Living in Canada · Students
What a student month in Canada actually costs
The short answer
A single international student in Canada should budget roughly CAD $1,500–$2,500 a month once rent, food, transit and a phone are counted, with the high end in Toronto or Vancouver and less in a smaller city. For the study permit itself, IRCC now requires proof of CAD $22,895 for living costs for one year, on top of tuition and travel.
On this page
Two numbers matter before you land: what IRCC makes you prove, and what you actually spend each month. They are not the same. The proof-of-funds figure is a one-time entry requirement; your real monthly cost depends almost entirely on your city and your rent.
The headline numbers
Start with the one hard rule and two market anchors. The IRCC figure is fixed and verified; the rent and work numbers set the shape of a real budget.
By the numbers
24 hrs/week
IRCC — Work off campusThe proof-of-funds amount is money you must show, not a monthly allowance. Once you are here, the day-to-day cost is what the rest of this page maps out.
A monthly budget
For one person in 2026, a realistic month lands between roughly CAD $1,500 and $2,500. Rent is the biggest and most variable line; the others move far less. These are typical 2026 ranges rather than fixed prices, and your city decides where you fall.
Rent, shared room or residence: $600–$1,400
Groceries, cooking at home: $300–$500
Transit pass: $100–$160
Phone plan: $25–$50
Everything else: $150–$300
Add the low ends and you are near $1,175; add the high ends and you are past $2,400. That is exactly the spread between a smaller city and downtown Toronto or Vancouver.
Income vs costs
Part-time work helps, but it rarely covers a full big-city budget, which is the whole reason IRCC makes you prove funds up front. As of 2026 you may work up to 24 hours a week off campus during the school term, and full-time during scheduled breaks.
Do the rough arithmetic. At a provincial minimum wage in the mid-to-high teens per hour (Ontario’s general rate is $17.60, rising to $17.95 on October 1, 2026), 24 hours a week is around $1,700 a month before tax and deductions. That can carry a lean budget in a smaller city; it will not, on its own, cover a $1,500 room in Toronto plus food and transit.
Treat work as a top-up, not the plan
Working more than 24 hours a week during term breaks your study-permit conditions and can cost you your student status. Build a budget you can meet from savings and family support, and let part-time pay ease it rather than carry it. See how the work rules fit the bigger picture on our work page.
Where the money goes
Rent is where most of the money goes and the only line big enough to change your whole budget. Groceries, transit and a phone are broadly similar across cities; rent can double between a shared room in a prairie city and a downtown room in Toronto or Vancouver.
That is the practical lesson of the CMHC figures: the average unit is expensive, but students almost never rent a whole unit alone. Sharing, choosing a neighbourhood away from the core, or taking a spot in a college residence is the single biggest lever you have over your monthly cost. Everything else, whether that is cooking instead of eating out, a student transit pass or a cheap SIM, only trims the edges.
Big city vs smaller city
The city you choose sets your budget more than any habit. The gap is almost entirely rent, with jobs and transit as the trade-off.
Big city (Toronto, Vancouver)
- Highest rent, with a shared room often $900–$1,500
- More part-time jobs and longer opening hours
- Strong transit; you can live without a car
- Budget realistically toward $2,000–$2,500 a month
Smaller city (Winnipeg, Regina, Moncton)
- Much lower rent, with a shared room often $500–$900
- Fewer jobs; part-time work can be harder to find
- Lighter transit; some students end up needing a car
- A lean month can land near $1,300–$1,700
Neither is simply “better.” A smaller city saves you the most on rent; a big city gives you more ways to earn and get around. Weigh the rent saving against how easily you can find work and travel without a car.
What to do next
- Planning the move as a student? See how we handle Canada study permits, proof of funds and the landing, end to end.
- Packing for Canada from India: what’s worth the suitcase space, and what’s cheaper bought after you land.
- Talk to us about your plan if you want the funds and timing checked against your own program and city.
Common questions
How much money do I need per month as a student in Canada?
Budget roughly CAD $1,500–$2,500 a month for one person in 2026. Rent is the biggest and most variable piece, and a shared room runs about $600–$1,400 depending on the city. Add roughly $400 for groceries, $100–$160 for a transit pass, $25–$50 for a phone, and $150–$300 for everything else. Toronto and Vancouver sit at the top of every range.
How much proof of funds do I need for a Canadian study permit in 2026?
For study permit applications submitted on or after September 1, 2025, a single applicant going anywhere outside Quebec must show CAD $22,895 for living costs for the first year, on top of the first year's tuition and travel. IRCC raised the figure from $20,635 and updates it every September 1. Quebec sets its own, higher amount.
How many hours can international students work in Canada?
Eligible study permit holders can work up to 24 hours per week off campus during regular academic sessions as of 2026, and full-time during scheduled breaks such as summer or winter holidays. Working more than 24 hours a week breaks the permit conditions and can cost you your student status, so treat part-time pay as a top-up, not your main budget.
How much is rent for international students in Canada?
It depends heavily on the city and whether you share. CMHC put the national average for a two-bedroom purpose-built apartment at about CAD $1,550 in 2025, so splitting one brings a room well below that. A shared room or student residence typically runs $600–$1,400 a month in 2026, with Toronto and Vancouver at the top and prairie cities lower.
Is it cheaper to study in a smaller Canadian city?
Usually, yes, and mostly through rent. A shared room in Winnipeg, Regina, Sudbury or Moncton can cost half of one in downtown Toronto or Vancouver, and everyday food and transit run a little lower too. The trade-off is fewer part-time jobs and less transit, so weigh the rent saving against how easily you can earn and get around.
Related guides
The route to staying
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