As the largest urban area on Cape Breton and the island’s historical capital, Sydney is the perfect mix of metropolitan charm and down home hospitality. As with many Nova Scotian communities on the ocean, the heart of Sydney is its waterfront. On a warm, summer evening it’s a great place to go for a walk, stop to watch a busker and to watch ships in the harbour. Along the way, be sure to get your photo taken beside the world’s largest fiddle, built in recognition of Cape Breton’s musical talent.
Secure housing plays a vital role in your student experience. It is very important that students do not travel to Canada before securing proper accommodations. Like most of Canada, affordable housing is a serious issue in Cape Breton. Housing in the area is limited and students should begin their search early. We continue to advocate for affordable housing solutions, including pushing for Federal support of the proposed Tartan Downs Project, which would see various housing options built within the CBRM.
Students should budget $1000 per month for housing and associated costs.
Brand new 2-bedroom apartment, available to rent in Sydney. Units are heated with heat pumps and electric heat. Each unit…
This fully furnished, cozy 2-bedroom house, is available to rent immediately to 2 female tenants. Tenants will be responsible for…
A fully furnished studio apartment, perfect for any student wishing to have their own space. The unit has been refreshed…
This is 1 furnished bedroom, available to rent immediately in the landlords’ house. Tenant will have heat, utilities, parking, kitchen…
1 bedroom in a shared home, available to rent to 1 female tenant. This house has 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom,…
This is a 4-bedroom home complete with two kitchens and two living spaces. There are 2 bedrooms that each have…
1 single bedroom in the landlords home, available to rent to 1 female tenant beginning January 1st, 2026. Landlords are…
There are 2 furnished bedrooms available to rent in the Whitney Pier area of Sydney, beginning November 27th, 2025. Tenants…
This is a 4-bedroom house that is available to rent beginning Dec 1st, 2025. The house can accommodate 6 people…
1 fully furnished bedroom, available to rent beginning November 1st, 2025. This bedroom is located in a 4-bedroom house, and…
3 Rooms available to rent in private home, beginning December 1st, 2025. Rooms for rent to Female students; bright second floor…
This is a 1-bedroom, 1 bathroom, full mini home. This is suitable for 2 tenants. The mini home has a…
The Off-Campus Housing Coordinator works to connect students to landlords and vice-versa via the Off-Campus Accommodation Listing which is a free resource for the community. The coordinator ensures a smooth operation of this free resource that can be used by newcomers as well as property owners/managers in the community.
Students are most welcome to reach out to the coordinator but depending on the email traffic, you may or may not hear back in time and rental listings can get sold out quickly. Hence, students are encouraged to follow the contact instructions on the listing to secure it.
Students are encouraged to reach out to the listing’s point of contact directly and be mindful that the property owners/managers do not work for CBU and will answer on their own accord.
Rental/Property listings take place approximately 2 months prior to an intake. If you start searching too early or too late in relation to your intake, you may not find the right option for you. Starting your search early is definitely the key and we encourage future students to use this resource as early in their journey as possible.
The prices displayed on listings can vary since some of them are room leases, some apartments and some are for houses. The pricing may seem high because it is for a whole house that can be leased.
Listings posted on third-party platforms and social media websites can be fake/scams and it is very important to be mindful of the same. The Off-Campus living page is maintained and updated by the Off-Campus housing coordinator and not through user-generated content.
