Immigrating to Canada: How much do you know about daily living expenses? When we prepare our immigration budget, the most important expenses are local living costs and tuition fees for children's education. Do you know what aspects these living costs cover?
Living and Accommodation Expenses in Canada
The cost of living varies across different cities in Canada, so the standards for accommodation and food expenses also differ. In Canada, the cost of living in major central cities is higher than in small and medium-sized cities. For example, in downtown Vancouver, renting a two-bedroom, one-kitchen, one-bathroom apartment of about 70 square meters costs approximately 1,200 CAD; in Toronto, it costs about 1,000 CAD; while in Montreal, it is about 800 CAD. However, these apartment buildings also vary by area and grade; if you move slightly away from the city center, the prices will be different.
For new immigrants studying in Canada, university tuition fees range from 5,000 to 10,000 CAD per year. International students at universities can choose from three types of accommodation: on-campus dormitories, off-campus rentals, and homestays. Different types of accommodation have different costs. On-campus dormitories generally provide two meals a day, with an annual cost of about 12,000 CAD.
Daily Living Expenses in Canada
For Canadian immigrants, daily consumption is also a significant expense, such as shopping, transportation, and communication fees. In Canada, the initial installation fee for a telephone is about 60 CAD, and the subsequent fixed monthly fee is about 25 CAD, which allows for free local calls, while domestic and international long-distance calls are charged separately. If you want to install cable television, you will also need to pay for this service. Depending on the number of channels, this fee is between 30 and 40 CAD per month. For Canadian immigrants, transportation costs are also part of daily consumption. In Canada, a monthly pass for the subway or bus costs about 70 CAD, and a single ride is a little over 2 CAD. Prices vary by city, but the differences are minimal.