Montreal vs Toronto

Toronto leads Montreal by 6 points on the CIRA Index, 81 to 75. Montreal grades better on 4 measures, Toronto on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Montreal 75, Toronto 81
• OECD: Montreal 70, Toronto 76
• UN Tourism: Montreal 76, Toronto 82
• UNDRR: Montreal 67, Toronto 76

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Montreal 55, Toronto 45
• Economy and jobs: Montreal 92, Toronto 92
• Climate and hazards: Montreal 65, Toronto 70
• Water and environment: Montreal 81, Toronto 88
• Community and housing: Montreal 58, Toronto 94
• Access and continuity: Montreal 79, Toronto 83

Where Montreal is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 106.3 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Tourisme Montréal / TravelPulse Canada, 'Montréal Tourism Boasts 11.8M Visitors in 2025, Up 7.3%', 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 71.2 % average annual occupancy (Tourisme Montréal, 2024 Annual Report, 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 9.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Vérificateur Général de la Ville de Montréal, 'Management of Wastewater Discharge and Overflow Monitoring', 2023). At or above 95: grade 4/4.

Where Toronto is stronger

• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 242 kg per resident per year (City of Toronto, Solid Waste Reports & Diversion Rates, 2025). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 31 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Toronto, Tree Canopy Study (CanopyTO), 2018). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
• Rent growth: -1.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Rentals.ca and Urbanation, September 2026 National Rent Report, August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.7 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (City of Toronto, Housing Needs Assessment & Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population, March 2025). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Resident support for tourism: 86 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (Destination Toronto, Resident Sentiment Survey Reveals Support for Tourism, Spring 2025). At or above 70: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (City of Toronto, Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Canada: #14 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Canada: #14 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Montreal in full · Toronto in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot