Life hacks every international student in Montreal can use to save money

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.

View this post on Instagram

. اینجا سینماها اصولاً خیلی تابلو نیستن. یعنی تا ندونی فلان جا سینماست، احتمالا اصلا متوجهش نمیشی! خیلی مظلوم و آروم و گرون ! یه گوشه نشستن. ۱۲.۵ دلار ?(سعی کنید به تومنش فکر نکنید!) . خب طبیعتا آدم ترجیح میده دست به دامن سایت های ایرانی شده و فیلم مورد نظر را دانلود کرده، با خوشحالی تمام، ببیند!?✌ . اما ما یه سینما به طور اتفاقی پیدا کردیم که از سینماهای ایران هم ارزون تره!!!? نفری ۲.۵ دلار، با پاپ کرن های به شدت خوشمزه یک دلاری و … و لعنت به نوشابه :/! البته سینمای خسته ای هست قائدتا و یه جورایی تو مایه های سینماهای انقلاب! یه پیرمرد و پیرزن بامزه هم بلیط می‌فروشند و همیشه هم خلوته. خلاصه بعضی وقتا میچسبه 🙂 . . نکته ۱: اینا خیلیییییی نوشابه میخورن نکته ۲: اینا خیلیییییی سیگار میکشن #واقعاکه #dollarcinema #ITonya

A post shared by از زندگی در کانادا (@az_canada) on

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.

View this post on Instagram

You're a star, @UONewYork. #UOonYou

A post shared by Urban Outfitters (@urbanoutfitters) on

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.

View this post on Instagram

#CUseenby @annickmfgold – Today my Concordia student life appreciation goes to my OPUS card! When the STM announced that they were extending their reduced fare for all students (not just those under 25 years of age) my heart literally skipped a beat. As a full time student and a single mom I need to be able to get around the city with the ease of public transport (especially in this weather) and though it may not seem like much, saving 33.25$ per month really makes a big difference in my life. So shout outs to all the students around the city who got the STM to make this change! I'm off to do to some research for my thesis. . . . #CUstudent #STM #stminfo #MTLtransit #metro #bus #publictransit #studentlife #opuscard #studentfare #universitystudent #university #montreal #mtlmoments #CUpride

A post shared by Concordia University (@concordiauniversity) on

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.

View this post on Instagram

Modern vs. Classic ??

A post shared by Svet?僵尸?Ates böcegi (@expedgoldilox) on

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!