# TMU residence: costs & where to live downtown

TMU's cheapest residence is an $8,986 Pitman double, but the mandatory meal plan pushes it to about $2,070 a month. Residence fees and off-campus costs.

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Housing is the biggest line in most TMU students' budgets, and it's the one you have to decide on before you get to campus. The catch is that TMU sits in the middle of downtown Toronto, one of the most expensive rental markets in Canada. On-campus residence is convenient and the meal plan is mandatory, which makes it pricey. Off campus, the neighbourhood you pick changes your rent by hundreds of dollars a month. This guide breaks down what on-campus residence costs, what you'll pay off campus, and where the cheaper places to live as a TMU student are.

## On-Campus Residence: What It Costs

TMU runs about 1,144 residence beds in three buildings on campus: Pitman Hall, the International Living/Learning Centre (ILC), and the Daphne Cockwell Complex (DCC). Residence rent includes internet, a laundry fee, residence council fees, residence life programming fees, and insurance. That makes the monthly number look higher than an off-campus rent that leaves those out.

Every TMU residence room comes with a mandatory meal plan. There is no residence building where you cook all your own food. The 2026-27 rates are published as a 33-week term split into four installments:

| Building / room | Term rent (33 weeks) | ~Monthly (8 months) |
|---|---|---|
| Pitman Hall double | $8,986 | $1,123 |
| ILC double | $9,914 | $1,239 |
| Pitman Hall single | $10,867 | $1,358 |
| Pitman Hall paired | $11,691 | $1,461 |
| Pitman Hall 4/5-bed apartment | $12,531 | $1,566 |
| ILC single | $13,218 | $1,652 |
| DCC 4-bedroom apartment | $14,435 | $1,804 |
| DCC 2-bedroom apartment | $15,145 | $1,893 |

The cheapest on-campus room is a Pitman Hall double at $8,986 for the term. But the mandatory meal plan is on top of that. The 7-day plan runs $7,570 for the year (including $450 in flex dollars and $115 in admin fees), which pushes the real cost of the cheapest Pitman double to about $16,556 for the school year. That works out to about $2,070 a month.

The meal plan you get depends on your building. DCC residents choose between the 5-day plan ($5,565) and the 7-day plan ($7,570). ILC and Pitman Hall rooms come with the 7-day plan. Pitman Hall apartment-style rooms can pick the cheaper declining balance plan ($1,580), the 5-day, or the 7-day. If you want the on-campus community without the full dining-hall price tag, the Pitman apartments with the declining balance plan are the building to look at.

## Off-Campus: The Cheapest Places to Live Near TMU

Most TMU students live off campus, and the neighbourhood you pick changes your rent by hundreds of dollars a month. The closest areas are the most expensive; a short subway or streetcar ride gets you much cheaper.

**The Village / Church-Wellesley** is the classic student area, a short walk from campus and full of restaurants and nightlife. It's the most convenient and the priciest. Expect around $2,200 to $2,300 for a one-bedroom in 2026.

**St. James Town** sits east of campus and is one of the densest neighbourhoods in the city, with a lot of older purpose-built apartment towers. One-bedrooms run about $2,150 to $2,300. It's walkable to campus and a common pick for students who want to skip the commute.

**Cabbagetown** is north of St. James Town, a leafy residential area with a mix of older apartments and houses. One-bedrooms average around $2,100 to $2,200.

**Regent Park** is a redeveloped mixed-income neighbourhood a short walk from campus. Newer purpose-built rentals here tend to run below the condo-heavy areas downtown, and it's one of the closer value options.

**The Annex** is west of campus, a classic student and young-professional neighbourhood along Bloor Street. It's pricier, with one-bedrooms around $2,700 to $2,800, but it's on the subway line.

**Parkdale** is further west along Queen Street, one of the more affordable downtown areas. You trade a longer streetcar ride for lower rent and older buildings.

**North York along the subway** is the value pick. It's on Line 1, so you can get to campus without a car, and rents run below the downtown core. One-bedrooms average around $2,100 to $2,200, and rooms in shared apartments start well below that.

## What a Room or Apartment Actually Costs

If you're willing to share, off-campus housing gets dramatically cheaper than residence. Here's the realistic 2026 range for a TMU student, based on CMHC and City of Toronto rental data:

| Option | Monthly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Room in a shared house/apartment | $1,100 to $1,500 | Utilities often included. The cheapest way to live near campus. |
| Studio / bachelor | $1,500 to $1,800 | Cheapest solo option, especially in older purpose-built buildings. |
| 1-bedroom | $1,800 to $2,300 | Downtown sits at the top of this range; North York and Parkdale at the bottom. |
| 2-bedroom (split) | $1,000 to $1,200 per person | Splitting a two-bed is cheaper per person than a one-bed. |

The math is simple: a room in a shared place at $1,200 a month beats the cheapest residence double at $1,123 plus a $7,570 meal plan, and you're not locked into that meal plan. For most students, sharing off campus is the single biggest money-saver available.

One option worth knowing about is HOEM on Jarvis, a private student residence at 186 Jarvis Street, a few minutes' walk from campus. It's not run by TMU, but it's aimed at students and all-inclusive. Rooms start at $352 a week in a 4-bedroom apartment, which works out to about $1,525 a month. It's furnished, includes utilities and internet, and runs on a 12-month lease, so budget for the summer months too.

## The Hidden Costs to Budget For

Rent is only part of the picture. Off-campus rentals in Toronto often don't include utilities, and the ones that do charge more. Budget for:

- **Utilities** (heat, power, water): $100 to $200 a month, more in winter
- **Internet**: $50 to $100 a month
- **Tenant insurance**: $20 to $30 a month (residence includes this; off-campus you buy it)
- **Furniture**: residence is furnished, most off-campus rentals are not
- **Transit**: the U-Pass is included in your TMU student fees, so subway and streetcar are covered
- **First and last month's rent**: most Toronto landlords ask for both up front, so have two months of rent saved before you sign

A $1,800 one-bedroom can become $2,000 a month once you add utilities, internet, and insurance. Compare that against residence, where the listed rate already includes all three.

## How to Keep Housing From Eating Your Budget

A common rule of thumb is to keep housing at or under 30% of your income. On a student budget in Toronto that's often not realistic, so aim for the cheapest option that still works for you and treat the rest as a trade-off.

- **Share with roommates.** Splitting a two or three-bedroom is almost always cheaper per person than living alone.
- **Look beyond the downtown core.** A 30-minute subway ride to North York can cut your rent by $500 a month.
- **Use TMU's Off-Campus Housing Office.** They run workshops and point you to vetted listings, and they have a [commuter hostel](https://www.torontomu.ca/housing/housing-alternatives/off-campus/commuter-hostel/) for overnight stays.
- **Check the student housing boards and Facebook groups.** Students post rooms and sublets in TMU-specific groups, and sublets are a good way to get a cheaper room for a term.
- **Start your search early.** The best-priced rooms near campus go fast in the spring for a September move-in.
- **Read the lease before you sign.** Know whether utilities are included, whether it's furnished, and what the notice period is.

## Residence or Off-Campus: Which Is Right for You?

Residence makes sense if you want the built-in community, the walk to class, and the support of living with other first-years. It's the easiest transition, and the mandatory meal plan removes the cooking and grocery shopping entirely. It's also the most expensive option, and every TMU residence building requires a meal plan, so you can't opt out to save money.

Off-campus makes sense if you want to save money, cook your own food, and have more independence. The trade-off is a commute, a lease, and the work of setting up utilities and furniture. In Toronto the savings are real: a shared room off campus can cost less than half of what residence plus a meal plan runs.

There's no wrong answer, only the one that fits your budget. If you're weighing the full cost of the year, add up residence rent plus the meal plan, then compare it to off-campus rent plus utilities and groceries. For most students, the off-campus number comes out lower, and the difference is money you can put toward [an emergency fund](/learn/budget-student-income/) or [a TFSA](/learn/tfsa-for-students/) instead.

Related: [your first week at TMU](/universities/toronto-metropolitan-university/first-week-tmu/) and [the cheapest food on campus](/universities/toronto-metropolitan-university/cheapest-food-on-campus-tmu/) cover the other big first-year costs.