# Humber residence costs: what you'll actually pay

Humber's cheapest residence option is a Lakeshore semi-suite double at $9,808 with meals. Full 2026-27 rates, off-campus rent near each campus, and the hidden costs.

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Housing is the biggest line in a Humber student's budget, and it's decided months before you arrive. Humber runs about 1,780 residence beds across two campuses, and both campuses sit in Etobicoke, where rents run meaningfully under downtown Toronto. This guide covers what residence actually costs including the mandatory dining plan, what the neighbourhoods around each campus charge, and which option comes out ahead.

## On-campus residence: what it costs

The 2026-27 rates bundle a mandatory dining plan with every room, so the headline room rate isn't the real price. Here's the full picture from [Humber's residence rates page](https://humber.ca/housing/living-in-residence/rates-and-agreements):

| Room type | Room rate | Dining plan | Total for the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-suite double (Lakeshore) | $6,958 | $2,850 | $9,808 |
| Single (North) | $8,235 | $2,850 | $11,085 |
| Semi-suite single (Lakeshore) | $9,277 | $2,850 | $12,127 |
| Suite (North & Lakeshore) | $10,353 | $2,850 | $13,203 |

A few things change the math:

- **The dining plan is part of the package.** Plans run Hybrid $2,850, Basic $3,400, Standard $4,000, and Ultimate $4,600, and the amounts above use the cheapest one. The balance is spendable at every Humber food outlet with a 5 to 13% discount.
- **A $500 deposit** secures the room, with the rest split into a July 20 instalment and a November 16 instalment.
- **You move out over the winter break.** Residents vacate from December 21 to January 4, which is worth knowing if you're coming from far away.
- **Applications opened February 9** for 2026-27 and first-year offers go first-come, first-served. If you want a bed, apply the day applications open.

The cheapest year at Humber residence is a Lakeshore semi-suite double at $9,808 all-in, about $1,226 a month including food.

## Off campus: the neighbourhoods near each campus

Humber's two campuses both sit in Etobicoke, on different sides of the city, so the off-campus search differs by campus.

**Near North Campus** (Humber College Boulevard and Highway 27), the closest rental stock is in Rexdale and the Kipling-Albion area, mostly apartment buildings and shared houses. It's car-and-bus territory, which is why most students who live off campus near North budget for transit rather than walkability.

**Near Lakeshore Campus**, the student-friendly neighbourhoods are Mimico, New Toronto, and Long Branch along Lake Shore Boulevard. They're older, quieter neighbourhoods with real rental stock, a GO station on the Lakeshore line, and a streetcar to downtown.

Toronto-wide, the numbers to know for 2026: the median one-bedroom asking rent sits around $2,250 a month, and the city's own affordable-housing benchmark for a one-bedroom is $1,426. Shared housing is where students actually save.

## What a room or apartment actually costs

| Option | Monthly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Room in a shared house/apartment | $700 to $1,000 | The cheapest realistic option near either campus |
| Studio | $1,500 to $1,800 | Toronto studios rarely dip far below this |
| 1-bedroom | $2,250 median | City-wide median; Etobicoke units trend lower |
| 2-bedroom (split) | $1,100 to $1,300 per person | Splitting is usually cheaper per person than a one-bed |

Compare that against residence: the semi-suite double works out to about $1,226 a month including the dining plan, which a shared off-campus room beats on rent alone, but not once you add groceries and utilities.

## The hidden costs to budget for

- **Utilities and internet**: $130 to $250 a month off campus, usually included in residence
- **Tenant insurance**: $20 to $30 a month off campus; residence includes it
- **Transit**: there's no U-Pass at Humber, so budget a TTC post-secondary monthly pass at **$128.15**. GO Transit gives post-secondary students 40% off with a GO ID, which matters if you live along a GO line.
- **Furniture**: residence is furnished; most off-campus rentals are not

A $1,600 one-bedroom becomes about $1,850 once utilities, internet, and insurance stack on. The residence rate already includes all of it.

## Residence or off-campus: which is right for you?

Residence makes sense for first year if you want the community, the walk to class, and no lease to manage. It's the easiest transition, and the dining plan means no cooking decisions. The trade-off is the price: with the mandatory dining plan, even the cheapest room costs close to $10,000 for the year.

Off campus makes sense if you want to save and can cook. A shared room near either campus at $800 a month, plus $250 for food and utilities you didn't pay in residence, still comes out cheaper than the cheapest residence option, and you keep a kitchen.

Do the comparison with the full numbers on both sides: residence room plus dining plan on one side, off-campus rent plus utilities, groceries, and insurance on the other. For most students the off-campus total is lower, and the difference goes toward [an emergency fund](/learn/budget-student-income/) or [a TFSA](/learn/tfsa-for-students/).

For the rest of your first-year budget, see [your first week at Humber](/universities/humber-polytechnic/first-week-humber/) and [the cheapest food on campus](/universities/humber-polytechnic/cheapest-food-on-campus-humber/).

## Sources

- [Humber residence rates and agreements](https://humber.ca/housing/living-in-residence/rates-and-agreements)
- [Humber living off campus](https://humber.ca/housing/living-off-campus)
- [TTC fares and passes](https://www.ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes)
- [GO Transit post-secondary discount](https://www.gotransit.com/en/student-savings/post-secondary-discount)