COST OF LIVING
HOME
1- Homestay, where you will have a room and where breakfast and dinner are usually served.
Monthly price: 800.00 CAD
2- Apartment rental, in general, students share apartments. The closer to the city center, the more expensive the square meter. For a comparison:
Apartment in upscale neighborhood (1 bedroom) 700 CAD/ (2 bedrooms) 850 CAD
Downtown apartment (1 bedroom) 900 CAD / (2 bedrooms) 1,200 CAD
But there is always variation and it is very common for the student to arrive to spend a month with a family and then with the new friends he has made to rent an apartment.
3- Hotel is an average of 50-100 CAD per day
FURNITURE
Usually the apartments have a refrigerator, stove, closet, and laundry in the building for common use.
Then there is very little you need to buy!
But for everyone else there is a good site that sells everything, used and new: www.kijiji.ca
There's also a beautiful and popular store called IKEA, it's like a TOK & Stok here. And the famous Dollarama is a very cheap shop that is the passion of every good student!
FOOD
Of course this matter varies from dish to dish, especially if you eat out or at home. But to have an average:
1- Market: if you make weekly purchases with $50 you can keep yourself.
2 - eating out: sandwich 5 CAD / trio o big Mac 8 CAD / plates in restaurant 10-15 CAD, not forgetting that there are drinks + 15% tax + 15% tip (it is not mandatory but it is the culture to tip as the waiters have a salary below the minimum)
NIGHT LIFE
Most bars and nightclubs do not charge entry but to compensate we have tips and fees that we are not used to calculating!
Pubs: beer, here you order a "jar" of beer, the so-called "piches", a small one (4 glasses) around 12-18 CAD
There are several free events that take place throughout the year, and shows compared to Brazil are much cheaper. Like for example the cirque du soleil which was 75-150 CAD while in Brazil the minimum was 500 - 1000 reais!
TRANSPORT
In addition to the great incentive for biking as transport, here there is an unlimited subway and bus pass, which for students under 25 costs 45 CAD or 70 CAD for those who are not.
COMMUNICATION
Everyone has a different need so it's very worthwhile to search for the best cell phone plan.
Here you can leave the store with one in one hand and a contract with the devil in the other! Caution!! But in short, just pay attention and don't get carried away by the excitement of having a galax with just a scribble...
The cost of an unlimited Canada-wide plan is around 60 CAD. Remembering that for those who talk a lot with Brazil there is a service that for 20 CAD they offer you unlimited for a city in Brazil, but you need to have the unlimited plan first.
A 5-dollar card doesn't last, so the tip is to even have a cell phone so you can be called, for a job interview, friends, etc..
Internet will also depend on speed and limit, but for 30 CAD you can already be plugged in!
COLD CLOTHING
Unless you've already visited a country that has a real winter, it's no use bringing clothes from Brazil.
Not that it doesn't have specialized sports stores but it's much more expensive than if you buy directly from the frozen lands.
a good coat of cold varies from 100-400 CAD, it will depend on the season and if it is a sale it is even possible to buy with more than 50% off!
Aside from the coat, you still have to think about the thermal suit, the one that goes under your clothes to keep everything warm. Ninja cap to cover your face and just let your eyes out (in the harsh winter), gloves, socks and the main winter boot so you don't get your foot wet with snow and freeze your toes!
On average an 80-150 CAD boot.
A good website is the amazon.ca to search for brands and prices.
OTHER ACCOUNTS..
It's anywhere on the planet they they are all over there month..
Here's a bill that we're not used to paying, which is heating, sometimes it's included in the rent, but on average it's about 25 CAD per month.
Another account is the gas and that of electricity, which is also around 25 CAD per month.
Health plan on average 800 CAD per year . Remembering that generally their scheme is that if you have to go to the hospital you have to pay and then they reimburse you with the receipt.
Others count turn it but be careful not to fall for the bullshit of having to pay a fine of 100 CAD for crossing outside the lane! Yes, here the traffic ticket is VERY STRICT. Which is good for our security, just be correct like their culture and it's all right!