longueuil) is the sector's hospital; the Sainte-Julie and Varennes CLSCs serve the towns. Libraries, arenas, pools, sports complex.
The QPAREB's Sainte-Julie/Varennes sector shows a single-family home at $630,000 (flat year over year, +49 % in five years) sold in 22 days, with 157 active listings, and a condo at $391,000 (+6 %, +61 % in five years, the South Shore's strongest rise) in 28 days with 81 listings. The market belongs to the seller below $940,000 (1.7 to 3.9 months of inventory) and is balanced above (8.3 months). After +49 % in five years, the rise is pausing (0 % in a year): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Julie/Varennes | $630,000 | 0% | $625,000 | 49 % | 22 | $391,000 | 6% | 61 % | 28 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| < 310K | 2.0 months | Seller |
| 310K - 470K | 1.9 months | Seller |
| 470K - 780K | 1.7 months | Seller |
| 780K - 940K | 3.9 months | Seller |
| >= 940K | 8.3 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 planned suburb with Mont Saint-Bruno next door (Sainte-Julie) or an old riverside town with industrial jobs (Varennes), and accept the car. Less so for those who want a train, a metro on foot or a fast rise: most of the rise is done and prices are flat in a year.
See living in Boucherville, the neighbour to the west, and Saint-Lambert or Boucherville.
The median single-family home was $630,000 in Q2 2026 (0% year over year, 49 % in five years), sold in 22 days according to the QPAREB, with 157 active listings. The actual price depends on the street, the lot, the year built and the condition.
The sector's median condo was $391,000 in Q2 2026 (6% year over year, 61 % in five years), sold in 28 days, with 81 active listings. On the North Shore, a condo is often a townhouse or a semi-detached under co-ownership, not only an apartment.
Sainte-Julie for a planned suburb, Mont Saint-Bruno and the family neighbourhoods; Varennes for the river, the old village and the industrial park's jobs. Both share the same QPAREB sector, at a $630,000 median, and the condo that rose most on the South Shore (+61 % in five years).
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.