iN NUMBERS: Fewer international students helps lower rent in B.C.

The effects of Canada’s international student cap are starting to show up in the rental market in B.C.

Rentals.ca found that cities with universities with high international student enrolment are seeing the biggest declines in the price of rent.

Here are the numbers from Rentals.ca:

• 39: Per cent drop in permits for international students in 2025. 
• 69: Per cent drop in international students granted permission to study in Canada in 2025.
• 5.4: Per cent drop in the price of rent in B.C. from 2024 to 2025.
• 8.9: Per cent drop in rent for the average two-bedroom apartment in Kelowna year-over-year.  
• 16: Per cent of the students at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna are international students, down one per cent from the 2022-2023 school year. 
• 2.3: Per cent drop in rent for the average two-bedroom apartment in Kamloops year-over-year.
• 2,000: More international students studied at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops this school year compared to last year, roughly. 
• 8.2: Per cent drop in the rent for a one-bedroom apartment around the UBC campus in Vancouver. 
• 3.9: Per cent drop in the rent for a one-bedroom apartment, on average, across Vancouver.