Neighbourhood against neighbourhood for a family: 70 neighbouring duels in Greater Montreal (2026)

Living · Family duels · 70 pairs · October 13, 2026

Two neighbouring areas per page, seen with children: schools, parks, commutes, and the compromise that decides.

70 duels of neighbouring areas in Greater Montreal, seen with children: for each pair, schools, parks, commutes and what a family has to accept on each side, a head to head, the verdict and what gets checked street by street (school catchment, Tuesday-morning commute, flood zone, noise). Montreal between boroughs, Laval and its neighbours, South Shore, North Shore, West Island and Vaudreuil-Soulanges. APCIQ figures for the second quarter of 2026, nothing added.

Each duel puts two neighbouring areas head to head for a family: schools, parks, commutes and the compromise on each side, a criterion-by-criterion table and the verdict. The list gives the first compromise of each area; the rest is on the duel page. The family portrait of each area on its own is in living with a family in 53 neighbourhoods, and the general duel, all profiles together, in pros and cons, neighbourhood against neighbourhood.

Montreal, between boroughs (32)

• The Plateau-Mont-Royal or Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie for a family. The Plateau-Mont-Royal: Parking is scarce and permit-regulated; living with one car takes patience, two cars is a headache. Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: The detached house is the exception above a million; the supply is plexes and plex condos.
• The Plateau-Mont-Royal or Downtown Montreal for a family. The Plateau-Mont-Royal: Parking is scarce and permit-regulated; living with one car takes patience, two cars is a headache. Downtown Montreal: Tower condo fees (pool, gym, concierge) weigh heavily every month and rise with the building's age.
• The Plateau-Mont-Royal or Outremont for a family. The Plateau-Mont-Royal: Parking is scarce and permit-regulated; living with one car takes patience, two cars is a headache. Outremont: The price: a house costs close to two million and a condo $750,000, for prices that have barely moved in five years.
• The Plateau-Mont-Royal or Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension for a family. The Plateau-Mont-Royal: Parking is scarce and permit-regulated; living with one car takes patience, two cars is a headache. Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension: Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension remain dense and noisy near highway 40 and the Metropolitan, with an uneven housing stock.
• Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie or Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension for a family. Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: The detached house is the exception above a million; the supply is plexes and plex condos. Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension: Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension remain dense and noisy near highway 40 and the Metropolitan, with an uneven housing stock.
• Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Mercier for a family. Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: The detached house is the exception above a million; the supply is plexes and plex condos. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Mercier: The neighbourhood is still changing: some streets are renovated, others not, and choosing the street matters as much as the house.
• Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension or Ahuntsic-Cartierville for a family. Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension: Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension remain dense and noisy near highway 40 and the Metropolitan, with an uneven housing stock. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: The median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested.
• Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension or Saint-Léonard for a family. Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension: Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension remain dense and noisy near highway 40 and the Metropolitan, with an uneven housing stock. Saint-Léonard: No metro until the Blue Line opens: today, Saint-Léonard is lived by car and by bus on Jean-Talon.
• Downtown Montreal or Montreal's Sud-Ouest for a family. Downtown Montreal: Tower condo fees (pool, gym, concierge) weigh heavily every month and rise with the building's age. Montreal's Sud-Ouest: Griffintown: density, construction, few trees and schools, and new condos that resell slowly against the supply.
• Downtown Montreal or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Mercier for a family. Downtown Montreal: Tower condo fees (pool, gym, concierge) weigh heavily every month and rise with the building's age. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Mercier: The neighbourhood is still changing: some streets are renovated, others not, and choosing the street matters as much as the house.
• Montreal's Sud-Ouest or Verdun and on Nuns' Island for a family. Montreal's Sud-Ouest: Griffintown: density, construction, few trees and schools, and new condos that resell slowly against the supply. Verdun and on Nuns' Island: Verdun has become expensive: plexes and plex condos cost what a sought-after neighbourhood costs, and parking is hard near Wellington.
• Verdun and on Nuns' Island or LaSalle for a family. Verdun and on Nuns' Island: Verdun has become expensive: plexes and plex condos cost what a sought-after neighbourhood costs, and parking is hard near Wellington. LaSalle: Functional and vast, built for the car: few walkable shopping streets, boulevards and shopping centres.
• LaSalle or Lachine for a family. LaSalle: Functional and vast, built for the car: few walkable shopping streets, boulevards and shopping centres. Lachine: No metro: the Lachine train has few departures, and downtown requires a car or a long bus ride.
• Lachine or Dorval for a family. Lachine: No metro: the Lachine train has few departures, and downtown requires a car or a long bus ride. Dorval: Aircraft noise: some streets sit under the flight corridor, to be checked before offering.
• Outremont or Côte-des-Neiges for a family. Outremont: The price: a house costs close to two million and a condo $750,000, for prices that have barely moved in five years. Côte-des-Neiges: Dense and noisy on the arteries, with hard parking near the hospitals and the university.
• Côte-des-Neiges or Notre-Dame-de-Grâce for a family. Côte-des-Neiges: Dense and noisy on the arteries, with hard parking near the hospitals and the university. Notre-Dame-de-Grâce: A house costs $1.25 million: NDG is no longer an entry neighbourhood, and the plex condo is the alternative.
• Notre-Dame-de-Grâce or Montreal's Sud-Ouest for a family. Notre-Dame-de-Grâce: A house costs $1.25 million: NDG is no longer an entry neighbourhood, and the plex condo is the alternative. Montreal's Sud-Ouest: Griffintown: density, construction, few trees and schools, and new condos that resell slowly against the supply.
• Saint-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville for a family. Saint-Laurent: Vast and contrasted: industrial sectors, wide boulevards, few neighbourhood shopping streets; you get around by car. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: The median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested.
• Saint-Laurent or Dollard-des-Ormeaux for a family. Saint-Laurent: Vast and contrasted: industrial sectors, wide boulevards, few neighbourhood shopping streets; you get around by car. Dollard-des-Ormeaux: DDO is lived by car and bus, between the boulevards: no waterfront, no old village, no train on foot.
• Ahuntsic-Cartierville or Montréal-Nord for a family. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: The median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested. Montréal-Nord: No metro on foot: transit depends on the Pie-IX bus and the car, and downtown is far.
• Ahuntsic-Cartierville or Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau for a family. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: The median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested. Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau: Urban and noisy on its boulevards (Saint-Martin, Le Corbusier, highway 15): quiet is found on the inner streets.
• Montréal-Nord or Saint-Léonard for a family. Montréal-Nord: No metro on foot: transit depends on the Pie-IX bus and the car, and downtown is far. Saint-Léonard: No metro until the Blue Line opens: today, Saint-Léonard is lived by car and by bus on Jean-Talon.
• Montréal-Nord or Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles for a family. Montréal-Nord: No metro on foot: transit depends on the Pie-IX bus and the car, and downtown is far. Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles: Far from downtown: without a car, trips are long and the Mascouche train has limited schedules.
• Saint-Léonard or Anjou for a family. Saint-Léonard: No metro until the Blue Line opens: today, Saint-Léonard is lived by car and by bus on Jean-Talon. Anjou: No metro until the Blue Line arrives: Anjou is lived by car, and the bus is the only public transit.
• Anjou or Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles for a family. Anjou: No metro until the Blue Line arrives: Anjou is lived by car, and the bus is the only public transit. Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles: Far from downtown: without a car, trips are long and the Mascouche train has limited schedules.
• Anjou or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Mercier for a family. Anjou: No metro until the Blue Line arrives: Anjou is lived by car, and the bus is the only public transit. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Mercier: The neighbourhood is still changing: some streets are renovated, others not, and choosing the street matters as much as the house.
• Pierrefonds-Roxboro or Dollard-des-Ormeaux for a family. Pierrefonds-Roxboro: Lived by car: no walkable shopping street, boulevards and shopping centres. Dollard-des-Ormeaux: DDO is lived by car and bus, between the boulevards: no waterfront, no old village, no train on foot.
• Dollard-des-Ormeaux or Pointe-Claire for a family. Dollard-des-Ormeaux: DDO is lived by car and bus, between the boulevards: no waterfront, no old village, no train on foot. Pointe-Claire: The entry price is high ($820,000 median) and the high end gets negotiated for a long time.
• Pointe-Claire or Dorval for a family. Pointe-Claire: The entry price is high ($820,000 median) and the high end gets negotiated for a long time. Dorval: Aircraft noise: some streets sit under the flight corridor, to be checked before offering.
• Pierrefonds-Roxboro or Île-Perrot, Pincourt and Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot for a family. Pierrefonds-Roxboro: Lived by car: no walkable shopping street, boulevards and shopping centres. Île-Perrot, Pincourt and Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot: The island is lived by car: a single bridge to the West Island, saturated at rush hour, and a train with limited schedules.
• Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles or Repentigny for a family. Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles: Far from downtown: without a car, trips are long and the Mascouche train has limited schedules. Repentigny: Repentigny looks east: working in the West Island or Laval means long trips.
• LaSalle or Châteauguay for a family. LaSalle: Functional and vast, built for the car: few walkable shopping streets, boulevards and shopping centres. Châteauguay: The Mercier Bridge rules: recurring roadwork, jams, and a single direct link to the island.

Laval and its neighbours (9)

• Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau or Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac for a family. Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau: Urban and noisy on its boulevards (Saint-Martin, Le Corbusier, highway 15): quiet is found on the inner streets. Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac: The Laval of wide-open spaces, not of services: everything is by car, and shops are far from residential streets.
• Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau or Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil for a family. Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau: Urban and noisy on its boulevards (Saint-Martin, Le Corbusier, highway 15): quiet is found on the inner streets. Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil: No metro: the Saint-Jérôme train has limited schedules, and downtown Montreal requires the car or train plus metro.
• Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau or Duvernay for a family. Chomedey, Laval-des-Rapides and Pont-Viau: Urban and noisy on its boulevards (Saint-Martin, Le Corbusier, highway 15): quiet is found on the inner streets. Duvernay: No train or metro: Duvernay is lived by car, and the Pie-IX Bridge is saturated at rush hour.
• Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac or Fabreville for a family. Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac: The Laval of wide-open spaces, not of services: everything is by car, and shops are far from residential streets. Fabreville: Functional, with no old village or shopping street: shops are on the boulevards and you get around by car.
• Fabreville or Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil for a family. Fabreville: Functional, with no old village or shopping street: shops are on the boulevards and you get around by car. Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil: No metro: the Saint-Jérôme train has limited schedules, and downtown Montreal requires the car or train plus metro.
• Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil or Duvernay for a family. Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil: No metro: the Saint-Jérôme train has limited schedules, and downtown Montreal requires the car or train plus metro. Duvernay: No train or metro: Duvernay is lived by car, and the Pie-IX Bridge is saturated at rush hour.
• Duvernay or Saint-François and Saint-Vincent-de-Paul for a family. Duvernay: No train or metro: Duvernay is lived by car, and the Pie-IX Bridge is saturated at rush hour. Saint-François and Saint-Vincent-de-Paul: Rural and quiet: no train, no metro, no condos or shopping street; everything is by car.
• Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil or Boisbriand and Sainte-Thérèse for a family. Sainte-Rose, Vimont and Auteuil: No metro: the Saint-Jérôme train has limited schedules, and downtown Montreal requires the car or train plus metro. Boisbriand and Sainte-Thérèse: House supply is the thinnest on the North Shore (96 listings): little choice and multiple offers.
• Saint-François and Saint-Vincent-de-Paul or Terrebonne for a family. Saint-François and Saint-Vincent-de-Paul: Rural and quiet: no train, no metro, no condos or shopping street; everything is by car. Terrebonne: Highway 25 to Montreal is tolled, and the Pie-IX Bridge is saturated at rush hour.

South Shore (19)

• Brossard or Longueuil for a family. Brossard: A recent city without an old centre: few mature trees, boulevards and shopping centres rather than a main street. Longueuil: An old stock that renews itself through renovation: little new construction, pre-1960 houses to maintain.
• Brossard or Saint-Lambert for a family. Brossard: A recent city without an old centre: few mature trees, boulevards and shopping centres rather than a main street. Saint-Lambert: The entry price is high and there is no new construction: you buy a pre-1960 stock, to maintain, often without a double garage.
• Brossard or La Prairie for a family. Brossard: A recent city without an old centre: few mature trees, boulevards and shopping centres rather than a main street. La Prairie: The train station is in Candiac and the REM in Brossard: for the daily train, you need a car first.
• Brossard or Saint-Hubert for a family. Brossard: A recent city without an old centre: few mature trees, boulevards and shopping centres rather than a main street. Saint-Hubert: No pedestrian downtown: Saint-Hubert is lived by car and bike, between boulevards and shopping centres.
• Longueuil or Saint-Lambert for a family. Longueuil: An old stock that renews itself through renovation: little new construction, pre-1960 houses to maintain. Saint-Lambert: The entry price is high and there is no new construction: you buy a pre-1960 stock, to maintain, often without a double garage.
• Longueuil or Saint-Hubert for a family. Longueuil: An old stock that renews itself through renovation: little new construction, pre-1960 houses to maintain. Saint-Hubert: No pedestrian downtown: Saint-Hubert is lived by car and bike, between boulevards and shopping centres.
• Longueuil or Boucherville for a family. Longueuil: An old stock that renews itself through renovation: little new construction, pre-1960 houses to maintain. Boucherville: Boucherville is lived by car: no train or metro, and the tunnel-bridge or highway 20 at rush hour.
• Saint-Hubert or Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville for a family. Saint-Hubert: No pedestrian downtown: Saint-Hubert is lived by car and bike, between boulevards and shopping centres. Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville: The budget: a house costs $800,000 and up, and the entry level is contested within 20 days.
• Boucherville or Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville for a family. Boucherville: Boucherville is lived by car: no train or metro, and the tunnel-bridge or highway 20 at rush hour. Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville: The budget: a house costs $800,000 and up, and the entry level is contested within 20 days.
• Boucherville or Sainte-Julie and Varennes for a family. Boucherville: Boucherville is lived by car: no train or metro, and the tunnel-bridge or highway 20 at rush hour. Sainte-Julie and Varennes: No train or metro: both cities are lived by car, via highways 20 and 30.
• Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville or Sainte-Julie and Varennes for a family. Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville: The budget: a house costs $800,000 and up, and the entry level is contested within 20 days. Sainte-Julie and Varennes: No train or metro: both cities are lived by car, via highways 20 and 30.
• Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville or Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire for a family. Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville: The budget: a house costs $800,000 and up, and the entry level is contested within 20 days. Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire: The valley is lived by car and train: no metro, and the Mont-Saint-Hilaire train runs at peak hours only.
• Sainte-Julie and Varennes or Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire for a family. Sainte-Julie and Varennes: No train or metro: both cities are lived by car, via highways 20 and 30. Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire: The valley is lived by car and train: no metro, and the Mont-Saint-Hilaire train runs at peak hours only.
• Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire or Chambly for a family. Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire: The valley is lived by car and train: no metro, and the Mont-Saint-Hilaire train runs at peak hours only. Chambly: No train: the trip to Montreal depends on highway 10 and the Champlain Bridge, saturated at rush hour.
• Chambly or Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu for a family. Chambly: No train: the trip to Montreal depends on highway 10 and the Champlain Bridge, saturated at rush hour. Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu: Some forty kilometres of highway and no train: working downtown Montreal every day without a car is not realistic.
• La Prairie or Candiac for a family. La Prairie: The train station is in Candiac and the REM in Brossard: for the daily train, you need a car first. Candiac: There is almost nothing under $400,000: the entry level is the condo, and it is rare.
• Candiac or Saint-Constant, Delson and Sainte-Catherine for a family. Candiac: There is almost nothing under $400,000: the entry level is the condo, and it is rare. Saint-Constant, Delson and Sainte-Catherine: Lived by car and train: no dense city or lively old village.
• La Prairie or Saint-Constant, Delson and Sainte-Catherine for a family. La Prairie: The train station is in Candiac and the REM in Brossard: for the daily train, you need a car first. Saint-Constant, Delson and Sainte-Catherine: Lived by car and train: no dense city or lively old village.
• Saint-Constant, Delson and Sainte-Catherine or Châteauguay for a family. Saint-Constant, Delson and Sainte-Catherine: Lived by car and train: no dense city or lively old village. Châteauguay: The Mercier Bridge rules: recurring roadwork, jams, and a single direct link to the island.

North Shore (6)

• Boisbriand and Sainte-Thérèse or Blainville for a family. Boisbriand and Sainte-Thérèse: House supply is the thinnest on the North Shore (96 listings): little choice and multiple offers. Blainville: No entry price: the affordable house has become rare, and so have condos.
• Blainville or Mirabel for a family. Blainville: No entry price: the affordable house has become rare, and so have condos. Mirabel: No train or dense town: Mirabel is lived by car between sectors separated by fields.
• Mirabel or Saint-Jérôme for a family. Mirabel: No train or dense town: Mirabel is lived by car between sectors separated by fields. Saint-Jérôme: Downtown Montreal is far: the train is long and so is highway 15 at rush hour.
• Boisbriand and Sainte-Thérèse or Mirabel for a family. Boisbriand and Sainte-Thérèse: House supply is the thinnest on the North Shore (96 listings): little choice and multiple offers. Mirabel: No train or dense town: Mirabel is lived by car between sectors separated by fields.
• Terrebonne or Mascouche for a family. Terrebonne: Highway 25 to Montreal is tolled, and the Pie-IX Bridge is saturated at rush hour. Mascouche: Little charm or village life: a new city lived by car, with little choice (109 listings).
• Terrebonne or Repentigny for a family. Terrebonne: Highway 25 to Montreal is tolled, and the Pie-IX Bridge is saturated at rush hour. Repentigny: Repentigny looks east: working in the West Island or Laval means long trips.

West Island and Vaudreuil-Soulanges (4)

• Île-Perrot, Pincourt and Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot or Vaudreuil-Dorion for a family. Île-Perrot, Pincourt and Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot: The island is lived by car: a single bridge to the West Island, saturated at rush hour, and a train with limited schedules. Vaudreuil-Dorion: A new city without village charm: life is by car between neighbourhoods and big-box stores.
• Vaudreuil-Dorion or Saint-Lazare and Hudson for a family. Vaudreuil-Dorion: A new city without village charm: life is by car between neighbourhoods and big-box stores. Saint-Lazare and Hudson: Lived by car: the Hudson train is rare, and there are no condos or services on foot.
• Vaudreuil-Dorion or Saint-Zotique, Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac for a family. Vaudreuil-Dorion: A new city without village charm: life is by car between neighbourhoods and big-box stores. Saint-Zotique, Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac: A string of villages lived by car: no train, no condos, no services on foot.
• Pointe-Claire or Saint-Laurent for a family. Pointe-Claire: The entry price is high ($820,000 median) and the high end gets negotiated for a long time. Saint-Laurent: Vast and contrasted: industrial sectors, wide boulevards, few neighbourhood shopping streets; you get around by car.

How to read these duels

Schools, parks and commutes come from our neighbourhood guides; the compromise comes from what families report to us after the visits (noise, parking, distance, old housing stock, flood zone, condo fees, thin supply). A duel does not name a winner: it says what each area asks of a family, and the compromise you accept more easily chooses for you. The figures are those published by the APCIQ; we add none, and we do not rank schools.

Frequently asked questions

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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.