What I Spend Each Month as a Student at the University of Toronto

I grew up in midtown Toronto. I’m currently living with my parents while studying at the University of Toronto. I received approximately $7,400 in student loans this year, as well as a $4,000 grant from U of T to put toward an international exchange to the University of Sydney for the second semester. I also worked full-time last summer doing administrative and IT tasks at an insurance company, where I earned $23.50 an hour. 

Sociology comes easy to me, but I decided to study human resources as well because it’s more practical—every business needs HR expertise. I can take many different paths from here. I enjoy posting on TikTok and my dream job is to work in marketing and public relations. 

Rent: $0
I lived in residence during my first year because I wanted the typical university experience of living with other students. I also thought it would be easier to make friends. In my second year, I lived off-campus with a roommate in a condo near school. My portion of rent was $1,375. Because I’m doing an international exchange this year, I moved back home to save money. There is a bit less freedom, but I love spending time with my family, too. My little brother is four years old so it’s nice to hang out with him during his developmental years.

Eating out: $250
I have a habit of getting a drink while I’m studying. I often get a matcha from the Starbucks at Robarts Library on campus. Other times, my friends and I go to nearby cafés like Butter & Blue or Toroast. An iced strawberry matcha costs around $8 or $9. For dinner, my friends and I frequent places near the school, where the meals are about $25. For a snack, I get onigiri from a sushi restaurant, which costs around $5. Sometimes, my boyfriend cooks us dinner at his place or he’ll come over to my family’s place for dinner, which helps to keep costs down.

Groceries: $0
When I lived off-campus, I struggled to find time to buy groceries and cook. Now that I’m living at home again, it’s nice not to worry about what I’m going to eat. I eat dinner at home three or four nights a week. My mom and stepdad have a subscription to a meal delivery service called CookUnity, and I take one of those meals to campus and warm it up for lunch. 

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Entertainment: $50 
On Fridays, my friends and I often get together before going out. We take turns buying bottles of Absolut for $32 and some mix, like juice. We have a few drinks before heading out to a club, called the Fifth Social Club, or to the Madison, which is very popular for U of T students. There’s no cover charge at the Madison and we typically sign up for the Fifth’s free guest list in advance. You have to get there at a specified time to avoid the $20 cover charge. 

Public transit: $130
Before I turned 20, I paid the youth fare for transit, which is $2.35. But now I pay the full fare of $3.30. I usually go to and from campus five days a week on transit, which takes around 30 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic.

Ubers: $30
My friends and I usually take an Uber to the club and back, and we split the fares. 

Textbooks: $36.71
Two of the courses I’m taking this semester require paid access to a platform to submit assignments. They cost $146.84 in total for the semester, which averages out to $36.71 per month. For my other classes, I access the PDF of the textbook online and use that to study. 

Cloud storage: $4.51
I have a lot of photos and video that are taking up space. I might need to upgrade my plan soon. 

Recent splurges: $28.25
I saw a Brandy Melville makeup bag on a TikTok and thought it was cute. It’s like a little box with a mirror inside and it has pink stripes. I’m definitely bringing it on my exchange. 

Total monthly spend: $529.47

This story appears in the 2026 edition of the Ultimate Guide to Canadian Universities. You can buy the issue for $19.99 here or on newsstands.