Cost of Living in Canada for International Students in 2025

Home to one of the world’s best education systems and immigration options, Canada is an excellent country to develop one’s career and settle permanently in the long run. The world-class universities, cultural diversity, and friendly people make Canada a popular study destination for students across the world. Canada is known to be an expensive country, but the exquisite experience that it offers is worth every penny. With a decent tuition fee and lifestyle, Canada living expenses for students come under a reasonable budget. There have been many speculations about living cost in Canada for international students, and therefore, we bring the answers to all queries in one place.

In this blog, we have covered all the estimated living expenses in Canada for Indian students, along with some money-saving hacks to balance your cost of living in Canada.

The average cost of living in Canada as a student can be anywhere between 15,000 CAD - 20,000 CAD or INR 9,03,999 - 12,05,332, depending on one’s lifestyle and preferences. This varies in different provinces across Canada. To talk about tuition fees, most of the academic institutions in Canada offer courses with tuition fees that fit within 15,000 CAD or INR 9,03,999. Besides, the cost of living in Canada per month for a single student is 880 CAD or INR 53,034 without rent.

The table summarised below explains the cost of living in Canada for an International Student:

Suggested: Cost of Studying in Canada for International Students

The overall cost of living in Canada is the sum total of many factors. With this information, you must have gotten an idea about Canada living cost for indian students. Let us now go into detail on some of the most essential living expenses in Canada for international students:

1.  Cost of Accommodation in Canada

How much is the cost of living in Canada? The monthly cost of living in Canada for international students has a lot to do with the type of accommodation you opt for. Popular accommodation options in Canada for students come into 5 categories.

• Student Residence- Dormitories and Townhouses

Most of the colleges and universities in Canada provide student residence on-campus or nearby the campus. Dormitories are larger buildings housing many students, while townhouses are detached, usually catering to three to six students. Apart from the in-house food, both have a cafeteria or food court where you can have your regular meals. Both options might include utilities, such as heat, hot water, and internet, offering them at a reduced fee.

• Off-Campus Shared Apartment or Condominium

Off-campus shared apartments or condominiums provide students with a single room in a living space with one or more other roommates. Like townhomes, they often have a single-occupancy bedroom or living space with a shared kitchen, bathroom, dining, and living room area.

• Furnished or Unfurnished Apartment Rentals

There are many ways to find temporary furnished apartment rentals before arriving to study in Canada. You may refer to websites like Airbnb, Craigslist, HouseTrip or Wimdu for the same. These are usually furnished private apartment rentals. Do check the reviews and ratings or ask for feedback from the ones who previously stayed there.

The living cost in Canada for different residences can be summarised below:

2.  Transport and Travel in Canada

Public transportation in Canada are well-connected efficient, and safe. To cut down on monthly expenses in Canada for Indian students and international students, one may opt for public transport. Apart from that, cycling or walking to your college, depending on where you live, are also good ideas. Canada has multiple modes of public transportation, like buses, trains, subways, and light-rail trains. You can avail of student discounts while using these public transports by showing your student I-Card. This is a great way to cut your monthly living expenses in Canada.

An estimated expense of transportation to plan monthly cost in Canada for international students is discussed below:

3.  Food in Canada

Food is an essential part of living expenses in Canada for international students. The monthly average cost of living in Canada for international students is usually between CAD 200 and CAD 300/ INR 12,053 to 18,079 for food and other daily expenses, excluding accommodation. To know more about the food expenses in Canada refer to the table below:

4.  Health Insurance in Canada

Health insurance is another important part of living cost in Canada for international students. Certain provinces offer provincial health coverage to international students, either for free or for a premium. In these cases, international students are usually required to apply to their respective provinces. In places where provincial health insurances aren’t available, one has to purchase a private one.

Some popular private medical insurance plans and their costs are discussed below:

According to the Canada Insurance Plan, the average annual premium for acquiring health insurance is around 500 CAD to 700 CAD/ INR 30,133 - 42,186. International students mostly go for some popular insurance firms: Manulife Financial, Alliance Global, Sun Life, Green Shield, etc. Insurance bills are an unavoidable part of the cost of living in Canada as a student.

Suggested: How to Finance your Studies in Canada?

So that was all about your living expenses in Canada. Let us now look at some tips to cut your Canada living cost.

No matter how much the living expenses in Canada for Indian students are, you may live self-sufficiently by knowing to spend well. Many a time, we try to cut costs and save money, but the trick is to be wise while handling our finances. As far as the cost of living for Indian students in Canada is concerned, there are ways to handle and minimise it. Some of them are:

1.  Scholarships in Canada

There are around 800 scholarships for international students in Canada. The scholarships cover a stipend and/ or cover tuition fees, accommodation, travel allowance, and health insurance. Students' cost of living in Canada can be optimised to a great extent if one acquires any scholarship to fund and support his/her studies and stay in Canada.

2.  Student Cards in Canada

Canada is a country that values and pays special interest to its student population. In order to minimise the cost of living in Canada for Indian students, the country has the provision of offering discounts to students on day to day basis. For this, one has to produce his/her I-card or student card during the time of purchase or payment. These discounts are available in departmental stores, bookstores, restaurants or while using any public transportation.

3.  Part-Time Jobs in Canada

One of the best ways of reducing the cost of living in Canada for Indian students per month is to opt for part-time jobs in Canada. The student visa grants permission to take up different on-campus part-time jobs. After completing six months of study, you may also apply for an off-campus employment permit. A Canadian student visa permits 20 hours per week of part-time jobs in Canada for international students.

Suggested: Intakes and Deadlines in Canada

Next, let’s check the monthly expenses in Canada with rent and other expenses in different cities of Canada.

Canada is the second-largest country in the world in terms of an area that consists of 10 provinces. The cost of living in Canada for Indian students and other international students varies across cities of all provinces. Canada has some well-known metropolitan cities that are rich in natural beauty and greenery. A vivid idea of the average cost of living in Canada for international students in different cities is discussed below.

Suggested: Best Cities to Study in Canada

Now you know the average monthly cost of living in Canada in different cities. When it comes to studying abroad, Canada is one of the most economical choices for international students. The overall cost of living in Canada for international students, with tuition fees being the largest contribution, is slightly lower when compared to other well-known foreign study locations like Australia and USA.

For further guidance on living and studying in Canada as an international student, get in touch with our expert counsellors by subscribing to Yocket premium