Quick Verdict
Znith Living, Best Overall in Ottawa for 2026, wins on its all-inclusive Little Italy build and direct LRT connection to Carleton.
The Revalie wins on amenities and community, with 80,000 sq ft of shared space built around a shuttle-first campus lifestyle.
ALMA @ ByWard Market is the premium downtown pick for students who want to be steps from uOttawa and the LRT.
Hillside Apartments puts uOttawa within a verified 7-minute walk, with the list’s widest range of studio and one-bedroom floor plans.
Wilbrod Apartments is the budget-friendly pick, with the lowest starting rent and a 2-minute walk to uOttawa.
All five are fully furnished, so the real trade-off across this list is walking distance to campus versus monthly price, not furniture or amenities.
Who this is for: Carleton, uOttawa, and Algonquin-bound students (and their parents) comparing furnished, purpose-built housing against a traditional off-campus rental for 2026-27.
Finding student housing in Ottawa means weighing high rental costs against limited availability, all while figuring out how far you’ll actually be from class. Furnished versus unfurnished, utilities on top of rent, roommate compatibility, and lease flexibility all factor in before a lease gets signed. Purpose-built student housing answers most of this by bundling it into one monthly rent, which is why it now competes directly with the traditional off-campus apartment.
This guide compares five options on location, monthly cost, what’s included, campus access, amenities, and best-fit student type. Prices shift fast heading into a new academic year, so confirm the live rate with each property before signing anything.
No affiliate links or commissions shaped these rankings; every fact comes from each provider’s current listings, cross-checked against independent review platforms and Ottawa’s student housing offices.
Every property below is fully furnished, but the similarities stop there: price and campus access vary widely, and so does what “all-inclusive” actually covers.
| Student Housing | Best For | Location | All-Inclusive | Campus Access | Starting Price |
| Znith Living | Best Overall | Little Italy | Yes | Carleton, ~9 min | $1,000/mo* |
| The Revalie | Amenities & Community | Brookfield Rd | Not publicly listed | Carleton shuttle, ~7 min | Contact for pricing |
| ALMA @ ByWard Market | Premium Downtown | ByWard Market | Yes | uOttawa, 7-min walk | $930/bed* |
| Hillside Apartments | uOttawa Access | Sandy Hill | Yes | uOttawa, 7-min walk | $1,400/bed* |
| Wilbrod Apartments | Budget-Friendly | Sandy Hill | Yes | uOttawa, 2-min walk | $729/mo |
*Promotional rate at time of research (September 2026). Confirm the live rate before applying.
Znith Living occupies a purpose-built tower at 101 Champagne Ave S in Little Italy, taking the guesswork out of student rent. The building bundles furniture, utilities, and Wi-Fi into one payment, sits five minutes from Dow’s Lake O-Train Station, and reaches Carleton in roughly nine minutes door to door via the LRT.
Each bedroom has a private bathroom with a locking door, plus a double or full-size bed and a desk; common areas add a sofa, a smart TV, and a dining set. The kitchen includes a dishwasher, oven, and fridge, and every unit has its own washer and dryer.
All-inclusive rent covers every utility and Wi-Fi, so a $1,000-a-month bedroom is close to the real total. Floor plans run 1-bedroom through 4-bedroom, leasing now for September 2026.
The top-floor Z Lounge adds a skyline view alongside ping-pong and pool tables, and a 24/7 fitness centre includes a yoga room. Znith also runs a roommate-matching service built on a short lifestyle quiz.
Residents commit 12 months at a time within a flexible three-year structure and can leave after year one with no fees. New Ontario buildings occupied after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the province’s rent-increase guideline, per the Government of Ontario, so a landlord here could legally raise rent past the 2.1% cap set for 2026. Znith’s predictable-increase promise goes beyond what the law requires.
Znith fits Carleton-bound students who want furnished housing and predictable costs. The trade-off: it’s a brand-new building with no resident review history yet, and uOttawa-bound students face a longer commute than the options below.
What to love:
• All-inclusive rent bundles utilities and Wi-Fi into one predictable monthly cost
• Nine-minute LRT connection to Carleton from a five-minute walk to the O-Train
• Top-floor Z Lounge, 24/7 fitness centre, and furnished study spaces on site
• Roommate-matching quiz for students moving in without an existing roommate
What can be better:
• New building for fall 2026 means no resident review history to check yet
• Carleton-focused location means a longer commute for uOttawa-bound student
Get in touch with Znith:
Address: 101 Champagne Ave S, Ottawa, ON K1S 4P3
Phone: +1 343-353-7425
Instagram: instagram.com/znithliving
Facebook: facebook.com/znithliving
The Revalie sits at 770 Brookfield Road near Mooney’s Bay, making its case with scale rather than downtown proximity. A resident-only shuttle gets Carleton students there in about seven minutes, with a uOttawa route launching in September 2026.
The building holds 80,000 sq ft of shared indoor and outdoor space, including 20,000 sq ft of study areas. Residents also get a cinema, a golf simulator, and on-site retail including a grocery market and a pharmacy. Covered, heated shuttle service and indoor pathways between buildings are built around Ottawa’s winters.
Suites come furnished across shared and private configurations, but The Revalie doesn’t publicly list per-bedroom pricing, so a call to leasing is necessary. The property carries a strong 4-out-of-5 average across 39 published resident reviews, with 94.9% recommending it and recent 2025 reviews praising cleanliness and student-friendliness.
Students who want a dense student community and don’t mind a shuttle rather than walking to class get the most out of The Revalie. It’s a weaker fit for anyone specifically headed to uOttawa before the new shuttle route launches.
What to love:
• 80,000 sq ft of shared space, a scale few Ottawa student buildings match
• Winter-specific infrastructure: heated shuttle and indoor building-to-building pathways
• On-site retail (grocery, pharmacy, physiotherapy) reduces trips off-site
What can be better:
• uOttawa shuttle route doesn’t launch until September 2026; confirm it’s live before booking on that basis
• Per-bedroom pricing isn’t published; contact leasing directly
Get in touch with Revalie:
Address: 770 Brookfield Road, Ottawa, ON
Phone: (613) 800-9813
ALMA @ ByWard Market sits at 256 Rideau St, a seven-minute walk from uOttawa and steps from the LRT, priced like the downtown location it is.
Current promotional rates, all-inclusive: $930 per bed for a shared 2-bed/1-bath unit, $1,365 for a standard studio, and $1,379 for a premium studio; the 2-bed/2-bath layout was sold out at the time of writing.
Residents share “The Collective,” a space with a bar and lounge, a rooftop spa and sauna, a golf simulator, and co-working areas, and every suite is furnished with in-suite laundry on a 12-month fall term.
ALMA suits uOttawa students who want to live downtown and are willing to pay for it, plus young professionals who want to stay in the building after graduating. Students who’d rather study somewhere quieter than steps from ByWard Market’s nightlife should look further down this list.
What to love:
• Seven-minute walk to uOttawa and steps from the LRT and downtown offices
• Resort-style amenities, including a rooftop spa, sauna, and golf simulator, rare even among premium student buildings
• Open to young professionals, giving residents a path to stay after graduating
What can be better:
• Studio rates run $1,365 to $1,379 a month even after the current discount, the highest single-occupant pricing on this list
• The 2-bed/2-bath layout was sold out at the time of research
Get in touch with ALMA @ ByWard Market:
Address: 256 Rideau St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5Y3
Phone: +1 613-801-3744
Worth noting: Ottawa’s overall average rent hit $1,741 a month as of October 2025, with a vacancy rate of just 2.9%, according to CMHC. Every all-inclusive student building on this list is competing with a genuinely tight traditional rental market, not just with each other.
Hillside Apartments sits at 250 Besserer Street in Sandy Hill, a seven-minute walk from uOttawa. It offers 11 floor plans, from studios (from $1,850) to one-bedrooms ($1,950 to $2,069) and a two-bedroom Delta layout from $1,400 per bedroom, its most affordable configuration.
Rent covers utilities and furniture, with in-suite washer/dryer and air conditioning, uncommon among older Sandy Hill rentals. Amenities include a fitness centre, a rooftop patio, and 24/7 fob access. Hillside runs the same flexible three-year, 12-month-commitment lease as Znith.
Reviews on Apartments.com run mixed, currently averaging 3 out of 5 across two published reviews:
“Since they changed property managers, everyone is unreachable. I can’t speak directly to anyone to solve my issues. Even for the most simple questions, I get forwarded to voicemail or get promised a call back that never comes. Don’t waste your time here because they will waste yours!” Verified Renter, 1 ⭐ on Apartments.com, August 2025
Hillside is the strongest pick for uOttawa students who want to walk to class and can afford the building’s studio or one-bedroom rates. Budget-conscious students should look at the Delta layout to bring the per-bed cost down, or consider Wilbrod below.
What to love:
• Seven-minute walk to uOttawa with 11 floor plans to choose from, more variety than any other property on this list
• Two-bedroom Delta layout brings the per-bed price down to $1,400, the building’s best value
• In-suite air conditioning, uncommon among older Sandy Hill buildings
What can be better:
• Studio and one-bedroom rates run as high as $2,069 a month, the priciest single-occupant units here
• No dedicated study lounge among the listed amenities, unlike Znith, The Revalie, or ALMA
Get in touch with Hillside Apartments:
Address: 250 Besserer St, Ottawa, ON K1N 0E8
Phone: (613) 703-3400
Wilbrod Apartments, run by Ottawa Student Housing Inc. at 211-213 Wilbrod Street in Sandy Hill, advertises rent from $729 a month with a two-minute walk to uOttawa, by far the lowest starting price here.
Rent includes furniture, all utilities, taxes, and Wi-Fi, with parking an extra $120. Leases run 12 months or a shorter 4-month term. The building doesn’t list a shared gym, lounge, or study space, and a private bathroom costs extra rather than coming standard.
The same operator also runs Blake and Shefford, both from $649 but with 30- to 35-minute commutes; Wilbrod trades a slightly higher price for a walkable location.
Wilbrod fits budget-conscious uOttawa students who want to walk to campus and don’t need on-site amenities to justify the rent. Anyone who values a gym or study space enough to pay for it should look at the other four options instead.
What to love:
• Lowest starting rent here at $729 a month, less than half of ALMA’s or Hillside’s per-bed rates
• Genuine two-minute walk to uOttawa despite the budget price point
• All-inclusive pricing covers utilities, taxes, and Wi-Fi with no bundled amenity fees
What can be better:
• No shared gym, lounge, or study space listed among the building’s amenities
• Private bathroom costs extra rather than coming standard, unlike every other property here
• Only 12-month or 4-month leases are offered, with no 8-month academic-year option
Contact Wilbrod Apartments:
Address: 211-213 Wilbrod Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 6L4
Phone: 1-613-699-6990
Run through these regardless of which property you’re leaning toward:
• True monthly cost, not headline rent: add utilities, internet, furniture, and insurance to any advertised price before comparing two buildings.
• Actual commute, not advertised commute: a shuttle that “launches September 2026,” like The Revalie’s uOttawa route, isn’t a guarantee until it’s running.
• Lease terms before you sign: check lease length, renewal, and early-termination fees. The Landlord and Tenant Board requires landlords to give 90 days’ written notice before any rent increase, so check what your building has committed to beyond that legal minimum.
• Room quality and the living environment: a private bathroom, as Wilbrod shows, isn’t always standard, and management responsiveness matters as much as square footage. Hillside’s mixed reviews, strong on security but flagged for unreachable management after a staffing change, are a reminder to read a building’s actual resident reviews, not just its marketing photos.
The University of Ottawa’s housing office advises budgeting beyond rent alone, since utilities, parking, and internet all add up, and it notes that traditional one-bedroom apartments in Ottawa average around $1,600 a month, with two-bedroom units closer to $1,980.
That’s why all-inclusive buildings compete so directly with traditional rentals: a $1,000 room at Znith or a $1,400 bed at Hillside already has utilities and Wi-Fi built in, turning a variable monthly bill into one fixed number, while a traditional apartment’s headline rent typically doesn’t.
| Factor | Student Housing | Traditional Apartment |
| Furniture | Usually included | Usually not included |
| Utilities | Often bundled into rent | Usually billed separately |
| Roommates | Matching services available | Self-arranged |
| Lease terms | Student-specific, often flexible | Standard 12-month terms |
| Setup effort | Move in with a suitcase | Furniture and utility setup required |
A traditional apartment can work out cheaper for students who already have furniture and know their roommates. Purpose-built student housing earns its higher headline price by removing that setup work, which matters most for first-year and out-of-town students.
• Choose Znith Living for an all-inclusive, Carleton-focused building with predictable costs for your whole degree.
• Choose The Revalie if amenities and community matter more than walking to class.
• Choose ALMA @ ByWard Market for premium downtown living near uOttawa.
• Choose Hillside Apartments if walking to uOttawa is your top priority.
• Choose Wilbrod Apartments if keeping monthly costs low matters more than on-site amenities.
Confirm 2026-27 rates and lease terms directly with whichever property you choose; every price here reflects what was publicly advertised at the time of research and can change before you sign.
How much does student housing cost in Ottawa in 2026? Rates on this list range from $729 a month at Wilbrod to over $2,000 for a Hillside one-bedroom, with most all-inclusive options landing between $930 and $1,400 per bed. Traditional one-bedroom apartments average around $1,600 before utilities.
What is the best area to live in Ottawa as a student? It depends on your campus. Little Italy and Brookfield Road work best for Carleton, while Sandy Hill and ByWard Market put you within a short walk of uOttawa.
Is all-inclusive student housing worth it? It’s worth it if you’d rather pay one predictable number than manage separate utility and furniture costs, the trade-off Znith and Wilbrod both make explicit. It’s less worth it if you already own furniture and want to shop your own utility providers.
What is the best student housing near Carleton University? Znith Living offers the most direct connection, with a five-minute walk to Dow’s Lake O-Train Station and a four-minute LRT ride onto campus, about nine minutes door to door.
Is it risky to choose Znith Living since it’s a brand-new building with no resident reviews yet? The risk is real but bounded: what you can verify (the LRT connection, the all-inclusive pricing, the floor plans, the lease terms) is all publicly confirmed, and the newness only leaves the day-to-day resident experience unproven. Znith’s roommate-matching quiz and 12-month exit option are both built to reduce that uncertainty rather than lock you into an unknown. Booking a tour before signing is the most direct way to judge the building for yourself.
Znith Living stands out as the best overall choice for Carleton-bound students in 2026. It pairs an all-inclusive furnished unit and a direct LRT connection with lease terms that go beyond what Ontario law requires from a new building.
The Revalie, ALMA, Hillside, and Wilbrod each earn their spot for a different priority: amenities, downtown access, uOttawa proximity, or price. Narrow down your campus and budget, then confirm current pricing before you commit to a lease.
