Living · Duel · Saint-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville · 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-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville, the pros and cons side by side. Saint-Laurent: pro, The REM and Côte-Vertu metro, the Technoparc and West jobs, Bois-Franc and its townhouses, planned parks. Con, Vast and contrasted: industrial sectors, wide boulevards, few neighbourhood shopping streets; you get around by car. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: pro, Houses with yards on the island, the Rivière des Prairies, Henri-Bourassa and Sauvé metro, and Laval in five minutes. Con, The median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested. For those who work in the west or at the Technoparc and want the REM or the metro on foot; for families looking for a planned neighbourhood with parks and townhouses (Bois-Franc); for a condo buyer who wants choice and time. For families who want a house with a yard on the island, a river at the end of the street, the metro and quick access to Laval and the highways: Ahuntsic is the compromise between city and suburb.
Saint-Laurent and Ahuntsic-Cartierville 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-Laurent | Ahuntsic-Cartierville | |
|---|---|---|
| Transit | Two orange-line stations, Côte-Vertu (terminus) and Du Collège, serve the centre; the REM stops at Bois-Franc, Du Ruisseau and Montpellier (Deux-Montagnes branch), with downtown a few stations away. | The orange line serves the borough at Henri-Bourassa, Sauvé and Crémazie; the Henri-Bourassa bus terminus connects Laval, and the Ahuntsic exo station (Saint-Jérôme line) serves the centre. |
| Parks and shops | Parc Marcel-Laurin and its woodland, the Bois-Franc parks with their basins, Parc Beaudet and Parc Noël-Sud are the large spaces; the Saint-Laurent sports complex, the Raymond-Bourque arena and the Bibliothèque du Boisé, awarded for its architecture, are the flagship facilities. | Île-de-la-Visitation park (river, dam, trails) and the Gouin path are the big spaces; Ahuntsic, Nicolas-Viel and Marcelin-Wilson parks complete them; the Claude-Robillard sports complex is one of the city's major sports centres. |
| Schools and services | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the English Montreal School Board; the Cégep de Saint-Laurent and Vanier College are both on the territory. | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; Collège Ahuntsic and Cégep de Bois-de-Boulogne are in the borough, along with several private colleges. |
| The market in 2026 | Saint-Laurent is the island sector where the single-family home rose most year over year in Q2 2026: a $988,750 median, +22 % in a year (but only +12 % in five years), with 148 active listings and 43 days on market; the rise comes from the mix of sales, driven by Bois-Franc and the north, more than from a street-by-street surge. | Ahuntsic-Cartierville is a genuine single-family market (102 active listings in Q2, among the best-supplied on the island): $926,000 median, +7 % year over year, +32 % in five years, at 57 days on market, the longest of the north and east residential neighbourhoods. |
| Who it is for | For those who work in the west or at the Technoparc and want the REM or the metro on foot; for families looking for a planned neighbourhood with parks and townhouses (Bois-Franc); for a condo buyer who wants choice and time. | For families who want a house with a yard on the island, a river at the end of the street, the metro and quick access to Laval and the highways: Ahuntsic is the compromise between city and suburb. |
| Not for | Less so for those looking for a neighbourhood shopping street or a uniform character: Saint-Laurent is vast, contrasted, and crossed by car. | Less so for those who want density, bars and nightlife: the borough is residential and calm, and Fleury closes early. |
Saint-Laurent: For those who work in the west or at the Technoparc and want the REM or the metro on foot; for families looking for a planned neighbourhood with parks and townhouses (Bois-Franc); for a condo buyer who wants choice and time. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: For families who want a house with a yard on the island, a river at the end of the street, the metro and quick access to Laval and the highways: Ahuntsic is the compromise between city and suburb.
The con that most often decides between the two. On one side, vast and contrasted: industrial sectors, wide boulevards, few neighbourhood shopping streets; you get around by car. On the other, the median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested. Whichever of the two you accept more easily names your neighbourhood. The detail of each is in Living in Saint-Laurent (Montreal): the pros and cons and Living in Ahuntsic-Cartierville: the pros and cons, and the data duel (price, days on market, inventory) in Saint-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville: where to buy in 2026.
Saint-Laurent is the island sector where the single-family home rose most year over year in Q2 2026: a $988,750 median, +22 % in a year (but only +12 % in five years), with 148 active listings and 43 days on market; the rise comes from the mix of sales, driven by Bois-Franc and the north, more than from a street-by-street surge. Ahuntsic-Cartierville is a genuine single-family market (102 active listings in Q2, among the best-supplied on the island): $926,000 median, +7 % year over year, +32 % in five years, at 57 days on market, the longest of the north and east residential neighbourhoods. 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-Laurent (Montreal) and Living in Ahuntsic-Cartierville guides give the benchmark of each sector.
The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the English Montreal School Board; the Cégep de Saint-Laurent and Vanier College are both on the territory. The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; Collège Ahuntsic and Cégep de Bois-de-Boulogne are in the borough, along with several private colleges. The exact school catchment varies from one street to the next: check before buying.
Two orange-line stations, Côte-Vertu (terminus) and Du Collège, serve the centre; the REM stops at Bois-Franc, Du Ruisseau and Montpellier (Deux-Montagnes branch), with downtown a few stations away. The orange line serves the borough at Henri-Bourassa, Sauvé and Crémazie; the Henri-Bourassa bus terminus connects Laval, and the Ahuntsic exo station (Saint-Jérôme line) serves the centre.
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.
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.