Studying in Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s biggest city and its financial and media capital, a genuinely multicultural place where you can hear a dozen languages on one subway car. Its universities carry international name recognition, and the job market spans banking, technology, film production, and a large public service sector. All of that comes at a price: Toronto is, by most measures, the most expensive city in Canada to live in.

Universities and major institutes

• University of Toronto
• Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson)
• York University
• OCAD University
• George Brown, Seneca, and Humber colleges, which run applied programmes and postgraduate certificates that many international students use to build Canadian work experience

Cost of living

Rent is the biggest line item. A room in a shared house or apartment typically runs CAD $900 to $1,400 a month, more if you want to be near the University of Toronto or TMU’s downtown campus, less out toward Scarborough, North York, or Etobicoke. Beyond rent, budget for groceries (a few hundred dollars a month is a reasonable planning figure if you cook most meals), a monthly transit pass, a phone and internet plan, and going out, which adds up faster downtown than in the suburbs. Landlords commonly ask for first and last month’s rent up front, and some buildings charge extra for parking or storage lockers, so factor that into your move-in budget.

Getting around

Toronto’s transit backbone is the TTC: two subway lines, a growing streetcar network downtown, and buses that reach into the suburbs. Fares across the TTC, GO Transit’s regional trains, and most surrounding municipal systems load onto a single PRESTO card, so a student living in Mississauga or Vaughan and commuting to a downtown campus does not need a separate ticket for every leg of the trip. Several universities fold a discounted transit pass into student fees, which is worth checking before buying your own monthly pass. In winter, downtown workers and students lean on the PATH, a network of underground walkways linking office towers, shops, and several subway stations, handy when the wind off Lake Ontario makes the surface streets unpleasant.

Weather and lifestyle

Winters are properly cold: several months of daytime highs below freezing, lake-effect snow, and the odd deep freeze once or twice a season. Summers, by contrast, are warm and humid, and the waterfront and parks fill up fast once the weather turns. Between the PATH and the sheer amount of connected indoor space (malls, food courts, office towers), it is possible to go a long way in January without setting foot outside, and long-time residents treat that as a genuine skill.

Working while you study

Toronto’s job market is the largest in the country, and part-time work is realistic for most students, from retail and hospitality through to internships tied to a business or technology programme. International students on a study permit are generally capped at 24 hours of off-campus work per week during term, with no limit during scheduled breaks, so plan your course load and job search with that ceiling in mind rather than assuming full-time hours will be available.

Neighbourhoods for students

• The Annex: next to the University of Toronto, classic student area.
• Downtown / Church-Wellesley: central, close to TMU.
• North York: York University catchment, more affordable.
• Scarborough / Etobicoke: cheaper, served by campus shuttles and transit.

Explore more: universities in Canada, cost of living, and student visas.