Living · Duel · Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville or Sainte-Julie and Varennes · October 11, 2026
Two neighbouring areas, the pros and cons of each side by side, and the con that most often decides between the two.
Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville or Sainte-Julie and Varennes, the pros and cons side by side. Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville: pro, A green city with Mont Saint-Bruno, an old village, a train station, highways 20 and 30 and reputed schools. Con, The budget: a house costs $800,000 and up, and the entry level is contested within 20 days. Sainte-Julie and Varennes: pro, A planned suburb with Mont Saint-Bruno next door (Sainte-Julie) or an old town on the river with industrial jobs (Varennes). Con, No train or metro: both cities are lived by car, via highways 20 and 30. For established families and executives who want a green town, an old village, a mountain, a station and the highways, and who have the budget for an $800,000 house or more; for those working in Longueuil, Boucherville or Brossard. For families who want a planned suburb with Mont Saint-Bruno next door (Sainte-Julie) or an old riverside town with industrial jobs (Varennes), and accept the car.
Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and Sainte-Julie and Varennes are neighbours, and buyers often hesitate between the two. Here are the pros and cons of each, side by side, written by a team that sells in both; the figures are those published by the APCIQ for the second quarter of 2026, and nothing is embellished.
| Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | Sainte-Julie and Varennes | |
|---|---|---|
| Transit | Saint-Bruno station, on the exo Mont-Saint-Hilaire line, leads to Central Station; exo Vallée-du-Richelieu buses reach the Longueuil terminus and the metro. | No station or metro: exo Sainte-Julie and Varennes buses reach the Longueuil terminus (Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke metro) via Highway 20 with reserved lanes, and the REM in Brossard via the 30. |
| Parks and shops | Mont-Saint-Bruno national park (lakes, trails, Ski Saint-Bruno) is the large space; the Lac du Village, the neighbourhood parks, the Marcel-Dulude centre (arena, pool) and the library complete the offer. | Mont-Saint-Bruno national park (trails, lakes, skiing) is at Sainte-Julie's door; in Varennes, the riverside promenade, Parc de la Commune and the Varennes islands. |
| Schools and services | The town falls under the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes and the Riverside School Board, with high schools in both networks. | Both towns fall under the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes and the Riverside School Board, with high schools on site. |
| The market in 2026 | The QPAREB's Boucherville/Saint-Bruno sector is the South Shore's fastest: 20 days for a house in Q2 2026, for an $800,000 median (-2 % year over year, +38 % in five years) and 137 active listings; the condo ($500,000, -2 %, +38 % in five years) sells in 35 days with 57 listings. | The QPAREB's Sainte-Julie/Varennes sector shows a single-family home at $630,000 (flat year over year, +49 % in five years) sold in 22 days, with 157 active listings, and a condo at $391,000 (+6 %, +61 % in five years, the South Shore's strongest rise) in 28 days with 81 listings. |
| Who it is for | For established families and executives who want a green town, an old village, a mountain, a station and the highways, and who have the budget for an $800,000 house or more; for those working in Longueuil, Boucherville or Brossard. | For families who want a planned suburb with Mont Saint-Bruno next door (Sainte-Julie) or an old riverside town with industrial jobs (Varennes), and accept the car. |
| Not for | Less so for first-time buyers: the entry level is rare and fought over in 20 days. | Less so for those who want a train, a metro on foot or a fast rise: most of the rise is done and prices are flat in a year. |
Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville: For established families and executives who want a green town, an old village, a mountain, a station and the highways, and who have the budget for an $800,000 house or more; for those working in Longueuil, Boucherville or Brossard. Sainte-Julie and Varennes: For families who want a planned suburb with Mont Saint-Bruno next door (Sainte-Julie) or an old riverside town with industrial jobs (Varennes), and accept the car.
The con that most often decides between the two. On one side, the budget: a house costs $800,000 and up, and the entry level is contested within 20 days. On the other, no train or metro: both cities are lived by car, via highways 20 and 30. Whichever of the two you accept more easily names your neighbourhood. The detail of each is in Living in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville: the pros and cons and Living in Sainte-Julie and Varennes: the pros and cons.
The QPAREB's Boucherville/Saint-Bruno sector is the South Shore's fastest: 20 days for a house in Q2 2026, for an $800,000 median (-2 % year over year, +38 % in five years) and 137 active listings; the condo ($500,000, -2 %, +38 % in five years) sells in 35 days with 57 listings. The QPAREB's Sainte-Julie/Varennes sector shows a single-family home at $630,000 (flat year over year, +49 % in five years) sold in 22 days, with 157 active listings, and a condo at $391,000 (+6 %, +61 % in five years, the South Shore's strongest rise) in 28 days with 81 listings. The price of a specific house is set on the comparable closed sales on its street, which the team pulls from the Centris system; our Living in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and Living in Sainte-Julie and Varennes guides give the benchmark of each sector.
The town falls under the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes and the Riverside School Board, with high schools in both networks. Both towns fall under the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes and the Riverside School Board, with high schools on site. The exact school catchment varies from one street to the next: check before buying.
Saint-Bruno station, on the exo Mont-Saint-Hilaire line, leads to Central Station; exo Vallée-du-Richelieu buses reach the Longueuil terminus and the metro. No station or metro: exo Sainte-Julie and Varennes buses reach the Longueuil terminus (Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke metro) via Highway 20 with reserved lanes, and the REM in Brossard via the 30.
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.
The pros and cons are written by the Loaa & Manseur team from our neighbourhood guides and from what buyers tell us after the visits; no figure is added to those published by the APCIQ. The other neighbouring duels are in pros and cons, neighbourhood against neighbourhood.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is 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 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts more than 220 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
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.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.