I'm assuming these are annual pre-tax income figures and not monthly per the OP. Otherwise Montreal's cost of living has gone up dramatically since the pre-Covid timeframe.
What is the cost of living per month for a single man in Montreal?
- Thread starter TheQuestion
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You can get a work visa for 1 year which can be extended each year for another year for up to 5 years total without becoming a permanent resident. You and your employer need to formally prove that you have a specific set of skills that are not easily available in the country (if you have a PhD or equivalent it is assumed automatically)
Let me share my perspective while acknowledging immigration is a complex problem
While I may face a 25-30% cost of living adjustment on my salary, majority of tech workers that work at big tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple have their compensation come from three components
Cash (salary) (impacted by local cost of living)
Bonus (fixed ratio of salary and performance ratings) (somewhat impacted by local cost of living)
Equity (stocks that are only impacted by the value of your company's shares)
In terms of relative breakdown on compensation, most tech workers at these bigger companies make roughly 40-50% of their compensation via equity and the rest is salary, though for some folks more junior the equity component may be smaller like 30%
What this means is, if my salary gets a 30% paycut, since that usually represents 50-60% of my total compensation, its more like a 15-20% compensation cut
And my equity stays the same which means I still make a lot of money
Add in the cost of living improvement (I can assure you, the cost of living in Montreal described in this thread is a fraction of what it costs to live in California or NYC even if you ignore the USD conversion rate benefits), and I'm actually at minimum breaking even if not saving money
Near term my plans just to live in NYC and take the easy 1h flight to visit Montreal more regularly, but in 4-5 years when I'm in my 30s and feeling like taking a break from working I can see myself doing what someone mentioned before of buying a house and spending time living in MTL (also because I'm originally French and love MTL for the french culture here)
As far as would someone move to MTL just for hobby?
What I'll say is, its never been about cost in the US. In my opinion, meeting SP in the US is not a thing I can risk. The culture in US is much more puritan and risky for hobbyists, there is neither safety meeting SP (get beaten up, scammed, robbed, sting operation by police), there's reputation at risk (I've seen people been maligned through news papers for being hobbyists and effectively lose their jobs and social standing), price is worse in US by far, and the experience is much worse in the US too (nowhere near as sweet as girls in MTL are whether indy or agency)
MTL girls are out of this world. I don't know if its something in the water, theyre both incredibly diverse, sweet, liberated and embrace their sexuality, and are attractive in all shapes and sizes. That's very uncommon in other parts of the world.
So there's no comparison between US and MTL on the hobby. I actually love MTL in general and would enjoy living there I think, especially as its close enough to europe for tourism travel/trips.
The main downside I see is winter in MTL is brutally cold (I've lived in upstate NY and don't want to relive those memories lol)
Anyways, just a mid 20s americans perspective on this.
While I may face a 25-30% cost of living adjustment on my salary, majority of tech workers that work at big tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple have their compensation come from three components
Cash (salary) (impacted by local cost of living)
Bonus (fixed ratio of salary and performance ratings) (somewhat impacted by local cost of living)
Equity (stocks that are only impacted by the value of your company's shares)
In terms of relative breakdown on compensation, most tech workers at these bigger companies make roughly 40-50% of their compensation via equity and the rest is salary, though for some folks more junior the equity component may be smaller like 30%
What this means is, if my salary gets a 30% paycut, since that usually represents 50-60% of my total compensation, its more like a 15-20% compensation cut
And my equity stays the same which means I still make a lot of money
Add in the cost of living improvement (I can assure you, the cost of living in Montreal described in this thread is a fraction of what it costs to live in California or NYC even if you ignore the USD conversion rate benefits), and I'm actually at minimum breaking even if not saving money
Near term my plans just to live in NYC and take the easy 1h flight to visit Montreal more regularly, but in 4-5 years when I'm in my 30s and feeling like taking a break from working I can see myself doing what someone mentioned before of buying a house and spending time living in MTL (also because I'm originally French and love MTL for the french culture here)
As far as would someone move to MTL just for hobby?
What I'll say is, its never been about cost in the US. In my opinion, meeting SP in the US is not a thing I can risk. The culture in US is much more puritan and risky for hobbyists, there is neither safety meeting SP (get beaten up, scammed, robbed, sting operation by police), there's reputation at risk (I've seen people been maligned through news papers for being hobbyists and effectively lose their jobs and social standing), price is worse in US by far, and the experience is much worse in the US too (nowhere near as sweet as girls in MTL are whether indy or agency)
MTL girls are out of this world. I don't know if its something in the water, theyre both incredibly diverse, sweet, liberated and embrace their sexuality, and are attractive in all shapes and sizes. That's very uncommon in other parts of the world.
So there's no comparison between US and MTL on the hobby. I actually love MTL in general and would enjoy living there I think, especially as its close enough to europe for tourism travel/trips.
The main downside I see is winter in MTL is brutally cold (I've lived in upstate NY and don't want to relive those memories lol)
Anyways, just a mid 20s americans perspective on this.
for a mid 20s american you seem pretty smart and seem to have a good view on things yes it is much cheaper to live in mtl than nyc and yes are winters are brutal like i said earlier no matter where you live 25k to 75k you ll manage and 100k and up you can have fun and yes we are so lucky to have all these beautiful girls from all nationalities
To the rest of your post, my comment is you have great perspective.
To the point I quoted above, if you choose to move here and buy a house, remember that living downtown and living in the burbs are two different animals. Unfortunately affordable housing is moving further and further from the city core. If I'm 30, and have to live in Vaudreuil (making up a random location), I'd probably consider a few other locations.
How do you want to live is the question? you can find a decent 1.5 or 2.5 for a decent price if you are willing to move away from the core of the city. I have been in the same building for 15 years, and because of rent controls I pay next to nothing compared to most. But if you live in a less desirable area, your rent will be cheaper. you could in theory get by on anywhere from 1000-1500 a month for rent, food, insurance, utilities.
The building I am in has utilities included, which is hard to find.
The building I am in has utilities included, which is hard to find.
Excellent post. Montreal seems like one of the best places, at least for single guys. I had friends who lived on the West Coast; sure, they get paid a high salary; however, most of it is spent on the high cost of living. Moreover, hobbying either stigmatized or very expensive. You don't want to spend 1k to get laid for 1hr. So they end up going to bars most full of dudes with very few women. Going to bars every weekend with the "hope" of getting laid. People only look at the numbers, but few wonder, "Well, how would it be living there, how would my day-to-day look like?"
