I’ve Lived In Three Major Cities In Canada & Here’s Why Montreal Is By Far The Best
Sorry (not sorry), Toronto.
Covent Garden Market in London. Middle: McGill University in Montreal. Right: Downtown Toronto.
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
I've been fortunate enough to have lived in two provinces and five cities in my life so far, three of which are considered major cities in Canada. And, as far as I'm concerned, there's always been one clear winner: Montreal.
When I was 18, I moved to the city and spent four years there while at McGill. A few years later, I moved to London, Ontario, while I did my post-grad at Western, and I eventually settled down in Toronto around two years ago.
So why is Montreal better than London and Toronto? Honestly, for basically every reason out there.
Let me break it down for you:
The food
This one might rile people up, but I firmly believe that the food scene in Montreal is better than the one in Toronto.
Yes, in Toronto you may be able to get a wider variety of cuisines, but what Montreal does it does really, really well.
Some of my favourites in the city are Kazu, Olive et Gourmando, Café Santropol, Le Méchant Boeuf and so many others.
During my student years (aka when I was broke) I loved L'Academie (specifically the one on Crescent Street), Juliette & Chocolat and, of course, "$2 chow" from Chez Mein after a night out.
Don't even get me started on London. When I lived there, there weren't any Caribbean restaurants, there were maybe one or two Thai places and about the same for Indian food. Shout out to Stobie's though — that's some good pizza.
Happy hour
Not enough cities do happy hour, and if they do have it, they don't do it nearly as well as Montreal does.
5 à 7, which is Montreal's version of happy hour, happens at many restaurants and bars where you can get drinks and nibbles for cheap, which is key when you're a student.
I know there are some spots in Toronto that do happy hour and a few in London, but Montreal is years ahead of the two Ontario cities.
BYOW
Again, some restaurants in Toronto offer the ability to bring your own wine, but many charge a pricey corkage fee.
There might be some restaurants in London that offer BYOW, but I personally have never heard of any.
To be fair, not all restaurants in Montreal offer this feature, but those that do typically don't have any extra fee associated with bringing your own bottle.
The cost of rent
@manecas1987 #rental
Living in a big city comes at a big cost, but the difference between rent in the three cities is pretty wild.
According to Zumper, the current cost of a one-bedroom in Toronto is an eye-watering $2,090 per month.
In London, a one-bedroom will set you back $1,540, whereas in Montreal, you'll be shelling out just $1,480.
While there isn't a huge difference between Montreal and London ... well, for $60 difference, I'm picking Montreal every time.
In fact, in Montreal, you can get a two-bedroom for $1,750, which is still less than what a one-bed costs in the 6ix.
The vibes
There are without a doubt cool spots in both London and Toronto — one of my favourite spots in the former is Covent Garden Market on King — but Montreal is unmatched.
Want a taste of Europe? Go down to the Old Port. Ever thought about getting high and jousting? Hit up Mont Royal on a Sunday.
And, of course, if you want to take a look at the best university in Canada (in my opinion at least), you can stroll through McGill's beautiful downtown campus. Sorry about it, Western and U of T!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.