As a Nigerian student with desire to study in Canada, some important issues must be taken note of such as cost of living as an international student, because as a foreign student, cost of living in Canada is more expensive than being a citizen. This post which talks about cost of living in Canada for international students harps on the daily and monthly expenses an international students in Canada must expend so long as you live in Canada.
You need to properly plan your budget and know how much you spend. Living expenses in Canada vary according to each person because it depends on your buying habits and interests. The expenses of a student who likes to have fun out constantly going to be higher than those of a person who prefers to take a more relaxed life.
It is best to take a package of study including host family accommodation (home-stay). You will not have to spend on food in the house and have almost everything needed to live.
Overall, excluding the cost of hosting and depending on your buying habits, you can spend an estimated 250 to 500 Canadian dollars a month.
As an international student (Nigerian) it would be wise to do an exchange rate conversion as the currency in this post (cost of living in Canada for international students) is in Canadian Dollars, convert to naira to get an exact figure.
To help you calculate the cost of living in Canada as an international student, we present a list of common expenses:
Cost of Living In Canada For International Students: Daily And Monthly Budget
| Item / Service | *Estimated cost |
| Accommodation in a family house with food | $ 750 – $ 900 |
| Coca tin | $ 1.25 |
| 500 ml water bottle | $ 1.25 |
| Starbucks Cafe medium | $ 2.5 |
| Combo at McDonald’s | $ 6 – $ 10 |
| Breakfast at Tim Hortons / Subway | $ 3 – $ 4 |
| Lunch at Tim Hortons / Subway / fast food | $ 5 – $ 8 |
| Lunch at restaurant | $ 10 – $ 18 |
| Dinner at restaurant | $ 15 – $ 25 |
| Snacks (potato family bag) | $ 4 |
| Cinema | $ 13 |
| Monthly public transport pass | $ 91 – $ 128 |
| Entrance to museums | $ 12 – $ 25 |
| Beer bar | $ 4.5 – $ 7 |
| Cover in nightclub | $ 8 – $ 20 |
| Haircuts men | From $ 20 |
| Haircuts women | From $ 25 |
| Liquid hand soap | $ 3.5 – $ 5 |
| Toothpaste | $ 2 – $ 4 |
| Deodorant | $ 3.5 – $ 6 |
| Shampoo | $ 6 – $ 10 |
| Toothbrush | $ 3 – $ 5 |
| Membership in public libraries | $ 0 |
| Journals | $ 8 – $ 20 |
| books | From $ 12 |
| Notepad (notebook) | $ 2 – $ 7 |
| Pen (pack of 3) | $ 1.5 |
| Medical consultation | $ 100 |
| Box aspirins | $ 6 |
| monthly cell plan | From $ 30 |
| Plan monthly cable TV | From $ 25 |
| Monthly high speed internet plan | From $ 35 |
| Calling card long distance (300 min.) | $ 5 |
| Day tours to visit nearby places | $ 45 – $ 100 |
| Tours of 3 or 4 days to visit other nearby cities | $ 250 – $ 450 |
* All amounts in Canadian dollars. Costs are estimates vary depending on the province, where they consume / purchase and may be subject to tax.