Cost of Living in Canada & Monthly Expenses for International Students

Updated: April 5th, 2022, 09:20:59 IST
Published: April 5th, 2022
Cost of Living in Canada & Monthly Expenses for International Students
Title: Cost of Living in Canada & Monthly Expenses for International Students

Monthly expenses of students should budget for about 1060 to 1260 Canadian dollars per month to cover cost of living expenses such as residence or rent, meal plan or groceries, travel or transportation costs, WiFi or Internet and lastly, I forgot to include cell phone plans which costs you around $20-$50 per month.

What is the cost of living in Canada for international students?

Cost of living in Canada varies mostly depending on which city you choose to live in Canada, whether it's Vancouver which is one of the most expensive cities or Edmonton, Alberta, is one of the lowest cost of living cities. This is one of the reasons so many youngsters and students choose to live. Students should budget about 11000 to 13000 Canadian dollars per year to cover living expenses. It includes residence or renting a place, meal plan or groceries, cell phone plans and recharge every single month and spending money on eating out or dining out plus additional costs such as movie time and tourism purposes.

The expenditure is calculated on monthly basis and amount in approx.:

  • Rent: $450
  • Grocery: $300
  • Wifi / Internet: $25
  • Travel cost:
    1. day pass: $11
    2. Monthly basis:
      • Zone 1: $100 per month (Only one) eg. Vancouver
      • Zone 2: $134 per month (Two Zones) eg. Vancouver & Richmond
      • Zone 3 All three included: $181 per month (All three) eg. Vancouver, Richmond & Surrey
  • Eating Out Expenses: $150 approx.

Total costs: $1060 approx.

Additional costs:

  1. movie time: $100
  2. travel tourism: $100

Total costs: $1260 approx.

Student Living Cost in Canada is around $1260 per monthly basis. It varies to some extent depends consuming and usage on living lifestyle, culture and luxury goods. My answer is based on experiences and some source of information available on Internet.

Monthly Living Cost in Canada for Students

Monthly Living Cost in Canada for Students

FAQs for the cost of living in Canada for international students

Q. Is living in Canada expensive for international students?

A. Canada is one of the best affordable places to study among other countries. A student needs around C$25,000 and C$30,000 depending on the course/city to cover his tuition. Apart from this, the cost of rent, food, health insurance, transportation costs, and other living expenses will be around C$11,000 - C$13000. This is quite affordable if you choose it to study among other popular study abroad destinations.

Is Canada a good place to live for international students?

A. Every year, a large number of students travel to Canada to pursue an exceptional education at one of Canada's universities. Many of us question which city in Canada would be the greatest for overseas students. It is difficult to adjust to life in a new nation.

Q. Which is the most expensive city in Canada?

A. The most expensive city in Canada is Vancouver, British Columbia. The top most expensive cities in Canada are:

  1. Vancouver, British Columbia
  2. Toronto, Ontario
  3. Montreal, Quebec
  4. Calgary, Alberta
  5. Ottawa, Ontario

Q. What is the cheapest course to study in Canada?

A. Canada offers affordable education in both undergraduate as well as postgraduate courses. It includes Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences and many more depends on the time duration of course and the quality level of educational institutes.

Q. What province in Canada has the lowest cost of living?

A. Living expenses in Canada vary from city to city, Quebec City is one of the most affordable large cities in Canada with an estimated living cost of C$1000 per month.

Q. Which city in Canada offers more job opportunities?

A. The most number of jobs were added in the provinces of Ontario (151,000), Quebec (98,000), British Columbia (70,000), and Alberta (68,000).

Q. How much total does it cost for international students to study in Canada?

A. As per Solvprog research, the average two year tuition fee and living costs for postgraduate diploma courses based on my personal experience was around C$ 40,000 - C$ 50,000. I have included all the cost covering tuition fees, living costs, additional documentation costs, health insurance, travel tourism cost and almost everything is added to it.

Q. How much money students required per month to live in Canada as an international student?

A. The cost of living in Canada varies from city to city and province area. Living in Canada is relatively affordable in comparison to other prominent study destinations such as US, Australia and UK. Above we have given common expenses to live in Canada. Monthly expenses calculated are roughly around C$1100-C$1300 depending on the city and your lifestyle.

Q. How much students get paid per hour in Canada?

A. Usually, a student earns around C$13-17 an hour in Canada, however, it may vary depending on the city and job profile that you join to start.

Q. Which is the best part-time job in Canada?

A. International students can work up to 20 hours per week while studying and 40 hours during vacation. There are lots of job opportunities in Canada to start with minimum or no experience needed. It depends on searches you do on google and many platform given online such as Craigslist, Indeed, LinkedIn and Additionally you can apply in person to person (offline). I will provide you with jobs available for students, that may help you get one of these, if you try. Hopefully you get it done! enjoy