Start with the official living-funds floor, then add tuition, travel, health cover, books, deposits and city variation. Student work should only supplement the budget.
EduCanada's latest national ranges are CAD 10,000–17,000 a year for public K–12, CAD 15,000–30,000 for private day schools and CAD 63,000–83,000 for private boarding schools. International college diploma tuition is roughly CAD 16,000–25,000 a year.
Average university tuition is approximately CAD 41,746 a year for international undergraduates and CAD 24,028 for international graduate students. These are national references, not quotations; discipline, campus and mandatory fees can change the total substantially.
Toronto and Vancouver concentrate opportunities but carry high housing costs; Montreal adds French-language and Quebec-system considerations; Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Atlantic cities may cost less, but programme and employment fit still require individual checks.
Compare residence, homestay, shared and private rentals. Before signing, check deposits, term, furniture, utilities, commute, tenant insurance and provincial tenancy rules.
First-year cash flow equals tuition and mandatory fees, IRCC living-funds evidence, travel, health insurance, books and equipment, housing deposit and initial costs, plus an emergency reserve. Do not use expected part-time earnings to cover an application-stage funding gap.
This is education information and application-coordination guidance, not immigration or legal advice. Rules change; use the current IRCC, EduCanada, institution and provincial requirements at the time of application.