What would you say are the wages for different types of tech roles and seniority in Montreal? And how accessible are those to non-native French speakers?
In my experience, and purely anecdotally, I've really witnessed a 2 speeds system where some people are very highly paid (120k+, keep in mind you can buy a condo in the middle of downtown for 300k) and some are getting very (40-50k) low salaries for the same amount of experience, same alma matter and probably even the same skill . How you sell yourself is always a huge factor in how much you get paid, sure, but the difference is particularly striking in Montreal imo.
As for seniority, most of the teams I've seen are very young with very dynamic leads. The industry is booming right now ( or was booming before march, I'm not sure now).
To add on to this, from someone who is actually living in Montreal.. Quebec has the highest tax rates in Canada.
To give you an idea, the majority of software engineers here make between: 70k-95k.
This means you should be ready live with around 4-6k/mo after taxes.
The rent is still cheap, but not as cheap as you think, a descent apartment will cost you ~1,200$/mo.
The healthcare is (almost) free, you still have to pay the government ~200-400$ year if you're not on a private plan. But it's nowhere near the US.
Also French really is a requirement, especially when dealing with the government.