Living · Duel · Montreal's Sud-Ouest or Verdun and on Nuns' Island · 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.
Montreal's Sud-Ouest or Verdun and on Nuns' Island, the pros and cons side by side. Montreal's Sud-Ouest: pro, The Lachine Canal, its paths and parks, with downtown on foot or by bike from Griffintown and Saint-Henri. Con, Griffintown: density, construction, few trees and schools, and new condos that resell slowly against the supply. Verdun and on Nuns' Island: pro, The river, the urban beach, the bike paths and Wellington Street, with two metro stations on the Verdun side and the REM on the island. Con, Verdun has become expensive: plexes and plex condos cost what a sought-after neighbourhood costs, and parking is hard near Wellington. For those who want downtown on foot with a new condo and services (Griffintown), or a plex and a restaurant street by the canal (Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy), or an affordable house near a metro station (Ville-Émard, Côte-Saint-Paul). Verdun is for those who want the river, a lively shopping street and the metro, in a plex or a condo in a plex, and accept paying the price of a neighbourhood that became sought-after.
Montreal's Sud-Ouest and Verdun and on Nuns' Island 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.
| Montreal's Sud-Ouest | Verdun and on Nuns' Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Transit | The orange line serves the borough at Lionel-Groulx (transfer to the green line), Place-Saint-Henri and Charlevoix (Pointe-Saint-Charles), then the green line at Monk, Jolicoeur and Verdun westward. | The green line serves Verdun at Verdun, De l'Église and LaSalle; Nuns' Island is served by the Île-des-Sœurs REM station (South Shore branch, opened July 31, 2023) and by buses. |
| Parks and shops | The Lachine Canal, with its bike path and riverside parks, is the borough's leisure axis; Parc Angrignon, to the west, is one of the island's large parks; Atwater Market is one of Montreal's public markets. | The riverfront is the main draw: Verdun beach, the Natatorium, riverside parks and a bike path; Parc Angrignon is next door. |
| Schools and services | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is in Griffintown. | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the Lester B. |
| The market in 2026 | In the APCIQ's breakdown, the sector includes Verdun (excluding Nuns' Island). | Verdun is counted by the APCIQ within the Sud-Ouest sector: condo $508,500 (+3 %, 48 days), house $1,050,000 (+11 %, 31 days); on the ground, a renovated plex near Wellington is one of the island's most contested products. |
| Who it is for | For those who want downtown on foot with a new condo and services (Griffintown), or a plex and a restaurant street by the canal (Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy), or an affordable house near a metro station (Ville-Émard, Côte-Saint-Paul). | Verdun is for those who want the river, a lively shopping street and the metro, in a plex or a condo in a plex, and accept paying the price of a neighbourhood that became sought-after. |
| Not for | Less so for those seeking tree-lined streets and detached houses: the Sud-Ouest is urban, industrial in memory, and its quiet residential streets are earned. | Nuns' Island is for those who want a tower with services, the REM and the view, in a calm, planned setting; less so for those seeking a shopping street on foot or easy parking on the Verdun side. |
Montreal's Sud-Ouest: For those who want downtown on foot with a new condo and services (Griffintown), or a plex and a restaurant street by the canal (Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy), or an affordable house near a metro station (Ville-Émard, Côte-Saint-Paul). Verdun and on Nuns' Island: Verdun is for those who want the river, a lively shopping street and the metro, in a plex or a condo in a plex, and accept paying the price of a neighbourhood that became sought-after.
The con that most often decides between the two. On one side, griffintown: density, construction, few trees and schools, and new condos that resell slowly against the supply. On the other, verdun has become expensive: plexes and plex condos cost what a sought-after neighbourhood costs, and parking is hard near Wellington. Whichever of the two you accept more easily names your neighbourhood. The detail of each is in Living in Montreal's Sud-Ouest: the pros and cons and Living in Verdun and on Nuns' Island: the pros and cons.
In the APCIQ's breakdown, the sector includes Verdun (excluding Nuns' Island). Verdun is counted by the APCIQ within the Sud-Ouest sector: condo $508,500 (+3 %, 48 days), house $1,050,000 (+11 %, 31 days); on the ground, a renovated plex near Wellington is one of the island's most contested products. 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 Montreal's Sud-Ouest and Living in Verdun and on Nuns' Island guides give the benchmark of each sector.
The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is in Griffintown. The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the Lester B. The exact school catchment varies from one street to the next: check before buying.
The orange line serves the borough at Lionel-Groulx (transfer to the green line), Place-Saint-Henri and Charlevoix (Pointe-Saint-Charles), then the green line at Monk, Jolicoeur and Verdun westward. The green line serves Verdun at Verdun, De l'Église and LaSalle; Nuns' Island is served by the Île-des-Sœurs REM station (South Shore branch, opened July 31, 2023) and by buses.
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.
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.