Montreal or Laval: where to buy in 2026?

Comparison · Montreal vs Laval · 2026

Two cities with the metro, $200,750 apart on the house and $55,000 on the condo: here is how to decide between Montreal and Laval, sector by sector, by profile.

Montreal and Laval are the region's only two cities where you can live by metro, and $200,750 separate their median houses: $834,250 on the island of Montreal in the second quarter of 2026 (+4 % year over year, +21 % in five years, the region's weakest rise) in 41 days, against $633,500 in Laval (+4 %, +36 %) in 30 days. The condo is $55,000 cheaper in Laval ($428,000 vs $483,000), but slower (55 days vs 54, with a buyer's market between $530,000 and $630,000 in downtown Laval). Behind the medians, twenty-five sectors: Montréal-Nord ($525,000) is cheaper than Sainte-Dorothée ($775,500), and Fabreville ($547,500) is cheaper than every borough but one. In August, the island sold for $820,000 in 57 days, Laval for $642,750 in 40 days. The choice is made on the commute, the property type and the neighbourhood, not the city.

The price: Montreal or Laval?

The island of Montreal is $200,750 more expensive in median for a house ($834,250 vs $633,500) and $55,000 for a condo ($483,000 vs $428,000), but the sectors overlap: Montréal-Nord ($525,000), Rivière-des-Prairies ($577,500) and Hochelaga-Mercier ($627,750) are cheaper than Laval's median, while Sainte-Dorothée ($775,500) and Duvernay ($735,000) exceed Lachine-LaSalle ($730,000) and Anjou-Saint-Léonard ($712,500). In five years, Laval rose 36 % against 21 % for the island, because it started lower and families migrated there during the pandemic. For condos, Laval ($428,000) compares with Villeray ($479,000) and Hochelaga ($428,250).

Days on market and choice

Laval sells its houses in 30 days, the island in 41; both are seller's markets for houses, except above $1.22 million on the island (balanced) and above $1.12 million in Sainte-Dorothée (buyer's). The condo is slower on both sides (54 and 55 days), with buyer's markets in the towers of Ville-Marie (89 days) and downtown Laval (60 days, between $530,000 and $630,000): that is where negotiation happens. The island offers far more choice in condos; Laval, 821 houses active (+10 %).

Island of Montreal, all: balance of power by price range

Laval, all: balance of power by price range

The living environment

Montreal has the metro (four lines), the REM, the hospitals, the universities, downtown, the plex neighbourhoods where you live without a car, Mount Royal, the river, and nineteen boroughs that run from Westmount to Montréal-Nord. Laval has three metro stations (Montmorency, De la Concorde, Cartier), two REM stations (Sainte-Dorothée, Île-Bigras, on the Deux-Montagnes branch), Cité-de-la-Santé, two CEGEPs, Centropolis and Carrefour Laval, two rivers, and six sectors that run from urban (Chomedey) to rural (Saint-François). Montreal is lived without a car in its central neighbourhoods; Laval with a car, except around the metro.

The verdict by profile

• Living without a car, neighbourhood condo: Montreal (Villeray, Rosemont, Hochelaga, the Sud-Ouest).
• House with a lot under $650,000 and the metro under 15 minutes away by bus: Laval (Chomedey, Pont-Viau, Fabreville, Saint-François).
• Family home on the island under $650,000: Montréal-Nord, Rivière-des-Prairies, Mercier.
• Tower condo to negotiate: Ville-Marie (89 days) or downtown Laval (60 days, buyer's market between $530,000 and $630,000).
• Large home, lot, river: Sainte-Dorothée or Duvernay in Laval, at a price comparable to NDG or Côte-Saint-Luc for twice the lot.
• Resale and long-term rise: the island rose the least (+21 %); Laval (+36 %) and the suburbs caught up; long term, the scarcity of land favours the island.

The full guides: living in Montreal and living in Laval; the monthly picture is on the island's August 2026 report and Laval's August 2026 report; prices by sector on house prices by borough in Montreal and house prices in Laval by sector.

Frequently asked questions

Montreal or Laval: which is cheaper?

Laval, by $200,750 on the median house ($633,500 vs $834,250) and $55,000 on the condo ($428,000 vs $483,000) in the second quarter of 2026; but Montréal-Nord and Rivière-des-Prairies are cheaper than Laval's median.

Which rose the most?

Laval, +36 % in five years against +21 % for the island, the region's weakest rise.

Which sells faster?

Laval for houses (30 days vs 41); a tie for condos (55 and 54 days), with buyer's markets in the towers of both downtowns.

Also available in French: version française de ce guide.

Published September 7, 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.