bdave1975

Hi all given the following information I'm trying to decide if me and my family should make the move to Nova Scotia.
1, We are a family of 4 2 adults a 6 year old girl and 8 year old boy.
2, We have been offered a job in Halifax at 90K CAD.
3, My wife is intending to either volunteer at a school etc. i.e. she will not be doing paid work initially.
4, we have funds to put deposit on 2 used cars expect to put 10% down on each. Both cars around 10k.
5, Intend to rent around Colby village with a 3 bed minimum house for a year then we have funds for 10% deposit on 350K CAD house.
6, We do not go out much tbh and are not extravagant in our spending.
7, I have existing commitments with the UK that will cost around 400 CAD a month.

Based on average food, rent , utility and other costs I'm trying to figure out if we will manage on 90K out there, while still being able to save for a rainy day?

Any thoughts welcome.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

I've moved your thread to the main Canada forums and also put more info in the thread title so that those in Halifax will see it and can respond.

Assuming that you're moving on a TWP, I'd double check that your wife can volunteer, as it might not be allowed depending on her visa status.

Best of luck with the move, hopefully the folks in Halifax will be able to help you further with the cost of living etc.

Howefamily

Just one earner at $90k is def do-able but it may be tight frankly. I would be cautious about your house budget too, you dont want to become house poor. You dont need to spend $350k but that of course is completely up to you. With exisiting commitments in the UK chewing up some of your cash I would def look at spending less on a home so that you *can* go out. You will be in a new country - enjoying eating out and seeing places is part of the joy of finding your feet in a new place.

Shirtback

What job & what visa/WP?

Howefamily

$90k seems to be a decent salary, although we of course have no idea what you do.

bdave1975

Will be Work Permit followed by PNP to go for full pr. Job is Senior Automation Quality Assurance Engineer.

Shirtback

I'd be tempted to move to Halifax for 90k.

I'm not sure I'd be tempted to buy a 350k house there, unless I'd lived there several years, had PR & had determined that I really really liked the place.

Shirtback

So that sounds like your wife would be eligible for an OWP. Volunteering shouldn't be a problem for her, but I'm sure someone will be along to correct me if I'm wrong .

As far as working out a budget/finances goes: car insurance is often a shocker for new arrivals.

plasticcanuck

$90k is about 45GBP. How much you presently make should determine if you will be better off or not. Some people on here suggest that living costs UK vs Canada are very much alike. (What you gain on the hobby-horses you lose on the roundabouts).
$90k is regarded as a good salary. Most individuals in Canada do not make that much and many supplement the family income with the spouse's earnings. As with any other income level it's not necessarily how much you earn but what you do with it that counts.
Also keep in mind that Government children benefits are probably less generous here and will not kick in until some time after you arrive.

dbd33

Me too. But, I like Halifax and I like NS generally and I no longer have any great career ambitions. I'd go there with the expectations that:

- I wouldn't be able to find another job in NS. If that one didn't work out it'd mean moving far away again.

- My children would move away for university, or immediately after, and not come back.

Generally posters here who left NS did so because there was little work there and/or they found the pace of life too slow. One might liken a good job in Halifax to a good job in Aberdeen, it's great if that's your thing but it aint everyone's thing.

Howefamily

Yes it can take some time to find another role that you want. But I am on my third company here. You can get another job if you want to. And I am very ambitious, this is the most forward progressive company I have ever worked for.

Atlantic Xpat

Well, yes, it's a decent enough salary for many locations. But we don't know the context - what the role is, what the OP does in the UK, what they earn in the UK, where they live etc - to provide meaningful comment. I don't for a moment suggest that the OP shares those details with us on an internet forum. What I would suggest is that you try and assess the cost of living in the Halifax area (many threads on cost of living, ask specific questions if you need to) and compare that with the cost of living / financial circumstances in UK & make a judgement from there.

Shirtback

And I'd (mostly) agree with all that.

It's up to the OP to share more details (has he already visited Halifax, long term goals, etc etc), if he wishes.

I'd probably take Halifax over Aberdeen, personally, but neither would be first choice...

Atlantic Xpat

We can do some quick math here....

$90k .... according to the basic tax calculator at taxtips.ca you'll pay $26k or so in taxes. So thats $5300 a month after tax.

Kijiiji gives house rental (based on a sample size of only 3) between $1700-2000 a month. (4-5 bed house)

A 25 year mortgage for $315k @ 2.99% is approx $1500 per month. Add property tax to that say 1% of property value, divided monthly is $300. https://www.drcalculator.com/mortgage/ca/

So your property costs for rental or ownership are broadly going to be the same at around $1800+ a month.

Car Insurance likely also to run you anywhere from $150-300 a month for a newcomer and two vehicles.

Cost of living - do your research.

So it all looks doable on $90k but as a sole income, without a great deal of free cash left for say vacations, travel back to Uk or savings. But as I say, it all depends upon what you are comparing with in UK & only you can make that assessment.

Engineer_abroad

Without knowing your visa/work permit status I cant be certain but bear in mind that if you are on a temporary foreign worker work permit financial institutes will limit the term of any credit to the expiry date of your work permit. For me this means my RBC credit card is limited to 3 years. May mean that you will need a larger % on the cars and PR before the mortage.