Montreal is among the best cities in the world to raise kids but Toronto scored even better

If you’re raising kids in Montreal, a new global study has some mixed news for you. While the city made the list of the best places in the world to raise a family, it didn’t exactly rank near the top and even fell behind its Ontario rival.

Compare the Market AU recently ranked 50 big cities worldwide across nine categories to determine the best places to raise children. The study looked at everything from safety and cost of living to green spaces, parental leave and child vaccination rates. Montreal came in 31st out of 50, with an index score of 3.762 out of 10.

Not bad, but Toronto edged it out, landing at 29th with a score of 3.794.

Here’s how the cities’ scores were tallied up.

Where Montreal stood out

Montreal’s strongest showing was on affordability. The city’s average monthly cost of living for a family of four came in at US$3,596.60. To no one’s surprise, that’s significantly cheaper than Toronto, which carries a monthly living cost of $4,130.30. Montreal also scored well below some of the pricier cities on the list, such as Berlin, Chicago, and Dallas.

Both Montreal and Toronto tied on safety, each scoring 81 out of 100.

Where it fell short

The city lost ground in a few key areas. Montreal had just 105 child-friendly activities listed on TripAdvisor, compared to Toronto’s 160. Both are far behind cities like London (758) and Seoul (710). Green spaces per capita were also a drag, as Montreal scored 6.25 parks and playgrounds per 100,000 residents, trailing Toronto’s 8.70.

The bigger picture

Australian cities dominated the top of the rankings, with Brisbane taking the top spot overall and four Aussie cities cracking the top 10. On the other end, American cities clustered near the bottom, with Phoenix ranking 48th, largely due to low safety scores, minimal parental leave and low family benefits spending.

Canada’s 17 combined weeks of statutory parental leave and 1.567% of GDP spent on family benefits were middle-of-the-pack figures that didn’t do Montreal or Toronto any favours in the weighted calculations.

The top 10 best cities in the world to raise a family

Here’s how Compare the Market AU’s top 10 rounded out.

1. Brisbane, Australia (6.457/10)
2. London, United Kingdom (5.992/10)
3. Auckland, New Zealand (5.460/10)
4. Helsinki, Finland (5.305/10)
5. Sydney, Australia (5.239/10)
6. Perth, Australia (5.120/10)
7. Melbourne, Australia (5.056/10)
8. Stockholm, Sweden (5.008/10)
9. Berlin, Germany (4.969/10)
10. Seoul, South Korea (4.904/10)