Cost of Living in Canada. How Much Does it Cost to Live in Canada as a New Immigrant?

It is obvious that everyone thinks about immigrating to Canada but also thinks about the cost of living in Canada in 2024 in all its details. This is necessary because one cannot immigrate to a country without knowing anything about it, especially in the economic aspect related to the cost of living and prices in Canada.

There are many negative and positive points of living in Canada, and among the negative points, we find the monthly cost of living in Canada, which is high compared to European countries, and this forces the prospect to immigrate to Canada to think carefully about costs of living and housing and compare them with their income

One of the most important things a person asks about living is the prices related to housing, food, transportation, education, and health.

These are the necessary things in the life of every person, whether they are an immigrant or even a resident of their country.

Generally speaking, since we talk about immigration to Canada in most of our topics, we will dedicate this article to telling you about the cost of living in Canada, especially for new immigrants or students wishing to study in Canada.

The cost of living in Canada for the year 2023-2024

As mentioned, one of the first things that any newcomer to Canada will ask about is the cost of living, including housing, food, and transportation…

Therefore, we will start with these basics and then refer to the prices of some of the other products and services that a person needs.

Important note:

All prices and prices we will talk about regarding the cost of living in Canada will be in US dollars and not in Canadian dollars, and this is to make it easier for everyone to convert the price into the currency of their country due to the fact that the US dollar is more popular than the Canadian dollar.

1- The cost of housing in Canada:

Housing costs in Canada can be one of the things that worry new immigrants to Canada, especially the prices of housing with a family in Canada, because the price of renting an apartment is very high, especially in the downtown area.

Here we will only tell you about the average prices, and they can go up or down in different places. Housing prices in Montreal are different from those in Ottawa.

• The average price of a hostel in Canada is $30 per night.
• Renting a one-room apartment in the downtown core ranges from $500 to $700 to $1400 per month.
• Renting a one-room apartment outside of the city center ranges from $300, $700 to $900 per month.
• Renting a 3-room apartment in the downtown area costs $900 to $2000 per month.
• Renting a 3-room apartment outside of the city centers ranges from $700 to $1700 per month.

So here is the cost of living in Canada per month for housing.

But a person can earn this amount much less if he can rent an apartment with 3 or 4 friends so that they cooperate with each other to support the rental costs.

For students, there is the possibility of staying with Canadian families, where the initial prices of housing reach 200 Canadian dollars.

2- The cost of food in Canada:

An immigrant can keep the cost of food in his pocket if he is self-sufficient in preparing food at home.
More about this source textSource text required for additional translation information
Send feedback
Side panels

But if he is adept at eating out, he will be expanding an expansion that no one else has expanded before ? because the prices of eating out are very expensive.

In general, we will talk about the average prices of food products that a person needs all the time, and here are some food prices in Canada

• The price of one liter of milk varies between 0,60 and 1,50 dollars.
• The price of 500 grams of white bread ranges from $1.60 to $2.50.
• The price of a small basket of 12 eggs ranges from $1.85 to $2.10.
• The price of a liter and a half of bottled water ranges from $0.75 to $1.60.
• The price of 1 kilogram of onions ranges from $0.80 to $1.90.
• The price of 1 kilogram of tomatoes varies from $1.70 to $2.80.
• 1 kilogram of potatoes varies from $0.80 to $1.80.
• The price of 1 kilogram of white rice varies from $1.62 to $3.5.
• 1 kilogram of cucumber costs between $0.90 and $1.60.
• The price of 1 kilogram of apples ranges from $1.85 to $2.98.
• 1 kilogram of oranges costs between $1.71 and $2.80.
• 1 kilogram of bananas costs between $0.98 and $1.40.

As for the prices of meals in restaurants, they are as follows:

• A normal meal in a downtown restaurant costs between $30 and $50
• A normal meal in a popular restaurant cost between 9 and 15 dollars.
• A coffee in a café costs between $2.30 and $3.40.

3- The cost of transportation in Canada:

Transportation is also very important, especially since the cities are very large in Canada, so you may have to travel dozens of kilometers a day to get to your workplace.

Therefore, you will have to take public transportation to reach your goal or you will buy your own car to avoid the transportation problem.

As for buying a car, it is better than taking transportation, plus the fact that car prices are affordable.

In general, here are the average prices for transportation in Canada:

• Using a cab costs between $2.50 and $3.30;
• Using a cab for a distance of less than 1-kilometer costs between $1 and $1.70;
• Riding a bus costs between $1.90 and $2.40 for one-way travel
• A liter of gas costs $0.70 to $0.85

4- Cost of living in Canada per month for some other bases:

• The cost of water, electricity, heating, and garbage bills in a small apartment (e.g. 80 meters) ranges from $55 to $110 per month;
• The cost of the Internet bill per month varies from 30 to 70 dollars.

5- The cost of education in Canada:

Canada is one of the developed countries in all fields, especially in the higher education sector. Studying in Canada is a dream for many students who want to finish their studies in an advanced scientific country, and they find Canada the most suitable place for this.

The cost of studying in Canada is a major obstacle for parents and students who want to study in Canada, and in this paragraph, we will try to talk about the tuition fees in Canada in detail.

Tuition fees vary from university to university, as well as according to specialization. Studying in scientific disciplines is expensive compared to literary ones, and studying in institutes is cheaper than studying in universities.

• The cost of studying in Canadian universities ranges from $12000 to $24000, with the University of Toronto being the highest, at $24000 per year, while Nipissing University is the cheapest, at $12,000 per year.
• The cost of studying at Canadian institutes ranges from $9000 to $18000
• The costs of university preparatory programs range from 9000 to 12000 US dollars

The average tuition for international students in 2022/2023 is 25000 CAD. The costs of studying at Canadian universities vary by academic discipline, as mentioned above, for example:

• Studying in the humanities, art institutes, social sciences, or agriculture costs from CAD 22000 to CAD 26000
• Studying architecture in Canada costs C$25000
• Studying law costs C$30000
• Studying physical sciences, computer science, mathematics, and engineering costs CAD 30000
• Business Administration costs CAD 26000

The cost of studying in Canada in Saudi riyals

• For a Bachelor’s degree, it is approximately 40000 Saudi riyals.
• For postgraduate studies (master’s or doctorate) between 60000 and 100000 Saudi riyals

Of course, one cannot talk about the standard of living in Canada from all sides, and one cannot limit the cost of living for all products, services, and consumables.

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Canada

We have dedicated this topic to talk in detail about the costs of housing and living in Canada, and in this paragraph, we will try to mention some of the other advantages and disadvantages of living in Canada so that the picture is perfectly clear for those who are about to immigrate to Canada

Advantages of living in Canada:

• It offers excellent job opportunities in various disciplines
• Living in a civilized society based on human interaction and mutual respect
• Rest and relaxation so that Canada has natural reserves and beautiful nature
• Ease of obtaining citizenship and citizenship compared to other countries
• High level of health care
• Canada’s education ranks first in the world at all levels
• Government support for bank loans and paid sick leave, up to two years left for a woman at birth plus one year for her husband, social security, and a host of other benefits

Disadvantages of living in Canada:

• The difficulty of raising children on religious values, especially in the teenage years
• Long waits in different facilities
• Cold winter weather
• High tuition fees
• High cost of living and housing, which we have discussed in detail in this section

But we hope that the information provided will be enough for those wishing to immigrate to Canada to get a first look at life in Canada, especially since we have focused on the most important things a person needs at the beginning of their new life in Canada.