photography by Jackie Dives

What I Spend Each Month as a Co-op Student Living in Vancouver

Alex Li shares a studio with another student to save on rent

by Alex li

April 1, 2024

University: University of Waterloo
Program: Architecture
Age: 20

I’ve always been an artist, but my parents told me I should be an engineer, to make money. I found a happy middle and enrolled in architecture. I’m in a co-op program, so instead of having summer breaks, I do three four-month work terms and one eight-month placement over five years. I have to move every four months because the co-ops are in different cities. Thankfully, the landlords near campus offer four-month leases on furnished rooms to cater to co-op students. It’s always a mad rush to find a new spot at the beginning of the term. I pay for school using my co-op earnings, which can range from around $18 to $26 an hour, $8,500 of Alberta Student Aid per term and between $200 to $500 each term from an RESP. I started working part-time when I was 17, and I put all of my savings into a TFSA.

Rent: $1,300

My fall co-op placement was at a firm in Vancouver. It was one of the highest-paying placements, at $26 an hour, but it was also really hard to find affordable housing in Vancouver. I got together with another architecture co-op student and we hunted for apartments on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace.

The landlord of the spot we found was an architect who took an interest in us because we were architecture students. The apartment is surprisingly big for a studio—around 600 square feet. Our rent includes all utilities and furnishings, including two Murphy beds. We got really lucky. Two classmates of ours couldn’t find anything so they had to split an Airbnb and pay $4,000 a month each.

Groceries: $200

My roommate and I buy our groceries together and split the cost. We cook a lot of Asian food—usually rice or noodles with veg and meat or whatever is on sale that week. We shop at multiple grocery stores, paying attention to where items are cheaper in order to save money. We often make a big dinner so we have leftovers to bring for lunch the next day. We don’t buy too many snacks because our offices have a lot of treats, like granola bars and trail mix. Someone brings in a box of Timbits most day

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Transportation: $105 for a SkyTrain monthly pass

I have a monthly pass for the SkyTrain because I take it every day for work. I also take it to meet up with my friends on the weekends and explore different parts of Vancouver. I fly back and forth a lot for my co-op terms and also to visit my parents in Calgary, but luckily my parents often cover this cost.

Textbooks and class costs: $0

Since I’m on a co-op term, I don’t have any textbooks to buy. All the architecture software I need to use is covered by the company. Otherwise, that software could cost something like $1,000 or $2,000 a year for a subscription.

Entertainment: $40

Once a month, I meet up with other co-op students and we do something fun in the city, like going to Stanley Park, the Vancouver Art Gallery or the Vancouver Aquarium. I might buy a little souvenir, like some postcards from the art museum or a keychain for my brother from the aquarium. Once or twice a month, I get bubble tea or a muffin from a bakery as a treat

Recent splurges:

$35 for a second-hand Neewer NW-7000 USB microphone from Facebook Marketplace
I have a YouTube channel where I vlog about applying to universities and the architecture program at Waterloo. This microphone would have cost $60 brand-new. I didn’t want the hassle of taking it home with me, so I ended up selling it on Facebook Marketplace for $25 before I left Vancouver.

$100 for a mechanical keyboard from Amazon
I bought a keyboard on Black Friday and got it shipped to my home in Calgary so I could pay less tax—it’s only 5 per cent instead of 12 per cent in British Columbia.

$11 for a precision screwdriver set from Amazon
One of my hobbies is taking things apart and 3D printing better custom parts. Right now, I’m working on designing an ergonomic custom mouse that fits my hand perfectly.