At a glance
Montréal's downtown borough, covering the business district, Old Montréal, the Quartier des spectacles, the Village, Chinatown, McGill and Concordia, and most of Mount Royal Park. Almost everyone lives in an apartment, nearly three in four households rent, and four in ten residents are in their 20s or 30s. Few children live here.
- Median home value
- $500K 2021 census, owner estimate · city $500K
- Residents
- 120,170 estimate for mid-2025, up from 104,944 at the 2021 census
- Households renting
- 73% city 64%
- Permits per year
- 1,428 2021–2025 average
What the numbers mean
- Owners valued the median home at $500K in the 2021 census, close to the Montréal median of $500K. Prices have moved since, so treat it as a relative guide.
- 73% of households rent, above the 64% city-wide, so expect a younger, more mobile mix of neighbours.
- Only 7% of residents are under 15, versus 15% city-wide.
- 42% of residents are 20 to 34, versus 24% city-wide. It skews young-professional.
- 96% of homes are apartments (73% city-wide), so a condo is the usual way in.
- Building activity is in line with the city as a whole, at about 1,428 permits a year.
Who lives here
Share of residents by age, estimate for mid-2025, up from 104,944 at the 2021 census.
Homes
Share of homes by type, estimate for mid-2025, up from 104,944 at the 2021 census.
Daily errands on foot1
Places within the borough or a 5-minute walk of its edge, compared with the typical borough in Montréal.
- Supermarkets
- 39 city median 22
- Cafés and bakeries
- 318 city median 50
- Pharmacies and clinics
- 74 city median 22
- Playgrounds and dog parks
- 94 city median 103
Upfront closing costs2
Quebec buyers pay a tiered transfer duty (the welcome tax) to the municipality, set by each city. Montréal's rate rises from 0.5% to 4%. Government fees at the median home price: This uses the 2021 census home-value estimate, and today's prices are higher, so the real bill will be larger.
- Montréal transfer duties (welcome tax)
- $5,610 on $500K
Typical apartment rent nearby3
Ville-Marie sits in CMHC's Downtown Montréal/Îles-des-Soeurs survey zone. October 2025 average rent of purpose-built rental apartments in that zone:
- Studio
- $1,268 +$263 vs metro average
- 1 bedroom
- $1,598 +$467 vs metro average
- 2 bedroom
- $2,092 +$746 vs metro average
- 3 bedroom or more
- $2,262 +$637 vs metro average
How it's changing
Building permits issued each year, a leading signal of new homes and renovations. Montréal counts every permit type, including renovations and demolitions.
*2026 is year to date.
Safety4
Reported incidents in the last 12 months (October 2025 to September 2026), per 1,000 residents, compared with the median of 19 Montréal boroughs.
- Reported crime
- 29.1 per 1,000 · above the 8.3 median
- Violent crime
- 2.8 per 1,000 · median 0.7
- Property crime
- 26.3 per 1,000 · median 7.5
- Reported crime runs about 3.5× the median Montréal borough: 29.1 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, versus 8.3.
- Montréal police don't publish assaults in their open data, so the violent figure here only covers robbery and offences causing death.
- The most common reported crime is theft from vehicles, 48% of the total. 90% of incidents are property crime.
- Reported crime has risen since 2020 (1,844 to 3,192 incidents a year).
- So far in 2026 (January to September) there have been 2,285 incidents, 6% fewer than the same months of 2025.
- Busy main streets, transit and nightlife bring in visitors, and incidents are counted where they happen, not where people live.
Crime per 1,000 residents
What gets reported
Top crime types in the rate, same period.
Other reported incidents
Counted by police but left out of the rate, same period.
- Mischief and vandalism
- 825
Reported crime by year
*2026 is year to date.