Rent or buy · Ville-Marie (downtown) · 2026
The median rent of the past twelve months in Ville-Marie, 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 Ville-Marie, the median rent of the 1,595 leases signed on Centris from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 is $1,950 a month (half between $1,650 and $2,450). Buying the median 2026 condo ($460,000, 3,334 sales) costs $2,750 a month with the minimum down payment ($23,000, 5.0%), the 5-year rate charged in 2026 (4.14%) and the median condo fees in Montreal ($325): $800 more than the rent, 141% of it. But $870 of that payment is principal repaid in the first year; the owner's sunk cost, interest and fees, is $1,880 a month, $70 less than the rent. With 20% down ($92,000), the monthly cost drops to $2,289 a month, still $339 above the rent. The gap is in line with the 50 units tracked (median gap $728). Sources: Centris, Bank of Canada, compiled October 8, 2026.
The short answer
In Ville-Marie, the median rent of the 1,595 leases signed on Centris from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026 is $1,950 a month (half between $1,650 and $2,450). Buying the median 2026 condo ($460,000, 3,334 sales) costs $2,750 a month with the minimum down payment ($23,000, 5.0%), the 5-year rate charged in 2026 (4.14%) and the median condo fees in Montreal ($325): $800 more than the rent, 141% of it. But $870 of that payment is principal repaid in the first year; the owner's sunk cost, interest and fees, is $1,880 a month, $70 less than the rent. With 20% down ($92,000), the monthly cost drops to $2,289 a month, still $339 above the rent. The gap is in line with the 50 units tracked (median gap $728).
Renting versus buying in Ville-Marie, per month
| Measure in Ville-Marie, 2026 | Per month | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (12 months, 1,595 leases) | $1,950 | $1,650 to $2,450 |
| Median condo 2026 (3,334 sales) | $460,000 | minimum down payment $23,000 (5.0%), CMHC premium $17,480 |
| Mortgage, minimum down, 4.14%, 25 years | $2,425 | of which interest $1,555 and principal $870 in the first year |
| Median condo fees in Montreal | $325 | whole-city sales |
| Owner's monthly cost (minimum down) | $2,750 | +800 $ versus rent (141%) |
| Owner's monthly cost (20% down, $92,000) | $2,289 | +339 $ versus rent (117%) |
| Owner's sunk cost (interest + fees, minimum down) | $1,880 | -70 $ versus rent |
| Condo price ÷ annual rent | 19.7 | gross rental yield 5.1% |
Rents: leases concluded on Centris in Ville-Marie from September 16, 2025 to September 16, 2026, median. Prices: condos sold in Ville-Marie, 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 Ville-Marie
- The same rent would pay for a $308,000 condo in Ville-Marie (minimum down, fees included): the median condo costs $460,000, 49% more.
- Gross income: the median rent takes about $78,000 a year to stay under 30% of income; the median condo, $103,125 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 $2,932 a month.
- What the tenant keeps: $800 a month and the $23,000 down payment. What the owner keeps: $870 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 Ville-Marie 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 Ville-Marie
In Ville-Marie, the answer depends on the down payment and the horizon. With the minimum down, the tenant keeps $800 a month; with 20%, the gap falls to $339. Over five years or more, the $870 a month of principal tips the balance toward buying if the condo holds its value; over two or three years, buying and selling costs eat that principal and renting wins. The right question is not "rent or buy" but "how long am I staying". Rent by unit size is in average rent in Ville-Marie.
How to read these figures
Three Centris sources, one period. Rents: leases signed in Ville-Marie through a broker over twelve months, in median. Prices: condos sold in 2026. Fees: the median monthly condo fees of condos sold in the whole city, because the sector's sample is too small. The sunk cost separates, within the payment, interest (lost like rent) from principal (saved in the condo), at the 2026 rate and over the first year; the principal share rises every year. What the table leaves out falls on the owner: taxes, insurance, maintenance, the return the down payment would have earned elsewhere, buying and selling costs. The calculation with a specific household's rate and down payment is done in a meeting.
Frequently asked questions
What does a condo cost a month in Ville-Marie compared with rent?
$2,750 a month for the median condo of $460,000 with the minimum down ($23,000) and condo fees, against a median rent of $1,950: $800 more a month, of which $870 is principal repaid.
Is renting cheaper than buying in Ville-Marie in 2026?
In cash flow, yes, by $800 a month with the minimum down. In sunk cost, no: interest and fees come to $1,880, $70 less than the rent. The owner pays more each month but keeps part of it.
What down payment does a condo in Ville-Marie take?
$23,000 at minimum (5.0% of the median condo), plus about 1.5% of the price in closing costs and the welcome tax. At 20% ($92,000), no CMHC premium and a payment of $1,964 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 Ville-Marie (downtown), 1,595 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.