Montreal or the South Shore: where to buy in 2026?

Comparison · Montreal vs the South Shore · 2026

A river, a bridge and a $185,750 gap, but sectors that overlap: here is how to decide between Montreal and the South Shore, sector by sector, by profile.

Montreal and the South Shore are separated by a river, a bridge and $185,750: an $834,250 median house on the island in the second quarter of 2026 (+4 % year over year, +21 % in five years, the region's weakest rise) in 41 days, against $648,500 on the South Shore (+2 %, +39 %) in 30 days, the shortest delay among the large sectors with the North Shore. The condo is $80,000 cheaper on the South Shore ($403,000 vs $483,000) and just as fast (39 days vs 54). Behind the medians, sectors that overlap: Boucherville-Saint-Bruno ($800,000) and Candiac-La Prairie ($820,000) cost the price of Pointe-Claire; Montréal-Nord ($525,000) and Hochelaga-Mercier ($627,750) cost that of Châteauguay or Saint-Hubert. The REM in Brossard and the metro in Longueuil have changed the question: it is no longer the island or the suburbs, it is the neighbourhood, the property type and the commute.

The price: Montreal or the South Shore?

The island is $185,750 more expensive in median for a house ($834,250 vs $648,500) and $80,000 for a condo ($483,000 vs $403,000). But the South Shore has its expensive sectors, Boucherville-Saint-Bruno ($800,000, 20 days), Candiac-La Prairie ($820,000) and Brossard-Saint-Lambert ($803,000), comparable to the West Island or Lachine-LaSalle; and the island has its affordable sectors, Montréal-Nord ($525,000), Rivière-des-Prairies ($577,500) and Hochelaga-Mercier ($627,750), cheaper than the South Shore median. In five years, the South Shore rose 39 % against 21 % for the island, because it started lower and families migrated there during the pandemic. In August, the island sold for $820,000 in 57 days, the South Shore for $655,000 in 37 days with 28 % more listings.

Days on market and choice

The South Shore sells in 30 days (37 in August), the island in 41 (57 in August): the South Shore is a seller's market in every range, including above $960,000 (6.3 months of inventory); the island is seller's up to $1.22 million and balanced above (9 months), with boroughs where the buyer leads (NDG above $860,000, LaSalle-Lachine above $640,000, Montréal-Nord above $460,000). For condos, the South Shore (39 days) is faster than the island (54 days, 89 in Ville-Marie), but Brossard-Saint-Lambert has 524 condos active, the South Shore's widest choice, with a 50-day delay.

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

South Shore, all: balance of power by price range

The living environment

Montreal has the metro (four lines), the REM, the hospitals and universities, downtown, the plex neighbourhoods where you live without a car, Mount Royal, the river and nineteen boroughs. The South Shore has the REM (Brossard, Du Quartier, Panama to downtown in 15 to 20 minutes), the Longueuil metro, Quartier DIX30, the Champlain, Jacques-Cartier and Victoria bridges, the river in Saint-Lambert, Boucherville and Longueuil, Mont Saint-Bruno, and fourteen cities that run from urban (Vieux-Longueuil) to rural (Saint-Jean). Montreal is lived without a car in its central neighbourhoods; the South Shore with a car, except around the REM and the Longueuil metro.

The verdict by profile

• Living without a car, neighbourhood condo, plex: Montreal (Villeray, Rosemont, Hochelaga, the Sud-Ouest).
• House with a lot under $650,000, 20 minutes from downtown: the South Shore (Saint-Hubert, Longueuil, Sainte-Julie, Châteauguay).
• New condo with the REM: Brossard (Solar, Quartier DIX30), a $404,000 median with plenty of choice.
• Large home, lot, schools, market that holds: Boucherville, Saint-Bruno, Candiac, where the seller leads even at the high end; on the island, the equivalent (NDG, West Island) is a buyer's market.
• First purchase under $500,000: a condo in Saint-Hubert or Vieux-Longueuil, or a condo in Pointe-de-l'Île or Anjou; all four exist.
• Downtown job with fixed hours: both work; the Brossard REM is often faster than the bus from the eastern boroughs.

The full guides: living in Montreal and living in the South Shore; the monthly picture is on the island's August 2026 report and the South Shore's August 2026 report.

Frequently asked questions

Montreal or the South Shore: which is cheaper?

The South Shore, by $185,750 on the median house ($648,500 vs $834,250) and $80,000 on the condo ($403,000 vs $483,000) in the second quarter of 2026; but Montréal-Nord and Rivière-des-Prairies are cheaper than the South Shore median.

Which rose the most?

The South Shore, +39 % in five years against +21 % for the island.

Which sells faster?

The South Shore, 30 days vs 41 for houses and 39 vs 54 for condos in the second quarter of 2026.

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.