It’s true that Canada, compared to other cities in the world like London, Paris, Tokyo and, Berlin, is very cheap to live. Students can buy a slice of pizza for as low as $2 CAD or a poutine (Montreal’s world-famous dish) for as low as $4 CAD. However, students need to take into account that living in a big city tends to jack up the prices of everything, especially if you’re a student from another country.
But don’t you worry, we share you some life hacks you should apply to spend less money while you’re studying in Montreal, in addition, it will let you spend extra cash to go out on the weekends and get to know the city better.
Go to the Dollar Cinema
If you enjoy watching movies but you don’t want to spend a lot of money and you don’t mind waiting a little bit to watch a movie in theatres, the Dollar Cinema is the perfect place for you. Admission is only $2.50 CAD and all snacks are $1.00. Don’t you believe it? Check it out here.
Buy groceries on Mondays
Most of the time going to buy groceries it’s pretty necessary for international students, unless you’re living with a homestay family. If this is your situation, there are some supermarkets like Métro and Provigo that offer 10% student discount in your groceries only on Mondays. Some others offer the discount on Tuesdays and Wednesday, just be sure to always carry your student ID with you.
Clothing
As a responsible student, we know that you looked for winter clothing before arriving to Montreal, but; if you still need clothing and you wish to save money, keep your eyes open for signs in stores windows or near the cash registers whenever you’re out shopping because there are some stores around Montreal that offer student and educational discounts. For example, Banana Republic offers a 15% discount for students and teachers every day, Urban Outfitters will offer you 20% off.
Save money using public transport
Don’t pay the full price for the public transport, like student you can get an Opus Card (Montreal’s Society of Transport, STM by its initials in French) and save up 40% on the monthly adult fare. To get your card, you have to be a full-time student from Concordia, ÉTS, McGill, UdeM, UQAM, Polytechnique Montréal or École secondaire Louis-Riel. For more information click here.
Check out free entertainment
Montreal has an insane amount of events going on and some of them are free. If you plan everything on time, you can hang out and visit incredible places in Quebec without spending a dime. For more information about the upcoming events click here.
Also, if you want to get deeper into Canada’s culture, you can visit many museums for free. In this link you can check which days you can visit 6 of the museums of Montreal without paying anything.
Free banking
We consider this is the most relevant tip because we know that as international student you must pay extra charges for withdrawing or making money transfers. However, if you get yourself a free student bank account, you don’t have to worry about it. In this link you can check bank recommendations from McGill University.
Remember! It’s possible to save money and live an amazing experience in Montreal. Follow our tips and you’ll see!