As of: February 16, 2024, 11:51 a.m
By: Andreas Knobloch
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Students don't have it easy on the housing market; rent prices are often too high - even so high that it's worth commuting by plane.
Munich – German students have become very resourceful to get a popular rental apartment or shared room in the tough housing market, such as Munich.
Various advertisements, notices, leaflets or offers are circulating on the Internet or on the street.
But so far only a few people have come up with the idea of how a Canadian student can solve the housing problem.
He commutes by plane - and shows that it's worth it for him.
Student commutes by plane because rental prices are too high: “Why not?”
A report from
CTV News Vancouver
profiles the young man, who is studying in Vancouver.
The city in the southeast of the country on the border with Washington state and the United States of America has a population of almost 700,000.
Art student Tim Chen is enrolled at the
University of British Columbia (UBC)
, but lives almost 700 kilometers away in the megacity of Calgary - and regularly commutes by plane because it makes sense for him.
“I would have to pay 2,500 for the rent, I can't do that,” he tells the TV station, which then shows what the young man spends on the flights: 1,200 dollars a month.
He makes the trip eight times in four weeks.
According to the broadcaster, a one-room apartment would cost $2,100 a month, which is almost reminiscent of an insane Munich ad.
“Why not stay in Calgary and take a one-hour flight?” asks Chen.
Apparently he lives in Calgary, just 20 minutes from the airport.
Vancouver was already the center of his life, then he moved away. When he wanted to move back to the city, he said: “Oh, the rent prices have gone up.”
This is how he came up with the creative idea of commuting by air.
Rent price hammer in Vancouver: Some students live in mobile homes
According to
CTV News
, Vancouver is considered the most expensive city in Canada and has a very low vacancy rate of 1.9 percent.
In the 2023 global ranking, the metropolis was among the ten most livable cities.
Other examples are also shown, such as students living in mobile homes.
“It was the only viable option because I couldn’t afford an apartment,” says a student who lives in a mobile home.
Chen, on the other hand, actually uses the commute wisely and learns the material.
Luckily, he doesn't have a busy schedule until he graduates and doesn't have to fly every day.
At UBC, many online courses were on the daily schedule even before the corona pandemic.
Student classifies Chen's arrival and says: "The commute makes sense"
The post was also posted on the Reddit portal and users discussed it.
Many people find it shocking: “What kind of stupid world do we actually live in?” or “Jesus Christ, that’s crazy”.
The video was originally uploaded to YouTube by the broadcaster on February 7, 2024.
Throughout the article, Chen explains that he lives in Calgary with his parents, which also minimizes the cost of living.
However, he also receives criticism from some users who believe that life as a student cannot be compensated for in money because of where you live and your experience.
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A user who is also a UBC student explains how sensible Chen's path is.
“UBC is located at the westernmost tip of Vancouver, so getting there from residential areas takes between one and a half and two hours.
These are normal times for people who live off campus.
So his arrival isn't all that crazy.
Places in student halls of residence are extremely difficult to get, you have to go on a waiting list and it takes an average of two years before you can move in.
Because he doesn't have to go there that often, commuting makes sense for him."
(ank)