Rent or buy · Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve · 2026
The median rent of the past twelve months in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, against the monthly cost of the median 2026 condo: mortgage with the minimum or 20% down, condo fees, interest and principal shares, and what the same rent would buy. Centris leases and sales, the rate actually charged, nothing estimated.
In Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the median rent of the 401 leases signed on Centris from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 is $1,650 a month (half between $1,400 and $1,900). Buying the median 2026 condo ($425,000, 770 sales) costs $2,566 a month with the minimum down payment ($21,250, 5.0%), the 5-year rate charged in 2026 (4.14%) and the median condo fees in Montreal ($325): $916 more than the rent, 156% of it. But $805 of that payment is principal repaid in the first year; the owner's sunk cost, interest and fees, is $1,761 a month, $111 more than the rent. With 20% down ($85,000), the monthly cost drops to $2,139 a month, still $489 above the rent. It is one of the places where renting wins by the most each month among the 50 units tracked (median gap $728). Sources: Centris, Bank of Canada, compiled October 8, 2026.
The short answer
In Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the median rent of the 401 leases signed on Centris from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 is $1,650 a month (half between $1,400 and $1,900). Buying the median 2026 condo ($425,000, 770 sales) costs $2,566 a month with the minimum down payment ($21,250, 5.0%), the 5-year rate charged in 2026 (4.14%) and the median condo fees in Montreal ($325): $916 more than the rent, 156% of it. But $805 of that payment is principal repaid in the first year; the owner's sunk cost, interest and fees, is $1,761 a month, $111 more than the rent. With 20% down ($85,000), the monthly cost drops to $2,139 a month, still $489 above the rent. It is one of the places where renting wins by the most each month among the 50 units tracked (median gap $728).
Renting versus buying in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, per month
| Measure in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, 2026 | Per month | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (12 months, 401 leases) | $1,650 | $1,400 to $1,900 |
| Median condo 2026 (770 sales) | $425,000 | minimum down payment $21,250 (5.0%), CMHC premium $16,150 |
| Mortgage, minimum down, 4.14%, 25 years | $2,241 | of which interest $1,436 and principal $805 in the first year |
| Median condo fees in Montreal | $325 | whole-city sales |
| Owner's monthly cost (minimum down) | $2,566 | +916 $ versus rent (156%) |
| Owner's monthly cost (20% down, $85,000) | $2,139 | +489 $ versus rent (130%) |
| Owner's sunk cost (interest + fees, minimum down) | $1,761 | +111 $ versus rent |
| Condo price ÷ annual rent | 21.5 | gross rental yield 4.7% |
Rents: leases concluded on Centris in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026, median. Prices: condos sold in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, January to September 2026, median. Fees: median monthly condo fees of condos sold (Centris, 340). Mortgage: 2026 CMHC rules, 25 years, 5-year fixed rate charged 4.14% (Bank of Canada). Taxes, insurance, maintenance and opportunity cost excluded.
What the figures say in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
- The same rent would pay for a $251,000 condo in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (minimum down, fees included): the median condo costs $425,000, 69% more.
- Gross income: the median rent takes about $66,000 a year to stay under 30% of income; the median condo, $96,225 for the mortgage and fees to stay under 32%, taxes and heating not counted. At the banks' posted rate (6.09%), the stress-test rate, the mortgage alone would be $2,709 a month.
- What the tenant keeps: $916 a month and the $21,250 down payment. What the owner keeps: $805 a month of principal repaid in the first year, rising afterwards, and the condo's gain or loss in value, which nobody knows in advance (condo prices in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve since 2016).
- Across the 50 cities and boroughs tracked (11,638 leases, 22,080 sales), the median rent is $1,750 and the owner's cost $2,527 with the minimum down ($2,104 at 20%): renting costs less each month everywhere with the minimum down, in 44 units out of 50 at 20%. In sunk cost (interest and fees), buying is cheaper than renting in 30 units out of 50.
What it changes for you in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
In Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, renting is clearly cheaper each month, even counting only the owner's interest and fees: the sunk cost exceeds the rent by $111. The condo price is worth 21.5 years of rent: at that level, buying is a bet on appreciation and on falling rates more than a cash-flow calculation. For a buyer, the discipline is not to stretch: a bigger down payment or a condo below the median brings the two columns together fast. For a seller, the pool of buyers is capped by the rent they pay today, and the asking price has to account for it. Rent by unit size is in average rent in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
How to read these figures
One rent and one price for all of Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, both medians: half the leases are signed above, half below, and the same for sales. The median condo and the median rental are not necessarily the same size: the comparison by number of bedrooms is not published here for lack of enough sales. The rate used is the one banks actually charged in 2026 on 5-year fixed mortgages, on average; the posted rate, about two points higher, serves the stress test and appears in the bullets. Condo fees vary threefold from one building to the next (elevator, pool, age): the median is a benchmark, not a bill.
Frequently asked questions
What does a condo cost a month in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve compared with rent?
$2,566 a month for the median condo of $425,000 with the minimum down ($21,250) and condo fees, against a median rent of $1,650: $916 more a month, of which $805 is principal repaid.
Is renting cheaper than buying in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in 2026?
Yes, on both readings: $916 less in cash flow with the minimum down, and even counting only the owner's interest and fees, renting stays $111 cheaper a month. Buying in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is justified by the holding period and appreciation, not by the monthly cost.
What down payment does a condo in Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve take?
$21,250 at minimum (5.0% of the median condo), plus about 1.5% of the price in closing costs and the welcome tax. At 20% ($85,000), no CMHC premium and a payment of $1,814 a month. The detail by city is in down payment by city.
Sources: Centris (Matrix), Rental module, leases concluded from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 for Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, 401 leases, median and quartiles; Statistics module, median sale price of condos in 2026 and monthly condo fees of condos sold over twelve months; Bank of Canada and Statistics Canada (10-10-0006), 5-year fixed rate charged, January to July 2026 average; CMHC down payment rules and premiums in force in 2026; compiled by the Loaa & Manseur team, aggregates only. The rent or buy a condo in 50 cities and boroughs hub compares the 50 units.
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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.