YUL · Canada · Data checked 2026-10-23
Montreal colocation: pricing, carrier hotels and blind counter-quotes
Montreal's colocation market serves Canadian data residency, Quebec public sector requirements and buyers looking for low-cost, low-carbon power. Most facilities are on the island and in nearby suburbs, with interconnection centered downtown. Bids are usually in Canadian dollars; we convert them onto the same 36-month basis as US quotes.
Send your power and space spec, or the renewal notice your Montreal facility just sent. At least three facilities that fit bid blind, and every bid comes back on one 36-month landed cost within one business day.
Power and density
Typical power and density in Montreal
- Grid: Quebec hydro. Supply: The provincial hydro utility.
- Typical density: Facilities commonly support 10 to 30 kW per rack; cold winters extend free-cooling hours for air-cooled racks.
- Utility power: 5.83 CAD cents/kWh (Montreal large power, excl. tax), April 2025. At 70% average draw and a billed PUE of 1.4 that is about $30 per committed kW per month where power is metered.
Market estimate, October 2026
| Footprint | Committed power | All-in, per month (estimate) | Metered power alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two cabinets | 10 kW | $2,125 to $2,875 | $298 |
| Cage | 50 kW | $10,625 to $14,375 | $1,488 |
| GPU rack, air or rear-door | 40 kW | $8,500 to $11,500 | $1,190 |
| Liquid-cooled GPU rack | 120 kW | $25,500 to $34,500 | $3,571 |
Estimates, not quotes, as of October 2026: all-in at about $250 per kW per month plus or minus 15%, from published 2026 retail colocation pricing. High-density and liquid-cooled racks often price above this band. Metered power uses the Montreal utility rate above. Bids set the real number.
Renting GPU servers in Montreal instead of racking your own? GPU servers in Montreal on RentServers.com.
Interconnection
Where the networks are in Montreal
Racks in, or cross-connected to, these buildings reach the most carriers and cloud on-ramps. Counts are from PeeringDB.
Carrier hotels and meet-me rooms
Interconnection here is spread across several buildings. Send your carrier and cloud list with the spec and every bid will state which of them are on-net.
Internet exchanges
- CANIX MontrealPeeringDB
Interconnection snapshot
Bids, not public listings, set the picture here.
Landed cost model
36-month Montreal colocation cost
Model the whole contract before any sales call. Replace the defaults with the numbers on your quote or renewal notice.
Rent: Inflect, Colocation Pricing: What to Expect for Racks, Cabinets, and Cages in 2026 (2026-04-01). Power: Hydro-Quebec lists 5.83 CAD cents/kWh for Montreal large power (April 2025); about 0.04 USD used here. Cross-connects: Inflect (2026-04-01).
Price benchmarks
What Montreal colocation costs
Retail full racks generally run $900 to $2,000 a month, and all-in pricing averages about $250 per kW per month (Inflect, 2026-04-01). Where power is metered, Montreal utility rates add about $30 per committed kW per month at 70% draw and a billed PUE of 1.4. Digital Realty's Q2 2026 filing reports $293/kW for new Americas contracts under 1 MW and $156/kW above 1 MW (Form 8-K): small footprints pay more per kW.
Montreal colocation questions
Retail full racks generally run $900 to $2,000 a month, and all-in pricing averages about $250 per kW per month (Inflect, 2026-04-01). Where power is metered, Montreal utility rates add about $30 per committed kW per month at 70% draw and a billed PUE of 1.4. Digital Realty's Q2 2026 filing reports $293/kW for new Americas contracts under 1 MW and $156/kW above 1 MW (Form 8-K): small footprints pay more per kW.
Loads of 5 MW and above need provincial authorization, so large blocks depend on capacity a facility already has approved. Ask each bidder for its authorized, available power in writing.
The industrial electricity average is 5.83 CAD cents/kWh (Montreal large power, excl. tax). A facility that meters power passes this through with its PUE on top: at 70% average draw and a billed PUE of 1.4 that's about $30 per committed kW per month. Ask every bidder for its billed PUE, power rate and true-up terms.
Typically $100 to $500 to install and $150 to $300 a month each (Inflect, 2026-04-01). Over 36 months, two cross-connects at $225 a month cost about $16,200 before escalators, so the count matters as much as the rate. Cross-connect guide.
It depends on when you signed. Digital Realty reported renewal rates up 25.4% on a cash basis in Q2 2026 and raised its full-year cash renewal guidance to 9% to 11% (Form 8-K). Get counter-quotes before the notice deadline, not after. Renewal counter-quotes.
Plan for the power first. An 8U NVIDIA DGX H100 draws up to 10.2 kW (NVIDIA), so four in a rack is about 41 kW, well past a standard cabinet. Ask for the rack density each facility will commit in writing, the cooling method and the delivery date. AI and GPU colocation.
Providers bid blind: they see the technical spec only, never your name, email, phone or company, and never a file you upload. We introduce you only to the provider you pick. We ask at least three facilities to price your power, space and interconnection spec, put every bid on one 36-month landed cost, and reply within one business day.