Compared to the US, UK and Australia, Canada’s tuition is relatively lesser so it is an excellent place for international students to apply. However, it is still very scary and requires proper research before actually spending your money and energy into the application process. Nonetheless, it is an excellent option to try and settle in Canada after the completion of your studies. Read this blog to get a reasonable estimate of how much you will be required to spend while you live there during the course of your studies.
Besides the tuition fee, your accommodation, transport and health insurance will take up most of your expenditure. So let’s look at some options to earn some extra money and budget wisely as well.
Tuition fee for international students
Depending on the province and your university, your tuition fee will vary. Here is a summary of how much you will be spending on college fees according to your field of study. On average, the college fee is 6,500 CAD per year. Engineering and medical sciences have a higher fee compared to humanities, business or education.
| Field of study | Undergraduate | Graduate |
| Education | $20,875 | $15,764 |
| Visual and performing arts, and communications technologies | $25,127 | $14,737 |
| Humanities | $28,676 | $13,667 |
| Social and behavioural sciences | $27,647 | $15,032 |
| Law, legal professions and studies | $33,192 | $17,237 |
| Business management and public administration | $26,680 | $24,693 |
| Medicine | $32,450 | – |
| Engineering | $33,703 | $19,301 |
| Pharmacy | $40,960 | $12,876 |
| Dentistry | $56,621 | $22,472 |
Accommodation cost
There are many options available for international students. You can either go for a homestay, a dormitory or get a shared apartment with friends. It depends on what you feel convenient in, what is more affordable and helps you focus on your studies. Sometimes the on-campus accommodation is not available so you will have to opt for the other options.
Your apartment rent will also vary in each province. Here is a list of cities with their average rent for a one bedroom apartment:
- Waterloo- 1,500 CAD per month
- Toronto- 2100 CAD per month
- Vancouver- 2,050 CAD per month
- Halifax- 1,400 CAD per month
- Montreal- 1,300 CAD per month
If these are too expensive, you can go for the following options as well:
Hostel: 300 to 600 CAD per month
Homestay: 400 to 800 CAD per month
Transportation cost
If you live near your university, you can bike or walk to the campus but there are other options available too- bus or train (the monthly pass for this costs 80 to 150 CAD per month). You can get a student card to avail discounts on these.
Groceries and utilities
Based on the prices of common grocery items, you will be spending around 300 CAD per month on food. Besides food, there are other necessary utilities as well- one of which is the cell phone bill because it might not be costly in your native country but it is very expensive in Canada. On average, a meal in a casual restaurant costs 25 CAD.
Utilities
-Internet/phone: $50- $76
-Electricity/gas: $200
Grocery items
-Milk: 14 cents/ ml
-Rice: 2 CAD per pound
-Eggs: 4 CAD per dozen
-Loaf of bread: 3 CAD
-Apples: 4 CAD per kilogram
-Water: 2 CAD per litre
Health insurance
In order to make sure that you are studying safely, it is important to either avail government funded healthcare or private healthcare. The cost of these would vary but depending on your insurance plan, it would be between 600 CAD and 1000 CAD per year.
Besides your insurance payment, there are other sneaky hidden taxes that you need to be aware of because they might unexpectedly deduct a big chunk of your monthly budget. The sales tax is between 12% to 15%.
Can I work while studying as an international student?
There are many scholarships available in Canada but even if you can’t get those, you can work part-time and get to pay for your living expenses. For this, you must have a valid work permit in your student visa and study as a full-time student in a university. The Social Insurance Number (SIN) allows you to avail the various benefits of working in Canada. During your academic year, you can work 20 hours per week and in your free time, you have the permission to work full-time. All kinds of jobs are open to you and it would be an excellent opportunity to make some connections.
The last word
If this information was not enough for your curiosity, you can book a session with our very helpful mentors who can make your application process much easier.
