Student Rental Costs Near UNB and St. Thomas in Fredericton

A shared campus, a shared rental market

The University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University sit on adjacent campuses on Fredericton's hill overlooking downtown, close enough that students from both schools walk between them regularly. That shared location means UNB and STU students compete for the same nearby rentals rather than splitting into separate housing markets the way students at two campuses in a bigger city might.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation tracks Fredericton as its own metropolitan area in the annual Rental Market Survey, publishing average rent and vacancy rate by unit size each year. Because these numbers change annually, check the current CMHC Rental Market Report data tables for Fredericton before signing, rather than budgeting off an older figure.

Neighbourhoods near the Hill

Streets directly below campus and around Waterloo Row carry the heaviest concentration of student rentals, mixing older houses split into units with some smaller apartment buildings. Downtown Fredericton sits a short walk or bus ride from both campuses and offers more variety in building age and price, trading a longer commute for closer access to shops, jobs and the downtown bus hub.

What a typical shared house looks like

Most UNB and STU students who live off campus share an older house with two to four roommates rather than rent alone, since Fredericton has fewer large purpose-built apartment buildings near campus than a bigger university city. Splitting a shared house keeps the per-person cost well below a studio or one-bedroom apartment, and it is the default arrangement among returning upper-year students at both schools.

Fredericton against other New Brunswick and Atlantic cities

Fredericton's rental market runs smaller than Moncton's and generally cheaper than Halifax's, since Halifax carries a much larger population and several universities competing for the same private rental stock. New Brunswick's provincial capital status brings some non-student demand from government workers, but nowhere near the scale that drives up rent in Quebec City or Halifax.

Lease length and application timing

Ask every landlord directly whether an 8-month academic-year lease is available before you assume the only option is a standard 12-month term, since practice varies by building near both campuses. Landlords near the Hill often start renting out units for September well before spring exams end, so start your search early in the winter term if you want first pick of the closest streets to campus.

Winter costs to budget for

New Brunswick winters run cold, and older Fredericton houses vary widely in insulation quality. If heat is not included in your rent, ask the landlord or a previous tenant what a typical winter month costs and confirm whether the unit runs on oil, electric baseboard or another heating system before you sign.

Getting around without a car

Fredericton Transit runs bus routes connecting the Hill, downtown and the surrounding neighbourhoods, though service runs less frequently than in a larger city, so check the schedule for your target street before assuming a short commute. Many students living on or near the Hill walk to both campuses directly and rely on the bus mainly for trips downtown or to grocery stores farther out. The city's riverside trail network also makes a car-free commute practical for students living along the Saint John River in warmer months.

Where to start your search

• Both UNB and STU run off-campus housing resources aimed at students, worth checking before general rental sites.

• Start searching in the winter term. The closest streets to the Hill fill up before the fall term begins.

• Ask whether heat is included, since older Fredericton houses vary in how utilities are split among units.

• Compare a shared house's per-person cost against a studio apartment before deciding, since Fredericton's shared-house market often beats solo units on price.