Montreal keeps showing up on lists of the best cities to study in Canada — and the numbers back it up. Compared to Toronto or Vancouver, the cost of living in Montreal for students is noticeably lower, which matters when you're juggling tuition, rent, and everything else. But "affordable" is relative. International students in Montreal can expect to spend between $1,900 and $2,500 CAD per month UniAcco, depending on how they live. Here's what that actually breaks down to — and where you can save without making your life miserable.
Housing: Your Biggest Monthly Expense
Rent will take the largest bite out of your budget, and where you live matters as much as what you rent. As of March 2026, the median rent across all apartment types in Montreal sits at $1,875 CAD per month Zumper — but students rarely pay that.
The realistic student option is a shared apartment, and Montreal is well-stocked with them. Shared private off-campus housing typically runs between $700 and $1,200 CAD per month, and the city's high density of student-friendly neighbourhoods like Plateau and Mile End makes it possible to live comfortably on a much smaller budget than in Ontario or BC.
If you need your own space, neighbourhood matters. Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) averages around $1,617 per month — a favourite among students and young professionals thanks to its proximity to universities.
One thing many students overlook: furnished vs. unfurnished. An unfurnished apartment is cheaper on paper, but once you factor in buying furniture, a fully furnished rental can actually cost less in the first few months — especially if you're arriving from abroad and don't own anything yet.
Food and Groceries: Where You Can Actually Control Costs
Food is one of the few budget lines you have real power over. Students should expect to spend between $350 and $550 CAD per month on groceries. Cooking at home most of the time keeps you firmly at the lower end of that range.
Montreal's markets help too. Jean-Talon and Atwater are worth knowing — fresh produce at lower prices than most grocery chains. For everyday shopping, IGA, Metro, and Maxi all have student-friendly options if you pay attention to weekly flyers.
Eating out every day adds up fast. A sit-down meal runs $15–25 CAD; a quick lunch around $10–15. Budget for a few meals out per week as a social expense, not a daily habit.
Transportation: One of Montreal's Genuine Advantages
This is an area where student expenses in Montreal are genuinely manageable. The STM metro and bus network covers the city well, and students get a discounted monthly OPUS card. Budget around $100–120 CAD per month for transit passes.
If you live near a metro station — which is easy to arrange in most central neighbourhoods — you don't need a car. BIXI, the city's bike-share program, is a useful supplement in warmer months, and many students go carless entirely.
Tuition: The Number That Varies Most
Living costs for international students in Montreal are one thing — tuition is another conversation entirely, and it swings dramatically based on your school and program. Nationally, international undergraduate students pay an average of around $41,746 CAD per year, while graduate students average about $24,028 — though the range is wide depending on the institution and program. Moving2Canada
Quebec universities, including McGill, Concordia, UQAM, and Université de Montréal, are generally less expensive than their Ontario and BC counterparts for comparable programs. Still, always check program-specific fees directly with the institution — stated averages can be misleading.
Don't forget add-ons: student association fees, health insurance (mandatory for most international students), and books. On average, students should budget around $1,000 CAD for books across a full academic year McGill University, though lab-heavy programs can push that higher.
Putting It Together: What a Realistic Monthly Budget Looks Like
A student sharing an apartment and cooking most meals can realistically manage on $1,400–1,700 CAD per month excluding tuition. A student renting a furnished studio or one-bedroom apartment solo in a central neighbourhood should budget closer to $2,200–2,500 CAD.
The biggest variable is almost always housing. Students who make smart choices there — a shared apartment in NDG, Rosemont, or Verdun rather than downtown Montreal — can shave $500–700 CAD off their monthly total without giving up much in terms of location or quality of life.
For students arriving in Montreal before finding permanent accommodation — or doing a co-op term, clinical placement, or exchange semester — a furnished monthly rental removes a lot of the early friction. Montreal Aparthotel works exactly this way: no long-term lease, no commission, and a real person available 7 days a week. Every apartment includes Wi-Fi, a fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, and air conditioning — near a metro station.
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