20+ Pros and Cons of Living In Quebec (Explained)

Quebec is a Canadian province located on the eastern side of Canada. Bordered by Ontario on the Western side and water bodies of James Bay and Hudson Bay. This province primarily speaks French and has held on to its colonial past in the harbors and monuments.

Montreal and Québec are two of the major cities in the province of Quebec. Montreal gets its name from the triple peak hills that are situated at the heart of the city of Montreal.

When moving to this province, one must be well-versed with the challenges that one must face while living in this province.

Benefits of Living in Quebec	Drawbacks of Living in Quebec
Cheap Housing	High Taxes
Easy Access to Shops	The Winters
Great Parks and Cycling Lanes	Language Barrier
Cultural Sanctuary	Infrastructure is Falling Apart
Proper Public Transport	Cultural Shock
Optimum Location

Table of Contents

Advantages of Living in Quebec:

Cheap Housing.

Housing costs in the main cities of Quebec are rather cheap. Housing in the main cities of Quebec is a lot cheaper when compared to other prominent cities. The average cost of a housing facility in the heart of a city is $877.

The locals credit the latest referendum that made housing extremely cheap and affordable for the people living there.

Easy Access to Shops.

There are several shops that help you with your supply of groceries and other essentials without having to travel too long. Apart from groceries, there are several shops that make wine and beer available easily. Traveling long distances for supplies is a non-existent problem in the cities of Quebec.

Great Parks and Cycling Lanes.

Quebec has an excellent network of cycling lanes. There are separate lanes made for cyclists and several people take advantage of the lane to go about places.

A detailed network ensures no place is beyond the cycling reach within the cities of Quebec.

There are also lush green parks. People during the summers, organize picnics in these parks. These parks also harbor several kinds of sports that the people here actively participate in.

Cultural Sanctuary.

The cities of Quebec serve as a bit of sanctuary for the budding artists. The city has a laid-back attitude and helps the artists to work with a peaceful mind. Several artists have moved and even been born in the cities of Quebec.

It protects and gives shelter to the budding talents that need their time to bloom.

Proper Public Transport.

Quebec has an astute system of public transport. Unlike several other Canadian provinces, Quebec has an efficient public transport network. Metro railways cover most of the cities and getting to the city is easy.

The public transport system is also rather cheap. That enables you to get about the city without having to burn a hole in your pocket.

Optimum Location.

Quebec is optimally located to visit the other provinces in Canada. Getting to places like Ontario, Ottawa and a few other big cities is rather easy. There are cheap flights and frequent trains to these cities.

Therefore, living in Quebec will ensure that you can easily visit other states, be it to your relatives or friends. Exploring Canada for students moving there is also easy.

Student- Friendly.

This province, like most other provinces of Canada, is very student-friendly. Education is considerably cheap when compared to other countries.

Nowhere other than Canada are students from such a wide variety of places invited to study. The provinces serve as an ideal mixing ground of cultures with diversity, unlike any other place.

Disadvantages of Living in Quebec:

High Taxes.

Taxes often turn out to be a real burden for the people moving to the province. It has high percentages of tax that is levied on residents.

The income tax is as high as sixteen percent. Although the cost of housing is low, the amount you save usually gets drained into taxes. A 5% sales tax and 9.975% of provincial sales tax is enough to offset the savings.

The Winters.

The parks and greeneries are nice to see. But, they are only visible through one part of the year. The winters in Quebec are long and unforgiving. The entire province has a long-lasting and brutal winter.

The cities come to an apparent standstill through the winters. There are however events like Igloo fest that one may take part in. But at it’s peak, winters can make life very difficult.

Language Barrier.

The language barrier is a problem in the cities of Quebec. It has a huge population that speaks French. Communicating with them may be difficult if you don’t know much of French.

Only English is not going to be enough for you to survive and communicate with people there. One may also feel the sensation of being alienated from the rest of the population due to the language barrier.

Infrastructure is Falling Apart.

Although Quebec has perks like a bicycle lane, its overall infrastructure is somewhat crumbling. The roads are falling apart and the sewer system, due to negligence, are at the brink of breaking.

However, the government is continuously working 5o get things right. Thus a lot of repair work is undertaken that often leads to further traffic and inconvenience. Even the highway system may seem confusing to someone who’s new to the province.

Cultural Shock.

Canadian culture may seem enticing and easy to adapt to, but there are certain aspects of their culture that is hard to grasp especially if you’re of European or Asian origin.

Firstly the French-speaking population, secondly the cold winters and several other etiquettes that Canadians maintain may get overwhelming for people moving in here, especially students.

The province of Quebec has some daunting tests, that if one can master, one can find it to be rather habitable. It has some wonderful customs, it acts as a sanctuary of cultures and has its focus on important things like recreation and the booze we all love.

The cheap housing along with good public transport helps reduce the cost of living considerably. With all its pros and cons, it is up to individual preference whether Quebec is worth moving to or not.