LDH087

Hi All,

Brand new here, so apologies if this sort of thing is asked often I have been through the FAQs a little and saw the "before you leave checklist" and stuff but it's not quite what I am looking for. I am more looking for typical salaries, and rents and the quality of life arguments that support moving to Canada.

Yesterday my wife and I got back from Ontario, as I had been out there for an interview at a prospective company.

By the end of next week I should hopefully know whether I have an offer or not.

We are starting to weigh up the pro's and con's of taking the plunge and moving to Canada. Currently it's just the two of us, and our dog. We own a property in the U.K., but would keep it and rent it out as the work visa would be temporary initially (so this would cover the mortgage and give a small additional income). The hiring company contract a management company to handle aspects of the visa application process, UK and Canadian tax issues, shipping etc and even organise a home finding trip etc. So these are less what I am worried about.

Does anyone know what a typical salary for an Electronic Design Engineer should be compared to the UK? As the rental prices for similar sized UK properties seem significantly higher. Although I understand there is no council tax to pay on top of this. My main concern is that not knowing where my wife would be working; it means that it is hard to work out how our budget would translate to Canada without basing it entirely on my income alone. Also how much would an administration assistant or PA type role earn?

We would probably be looking at a 2-3bed townhome. Which I have been lead to believe should be between about $2200 - $2500; and that utilities are most likely approx $250 a month.

I was hoping for an indication of some of the other big ticket monthly expenses people have. To try to work out our budget and what we would need to bring in, in order to have at least as comfortable a lifestyle as we currently have in the UK. As otherwise there is not much point in moving...

Apologies for the slightly rambling post. I have not yet quite caught up on sleep!

Many thanks for any info.

Regards,
L

dbd33

"I was hoping for an indication of some of the other big ticket monthly expenses people have."

Car insurance, a few hundred per month to start.

christmasoompa

For groceries, this thread is really useful to give you an idea of costs - http://britishexpats.com/forum/maple...ceries-857019/

For salary, according to the Jobbank data the average hourly salary for your NOC code is $40.87 in Ontario, so as a very guide (and assuming a 37.5 hour week) that would be about $80k a year (£45k ish).

Cost of living is said to be about the same in Canada, some things cheaper and some more expensive, so it tends to even out.

HTH, welcome to BE and good luck with the job offer.

glendem4

You are looking at $40k for an Admin assistant role. https://www.payscale.com/research/CA...1e0/Toronto-ON

To get something decent (2/3 bedroom house) and close to ttc transport links you are looking at spending $2500 a month minimum. Here is what you can get accommodation wise in Toronto based on your requirements https://www.zolo.ca/index.php?attrib...search_order=1

R I C H

I've recently moved back to the UK after 14 years in BC, and have found the cost of living here considerably less expensive so far. Of course exchange rates muddy the water, but I've not found anything other than the cost of fuel for a car more expensive.

Some examples:

Car insurance 66% less
Home insurance 33% less
Groceries 20% less
Wine 45% less
Cell phone 75% less

christmasoompa

That's really interesting, I've seen a few people on the forum say the same recently. OK, so ignore that completely OP, seems the old 'cost of living is similar' rule may not be applicable anymore!

rivingtonpike

Really quite an eye opener. I've always felt better off here, but that is perhaps as a result of being paid more rather than things being cheaper. Since the crash of 2007, both mine and my wife's UK salaries seem to have largely stagnated in UK terms, whereas here they have risen appreciably. But that is not the same as the cost of things, simply our ability to buy them.

Atlantic Xpat

I travel to the uk (London) frequently as some may know. Outside of the cost of buying property I think pretty much everything feels cheaper in UK than my part of Canada.

rivingtonpike

For two very respected posters to make the same observation has really quite shocked me to be honest. I was under the illusion that our cost of living was much cheaper than it would be if we still lived in London. Although our house in London was worth far more than our (ironically) much bigger house here, we had a very small mortgage relative to its value, so that wasn't a burden on us. I had built up the illusion over the years that thinks in the UK were "so expensive....". It would appear not!
Very interesting...

Siouxie

If you can get one, that is. Competition for that role is fierce - I know Canadians with years of experience and certification (which Ontario companies love) who have struggled for months to get a job in admin.

@LDH087

Where in Ontario is the job and do you need to live close by or are you willing to commute?

My sister also thinks it's cheaper in the UK than in Ontario - she was here for 3 months last year and was shocked at the prices for basic essentials, compared to what she pays in the UK.

GermanytoCanada

Whenever we go to Canada, we find prices overall fairly similar to those in Bavaria - so much so that I am never that shocked or surprised at the Canadian prices. We find the UK far cheaper than Germany, so also cheaper than Canada for day to day purchases.

If we shopped in UK Lidl/Aldi etc, I imagine we would be pretty shocked at Canadian food prices. As we don't have that option on a weekly basis, Canadian prices feel quite normal to us.

I might be more upset in the future when paying Bavarian/Canadian prices but earning Canadian level salaries.

Atlantic Xpat

Blimey. Am I one of those "respected posters"?

Cost comparisons are always a bit subjective and are as much to do with your personal economy i.e what you buy, where you live etc. Costs in Newfoundland are higher than other areas of Canada. For groceries it's because of the extended supply chain to get things here, for insurance it's because of a small, regulated market. And because insurance companies are money grabbing b*******s! Conversation with colleagues in London last week ..... "How much do you pay to insurance house & car? Oh 700 quid, You? $4300 or 2600 quid. F***ing hell!"

I work for a Canadian subsidiary of a UK PLC. Our head office is in London & my colleagues live and work within commuting distance of the office. My quality of life is immeasurably better than theirs because I don't have to commute more than 15 minutes. That's a huge economic (No season ticket) and non-economic benefit in my eyes. I can't, for example see the point of moving to the GTA for that oft sought "Quality of Life" if that involves 2 hrs commute each way.

Outside of that, cost of housing is the obvious and oft quoted difference & If you're moving today from SE England to Atlantic/Maritime Canada or the Prairies then I dare say you can afford a bigger place. But with house prices soaring in the GTA and BC, it feels that the property cost benefit is no longer valid.

Going round Tesco's in the market town in Suffolk where my family lives, pretty much everything is cheaper with the exception of beef. Eating out in London, feels cheaper. Even London price for a pint of 4 quid is cheaper than a pint in St John's. Go outside of London & I bought 3 pints in a Wetherspoons in Henley on Thames last week for under 8 quid. How much would three pints cost where you live? For me it's $21 or thereabouts.

Now there's a more technical and involved discussion to be had around economics but the blanket assumption that Canada is cheaper? No I don't think that's correct.

dbd33

I find routine clothing of the type required by a man working in a "business casual" environment is cheaper in the UK.

Partially discharged

Are you sure about that $4 London pint.

Atlantic Xpat

Yes, me too. In fact I updated my business casual wardrobe last week while back in Blighty for that self same reason. Plus of course the dearth of shops here on the Rock.