Finding student housing in Quebec City: shared flat, apartment or residence?

As a student in Quebec City, you have three ways to live: a room in a university residence, a shared flat in a shared apartment, or an apartment for yourself. The residence is easy to handle from abroad but places are limited. The small apartment, a "3½" in local terms, generally rents for between 900 and 1,300 Canadian dollars per month. A shared flat in a "4½" or a "5½" remains the cheapest option outside a residence.

The market is easing a little, without becoming cheap. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the vacancy rate reached 2.4% in the Quebec City metropolitan area in autumn 2025, compared with 0.9% in the two previous years. But rents rose by 6.4% on average, a record increase. For a student, which side of the city matters as much as the price: Sainte-Foy and Sillery for proximity to Université Laval, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Roch or Limoilou for living in town.

Residence, shared flat or apartment: comparing the options

The university residence

It is the simplest solution for a first year: a lease suited to the university calendar, housing on campus or nearby, no remote search. Places are limited: apply as soon as you are admitted and plan a fallback. The Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) points out that the lease of a person renting a home from an educational institution ends by right when they finish their studies or are no longer enrolled.

The supply is growing. On the Université Laval campus, a building of 94 homes reserved for Indigenous students welcomed its first residents in August 2026; it is open to students of the university as well as those of the cégeps of Sainte-Foy and Garneau.

The shared flat

This is the most common option outside a residence. According to the CMHC, a two-bedroom home rented for an average of 1,277 dollars per month in the Quebec City area in autumn 2025, up 6.1% over a year. For two people, each share is therefore around 640 dollars, excluding electricity. A 5½ (three bedrooms), from 1,500 dollars per month, works out at about 500 dollars per person for three.

The apartment on your own

A 3½ (one closed-off bedroom) in a central neighbourhood rents for between 900 and 1,300 dollars per month. It is the choice of independence, but also the most expensive, especially as affordable-rent housing remains scarce: its vacancy rate was only 1% according to the CMHC.

The charges to add

Always check what the advertised rent includes. Electricity, billed by Hydro-Québec, is often separate, as is heating in some buildings, which weighs heavily in winter. Indoor parking costs 50 to 150 dollars per month.