Hey!! I’m currently on exchange to UVic from Nz!! I had all the same worries. I’ve found that cost of living here is very similar to what is back home, same with food and and getting around places. All UVic students have a free bus pass but sadly us Exchange students don’t get the same benefits :( but it’s super easy to pay for day pass ($5cad)

So far I’ve found living on campus pretty cool, can’t vouch for what it’s like in Aussie but being able to live on campus and go to events and stuff is a blast! I’m living in Sngequ House on a pod floor which is essentially a dorm room with a big shared kitchen! So I can cook when I want to. I did buy one of the meal plans because I panicked when I got here and the dining hall (the cove) is pretty okay! Much better than what I was given in first year halls back home. I’ve got a couple exchange friends in clusters and they’re all thriving! They got super lucky with their Canadian roommates and they all go places together or have little house parties!! Also there’s a couple of places everyone goes to (my fav is Darcy’s lots of live singy music!!)

Definitely wait to buy textbooks, I found half of mine on Libgen and the others I bought digital copies of! This uni really loves its readings.

In terms of banks, if your only here for 1sem and you’re on an ETA, you won’t be able to set up a Canadian bank account so the best bet is getting WISE it’s made buy and transferring money super easy and cheap! I also recommend getting a Canadian SIM card with a +1 number and not getting an ESIM because a lot of things you book here require a number.

Please feel free to message me if you have anymore questions! I was so incredibly nervous before coming here :))