Student takes flight to his college twice a week because apparently, it's cheaper than renting a house
Student life is all about making the most of limited resources and navigating various hardships. With tight budgets, students often come up with creative solutions and hacks to save money and manage their everyday challenges. A Canadian student found a solution to save money on rent by travelling to his university from another city. Tim Chen, a University of British Columbia (UBC) student, shared that he flies to his college twice a week, from Calgary to Vancouver, to avoid paying monthly rent in the most populous city in British Columbia.
According to him, he spends only $150 per round-trip flight which comes to around $1200 per month. An average one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver will cost him around $2100, according to CTV News. So he decided to just stay in Calgary and fly there. "It’s a one-hour flight. That’s the same as taking a bus," he said.
Tim said he rented a home in Vancouver for years, but decided to move after a “big increase” in the rent. This is why he feels that traveling 400 miles is a way better option. Taking to Reddit, the student talked about his decision in detail.
"As titled, I’m a super commuter at UBC and I live in Calgary. I have two days that need to go to school for class (Tues and Thu), I fly to Vancouver in the morning and return to Calgary at night. I’ve been flying on Air Canada for all these flights, and for Jan, I did 7 round trips like this," he wrote.
"I found there’s saving on rent since I don’t need to pay rent in Calgary (live with my parents) except just casually paying for utilities, and it’s much cheaper than renting a 1b for 2k for more in Vancouver," he continued. He also said how he has been using his time on the flight to study for the exams.
Many took to the comment section of the Reddit post to express their thoughts. "I can't tell if this is a joke or not," wrote u/Curious-Deer-1043, while u/FrederickDerGrossen said, "You even made it to the news on CTV, amazing."
Another user u/galactic_melter asked, "Bro do you need to go to UBC that bad is there not a school in Calgary you can go to instead."
UBC’s Associate Vice-President of Student Housing and Community Services Andrew Parr addressed Tim’s situation and said he understands where all these students are coming from. "We recognize that finding affordable rental accommodation in Vancouver and Kelowna is a challenge for some of our students, as it is for others renting in the communities,” he said. “In Vancouver, it is especially difficult."
Students in Canada are struggling due to the high food and housing prices. According to Global News, many students are struggling and are living in substandard housing and are simply relying on food banks.
