Software Engineer salary: Toronto vs Montreal
Toronto pays 10-15% above Montreal for tech — Montreal balances with cheaper rent and a deeper AI research scene.
Software Engineer median · Toronto
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CA · live Adzuna
Software Engineer median · Montreal
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CA · live Adzuna
Toronto market
Toronto is Canada's largest tech and financial services market, with a strong concentration of US tech satellite offices (Google, Stripe, Shopify HQ). Salaries are quoted in CAD and trail US equivalents by 25-40% — but the market for cross-border remote work has narrowed that gap rapidly since 2022.
Montreal market
Montreal is Canada's AI research capital (Mila, Element AI alumni network, Google DeepMind office). Tech salaries sit ~10-15% below Toronto but cost of living is lower; bilingual roles command a small premium.
Software Engineer salary in Toronto (full report)
Percentiles, contract day rate, side-income context.
Software Engineer salary in Montreal (full report)
Percentiles, contract day rate, side-income context.
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