A Canadian student has found an ingenious solution to save money on rent while commuting to university. University of British Columbia (UBC) student Tim Chen has 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.
Highlights
- A student named Tim Chen saves rent money by flying from Calgary to Vancouver for his university classes.
- Flights cost him approximately $1200 per month, which is cheaper than Vancouver rent.
- The public praised Tim's innovative approach to bypass high rent costs.
Meanwhile, a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver would cost him around $2100 for the rent, according to CTV News.
"I thought, 'Why don't I just stay in Calgary and just fly here?'" he told the Canadian news outlet.
"It's a one-hour flight. That's the same as taking a bus."
Image credits: CTV News
Tim told the outlet that he had been renting in Vancouver for years but decided to move after a “big increase” in prices in one of Canada’s most expensive cities for renters. Therefore, flying 400 miles (643 kilometers) became an affordable alternative.
The dedicated arts student also shared his experience on Reddit, writing, “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.
"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.''
Tim, who is soon to graduate, said he takes advantage of his time on air to study for his exams.
People online praised the young man for his commitment to his studies and shared their thoughts on his money-saving strategy, saying, “I thought my commute was crazy until I came across this post.”
Tim Chen commutes to his classes twice a week and spends $150 per round-trip flight, which comes to almost $1200 per month
Image credits: CTV News
Someone else pointed out: "One hour commute isn't that bad. But having to show up to the airport so often would suck. Also your schedule would be pretty inflexible, I'm sure missing a flight would be a big headache."
“I applaud this student. There is book smarts and life smarts. This person is a great example of the skills an arts education can foster. Excellent and creative solution!” a separate social media user commented.
''Modern Problem requires Modern Solutions!" a fourth user penned, while another said, “Honestly doable. The flight is pretty quick and good deals on flights would be way less than rent, food, and other costs.”
Others pointed to the air miles that Tim must be earning as a result of his frequent flying, adding, ''Imagine the frequent flyer miles this kid racks up. He'll soon be spending time in lounges, flying free upgrades to business, sweet.''
UBC’s Associate Vice-President of Student Housing and Community Services Andrew Parr addressed Tim’s situation and said he feels for students facing the housing crunch.
Parr has also shared plans to add more beds to the Vancouver campus for students living in the residence, providing housing at below-market prices.
“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.”
Tim isn’t alone in his efforts to bypass the issue of high rent prices. Last year, Sophia Celentano went viral after sharing with her thousands of followers that she commutes to her internship once a week from Charleston or Richmond to New Jersey.
Meanwhile, a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver would cost him around $2100
Image credits: Pexels
Tim isn’t alone in his efforts to bypass the rent price issue. Last year, Sophia Celentano went viral after sharing with her thousands of followers that she commutes to her internship once a week from Charleston or Richmond to New Jersey.
"From my perspective, I didn't really see [that] it [was] worth getting a really expensive place by the office if I was only needing to be there for eight hours of the week," Sophia explained.
"My flights are around $100 there and back, and then I pay about $100 for Ubers between the office and airport. If I lived in the New York City or New Jersey area, I'd be spending thousands of dollars a month on rent alone."
Another student named Bill made headlines after sharing that he took a total of 238 flights from August 2022 to May 2023 to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco three times a week just so he could avoid paying rent.
While speaking with the Los Angeles news outlet KTLA, he explained that he had to wake up at 3.30 am on the days he had class so he could get on a 6 am flight from LAX to SFO.
While he spent over $5,000 on commuting, he was able to save money, since rent near the college averages around $3,200 per month, according to RentCafe.com.
Bill was accepted into the University of California, Berkeley's one-year Master of Engineering program last year. “My classmates thought I would quit week one, but I treated it as a trip more than a commute,” he explained.
“Instead of asking ‘What's for dinner?’, they would ask, ‘When's your flight back?"'
People shared their thoughts on Tim's money-saving strategy
