In 2024, according to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs' financial profile of municipalities, the average municipal tax burden per dwelling in Quebec's 15 most populous cities ranged from $1,923 in Drummondville to $3,383 in Terrebonne. The Quebec-wide average was $2,511. These figures are calculated on standardized values, so they can be compared from one city to another, but they are not the amount on your own tax bill.
1. How this ranking works
This ranking compares one thing only: the average tax burden per dwelling, an indicator the Ministry of Municipal Affairs calculates for each municipality. According to the Ministry's explanatory notes (in French), it is used to assess the overall average tax burden of dwellings. The lower the burden, the better the rank.
Why not compare the tax rates each city publishes: every city applies its rates to its own assessment roll, and those rolls are not made in the same year. The Ministry brings assessments back to a common base with a comparative factor which, according to its definition, puts assessments that come from different rolls on a comparable footing. The figures in this ranking are calculated on these standardized values.
The figures come from the financial profile of municipalities, published on Données Québec. We used the data for the 2024 fiscal year, the most recent that include the tax burden, read on November 9, 2026. The financial profile is prepared once a year, and we update this ranking with each new edition. The 15 cities are the 15 most populous municipalities in the same file, using 2024 population. No city paid to appear in this ranking.
2. The ranking of the 15 cities
Across Quebec, the average tax burden per dwelling was $2,511 in 2024. Eight of the 15 cities are below that average. The table also shows, for information, the average standardized value of a dwelling and the standardized overall tax rate. The ranking only uses the tax burden.
| Rank | City | Average tax burden per dwelling (2024) | Average standardized value per dwelling (2024) | Standardized overall tax rate (per $100 of value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drummondville | $1,923 | $235,858 | $0.8153 |
| 2 | Sherbrooke | $2,121 | $248,549 | $0.8533 |
| 3 | Saint-Jérôme | $2,188 | $300,780 | $0.7276 |
| 4 | Longueuil | $2,319 | $366,553 | $0.6239 |
| 5 | Trois-Rivières | $2,331 | $207,627 | $1.1227 |
| 6 | Montréal | $2,383 | $368,771 | $0.6424 |
| 7 | Saguenay | $2,398 | $189,447 | $1.2659 |
| 8 | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | $2,484 | $364,390 | $0.6817 |
| 9 | Québec City | $2,536 | $247,747 | $1.0236 |
| 10 | Lévis | $2,652 | $277,793 | $0.9548 |
| 11 | Brossard | $2,787 | $567,529 | $0.4911 |
| 12 | Laval | $2,934 | $466,589 | $0.6231 |
| 13 | Repentigny | $3,042 | $445,806 | $0.6824 |
| 14 | Gatineau | $3,071 | $357,178 | $0.8598 |
| 15 | Terrebonne | $3,383 | $451,925 | $0.7368 |
3. How to read the table
The tax burden depends on two things at once: the rate and the value of the dwellings. According to the Ministry, it relates the average value per dwelling to the overall tax rate. So a city can have a low rate and a high burden if its dwellings are worth a lot.
Brossard has the lowest rate of the 15 cities ($0.4911 per $100 of value), but the highest average value ($567,529): its average burden, $2,787, puts it in 11th place. On the other hand, Saguenay has the highest rate ($1.2659) and the lowest average value ($189,447): its burden, $2,398, puts it in 7th place.
According to the Ministry's definition, the standardized overall tax rate is the theoretical rate that would be needed if municipal tax revenue came only from a general tax on the standardized value of all taxable properties. So it also counts shops and industries: it is not the rate printed on your tax bill. The average value per dwelling counts single-family houses, condos and units in apartment buildings.
4. What this ranking does not tell you
The average tax burden is not the amount you will pay. The Ministry states that its calculation is different from the tax bill calculated by municipalities. Your bill depends on your property's value on the assessment roll and on your city's rates: it can be well above or well below the average.
The Ministry also notes that a comparison between municipalities only makes sense if you know what sets them apart. It gives as examples basic services paid by residents rather than by the municipality, climate or seasonal population. So a lower burden does not mean you get the same services.
5. What you can do with this ranking
If you are comparing cities before buying, look at two columns: the average burden tells you what an average dwelling in the city pays, and the standardized rate tells you how much the city collects compared with the value of its properties. Then, for a specific property, ask for the latest municipal tax bill and check its value on the city's assessment roll.
If you rent, you do not receive a municipal tax bill, but these taxes count in your rent. In the Administrative Housing Tribunal's calculation tool for rent increases (the tool itself is in French), the change in the building's municipal taxes is part of the calculation.
6. Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about municipal taxes in Quebec's large cities.
Why are the figures from 2024?
The financial profile is produced once almost all municipalities have sent their financial report to the Ministry. The most recent edition, published in February 2026, covers the 2024 fiscal year. We will update this ranking with the next edition.
My city is not in the table. Where can I find its figures?
The financial profile file on Données Québec covers every municipality that sent its financial report to the Ministry. Look for your city in the file with the 2024 data: the average tax burden per dwelling and the standardized overall tax rate are among its columns.
Do tenants pay municipal taxes?
Not directly: the building owner receives the bill. But a rise in municipal taxes can show up in the rent: the Administrative Housing Tribunal's calculation tool takes it into account when estimating a rent increase.
7. See also
These related guides may be useful:
- Buying a home in Quebec — down payment, mortgage, notary and welcome tax before you choose where to buy.
- Checking a rent increase with the TAL tool — to see whether the increase your landlord asks for is reasonable.
- An immigrant family's budget in Quebec — to fit taxes and housing into a monthly budget.
Author's note: A city with lower taxes is not necessarily cheaper overall: also look at housing prices and the services offered. And for a specific house, nothing replaces the actual tax bill.
