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Student Budget Canada: Monthly Cost of Living for Toronto, Vancouver, and More

Updated

A student budget starts with rent, because it is the largest cost for anyone living away from home, and then adds food, transit, a phone and books. The four examples below use one share of the CMHC average rent in each city and example amounts for everything else. They are starting points to adjust, not a measure of what students spend. For tuition and the full cost of a degree, see what university costs in Canada; the student money guide covers how students pay for it.

CMHC’s average rents cover every tenant, including people who moved in years ago, so a room rented today usually costs more than the share shown. Each city’s rents, vacancy rate and recent changes are on the rent and vacancy data by city pages.

Example 1: Toronto

Sharing a three-bedroom apartment with two roommates, commuting by transit, no meal plan.

ExpenseMonthly costNotes
Rent, your share$773One third of the CMHC average three-bedroom rent in Toronto (2025)
Groceries$380 to $450Cooking most meals at home
Transit$100 to $130A post-secondary monthly pass; check the TTC and your school for the current price
Phone$45 to $65A prepaid or flanker-brand plan
Internet$20 to $30Your share of a household plan
Books and supplies$50 to $100Averaged over the year
Personal care and laundry$65 to $90
Entertainment and social$100 to $150
Buffer$80 to $120Small unexpected costs
Total$1,613 to $1,908Rent share plus $840 to $1,135 for everything else

Details on Toronto rents are on the Toronto rental market page.

Example 2: Vancouver

Sharing a two-bedroom apartment with one roommate near a Metro Vancouver campus.

ExpenseMonthly costNotes
Rent, your share$1,184Half the CMHC average two-bedroom rent in Vancouver (2025)
Groceries$380 to $440
Transit$45 to $117Many schools include a U-Pass in student fees, which lowers this line
Phone$45 to $65
Internet$20 to $30
Books and supplies$50 to $100
Personal care and laundry$65 to $90
Entertainment and social$100 to $150
Buffer$80 to $120
Total$1,969 to $2,296Rent share plus $785 to $1,112 for everything else

If your school has a U-Pass, the fee is charged with tuition each term, so it belongs in your term budget rather than your monthly one. See the Vancouver rental market page for rents.

Example 3: Halifax

Sharing a three-bedroom near a downtown campus.

ExpenseMonthly costNotes
Rent, your share$759One third of the CMHC average three-bedroom rent in Halifax (2025)
Groceries$320 to $380
Transit or bike$60 to $80
Phone$40 to $60
Internet$20 to $30
Books and supplies$50 to $80
Personal care and laundry$60 to $80
Entertainment and social$80 to $120
Buffer$60 to $100
Total$1,449 to $1,689Rent share plus $690 to $930 for everything else

See the Halifax rental market page for rents.

Example 4: A smaller city (London, Ontario)

A room in a shared three-bedroom; smaller cities such as Hamilton, Windsor, Winnipeg and Saskatoon follow a similar pattern, with lower rent the main difference.

ExpenseMonthly costNotes
Rent, your share$657One third of the CMHC average three-bedroom rent in London (2025)
Groceries$300 to $360
Transit$40 to $70Many schools include a transit pass in student fees
Phone$35 to $55
Internet$15 to $25
Books and supplies$40 to $80
Personal care and laundry$50 to $75
Entertainment$70 to $100
Buffer$60 to $80
Total$1,267 to $1,502Rent share plus $610 to $845 for everything else

See the London rental market page for rents.

Building your own monthly budget

Group your costs by how much control you have over them:

  1. Fixed costs: rent, phone, internet, a transit pass.
  2. Essentials that vary: groceries, personal care.
  3. Discretionary costs: entertainment, clothing, eating out.

Then compare them with what comes in each month:

Monthly income (student aid, part-time work, family support, RESP withdrawals)
  minus fixed costs
  minus varying essentials
= what's left for discretionary spending and savings

A negative result means either trimming discretionary costs or finding more income. Student aid is paid in lump sums at the start of each term, so dividing each payment by the months it has to cover turns it into a monthly figure. The budgeting hub covers budgeting methods in more depth, and student discounts can lower several of the lines above.

Where the money comes from

Most students cover the gap between costs and aid with a mix of sources:

  • Government student aid. Grants and loans come from one application to your province’s program. Ontario’s program is explained in the OSAP guide, the OSAP calculator estimates an award, and other provinces’ non-repayable aid is on provincial student grants.
  • Part-time work. Ontario’s general minimum wage is $17.95 an hour from October 1, 2026, and every province’s rate is on the minimum wage by province page. Income from work can change the aid you’re assessed for, which the OSAP guide explains for Ontario, and taxes on student jobs are covered on taxes for students who work.
  • Borrowing beyond government aid. A bank student line of credit is compared with government loans on student line of credit vs student loan.

Ways to lower the main costs

  • Rent: more roommates, a longer commute, on-campus or co-op housing waitlists, and subletting your room over the summer if your lease and province allow it (the rules are on subletting rules in Canada).
  • Groceries: discount grocers, weekly flyers, and cooking in batches.
  • Phone: prepaid and flanker-brand plans usually cost less than the big three carriers’ own plans.
  • Books: library course reserves, used copies and earlier editions where the course allows them.

Sources

The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them on September 29, 2026. How we check facts.