<p>My son's transferring. He has an apartment in the ghetto and he's planning to do most of his cooking and eating at home.</p>
<p>What does your son eat? It can really vary depending on his preferences, and if he exercises a lot and needs to eat more as a result. Does he eat meat or lots of cheese? Lots of pasta or potatoes? I have a friend there who eats mostly the latter and gets by on $20/week, whereas I ate a combination of the two at another school with similar cost of living, and managed on about $30/week, plus some extras my parents bought for me. However, since our costs are only for groceries, and sale, bulk, or discount ones wherever possible, I’d add another $10/week if he eats out at all, and another $10-20/week if he prefers fresh/organic ingredients, or doesn’t look out for sales much. I hope he’ll be near a good grocery store or two, as my friend has found that to be a major problem keeping them from getting cheaper groceries.</p>
<p>Here’s a site that may give you a better idea of his budget: [Cost</a> of Living in Montreal, Canada. Prices in Montreal.](<a href=“Cost of Living”>Cost of Living in Montreal. Jul 2023. Prices in Montreal)</p>
<p>! $20 a week?! I’m evidently doing it wrong.</p>
<p>Yes, that seems ridiculously low. I was thinking maybe $100 per week. What do you think, HB?</p>
<p>Well, Tito certainly is right that it varies depending on lifestyle/preferences. I’m not an athlete, and I spend roughly $50/week. I buy non-essentials (read: snacks :p) only when on sale, but I buy healthy - and pricey - eggs, for example. I’m also quite carnivorous. </p>
<p>Compared to Edmonton, which is the only other city where I have bought groceries, the cost of food in Montreal is quite affordable.</p>
<p>$100/week seems way too high to me if your son plans to cook at home, unless he’s more of a chef and needs better/more costly ingredients, or eats out several times a week, or buys a lot of junk food. I think that HieronymusBosch’s budget is probably the most reasonable (I think it’s what most people who don’t sale-buy spend), and you can adjust from there as necessary. I forget sometimes that my friend and I make a part-time job out of eating cheaply. :p</p>
<p>With food prices going up, you never know… Back 10-15 years ago, I spent about 35-40$ on groceries per week, and I didn’t just buy the cheapest stuff. 50-60$ per week would be reasonable, and 100$ if you eat out for lunch, buy a couple of coffees at your Second Cup/Starbucks etc.</p>
<p>McGill actually has a page on what to guesstimate paying to live as an off-campus student at McGill. I don’t have the link, but if you just search living expenses you’ll find it. They say $300/month, which is $75 a week. Not knowing what the prices of things are, I’d say that’s a good starting point (though certainly where I live, the midwest, that would be living large for just one person!).</p>