Faculty of Science
Department of Psychology
1355 OXFORD ST. LSC HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA | CANADA B3H 4R2 | +1 (902) 494-3417

Halifax Living - Being a Haligonian

 

Halifax is the largest city in the Atlantic Provinces and is located on the Eastern coast of Nova Scotia. Halifax is a great city and a great place to make your home. The current graduate students have compiled some information to help you get to know Halifax.

    

 

   Cost of living information

  • Expect to pay rent of $750 or higher for a one bedroom apartment within walking distance to Dalhousie. You can save a lot of money by sharing a larger place with roommates, or by living further away. Remember, a bus pass is included in your tuition so it is easy to get around!
  • Utilities included in rent vary (heat, electricity, hot water local phone, cable, internet), but almost always include water. Keep this in mind when budgeting!
  • With so much in walking distance or a short bus ride away, you don’t need a car to live comfortably in Halifax. This could representative a considerable savings compared to living in other cities!
  • Cable, phone, and internet companies (Eastlink (www.eastlink.ca); Aliant (www.aliant.net)) often bundle their services and offer deals to new students in September. Expect to pay $100-150 per month for cable, local phone, and internet, depending on the features you want.
  • Sales tax in Nova Scotia (Harmonized sales tax or HST) is 13%
  • Cinema tickets (downtown Halifax) cost $8.99

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   Entertainment

  • Halifax has a great local music scene, with lots of live music at bars and pubs. Check the free weekly newspaper, The Coast (www.thecoast.ca), for show listings.
  • If you like taking in a show, Halifax has a number of theatre companies, including:

·         Neptune Theatre (http://www.neptunetheatre.com/)

·         Shakespeare by the Sea (http://www.shakespearebythesea.ca/index.html) - A unique theatre company that puts on plays (Shakespeare and others) outside in Point Pleasant Park

·         Zuppa Circus (http://www.zuppacircus.com/)

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   Outdoor Activities

 

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   Traveling to/from/around Halifax

  • Toronto is about a two hour flight away.
  • You can drive from Halifax to Montreal in a day (12 hours).
  • Halifax is home to the Robert Stanfield International Airport (http://www.hiaa.ca/), with direct flights to many Canadian and International destinations, including Boston, New York, Heathrow, and Cuba.
  • The airport is approximately 30 minutes away from downtown. A cab ride costs $53 (flat rate), or you can take the Airporter shuttle (http://www.airporter.biz/) for $18.
  • Living in Halifax provides a great opportunity to explore the rest of the Atlantic Provinces. Here are just a few examples:

·         Within Nova Scotia, there are a number of beautiful parks such as Kejimkujik National Park (http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ns/kejimkujik/index_e.asp) (2.5 hour drive) and the Cape Breton Highlands (http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ns/cbreton/index_e.asp) (5 hour drive)

·         Check out the highest tides in the world at Fundy National Park in New Brunswick (http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nb/fundy/index_e.asp) (3.5 hour drive)

·         Prince Edward Island should not be missed, and can be reached by ferry or the Confederation Bridge (3.5 hour drive to Charlottetown).

·         St John’s is a short plane ride away, or you can drive to Cape Breton and take the ferry to Newfoundland. In Newfoundland, you’ll find the best skiing East of the Rockies at Marble Mountain (http://skimarble.com/).

 

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Grad Student Information

 

Graduate student associations: