Japonica

Just to be a pain, and to quibble over prices (which is a BE hobby), I have to disagree with a bit of it...utilities were definitely more, but cable/phone/internet was a lot less...I can't say what satellite cost back in Canada as we never found a need for it and just had Shaw (which gave us about 100 channels on cable) but we could get one of their bundle deals for about $120 a month (with no quota on usage either). Now in Australia, to get Foxtel/25GB internet (the next to lowest plan)/ and phone is $220 a month. Ack.

Clothing was cheaper, petrol cheaper, groceries definitely cheaper. My family back in Canada had a huge laugh at our 11.99kg bananas this week and think we're crazy for living here. Eating out...some take away restaurant meals are about the same, but snack type stuff is generally cheaper. You can take two kids to Tim Horton's and even grab a coffee for yourself and it won't even come to $10. Try doing that at a Muffin Break here.

aussieuk

Canada have a world class education system, best Universities, best welfare system, beautiful summers, good economy, Vanacouver is very beautiful world class city, modern airports, big malls, stunning scenery, close to Europe/US, work permit (visa free) access to USA and several benefits. Even if its -37C who cares as everything is perfectly heated and warm.Every accomodation or car/transport in Canada have comprehensive heating and cooling facilities (always as standard).

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Well me for a start. Given the choice between 20c in Winter or -37c you would have to be slightly mad, in my view, to pick -37c.... no matter how well everything is heated.

aussieuk

I agree with you on this, many people in Australia cannot tolerate +40C or +45C (Melbourne,Sydney,Perth) which are the extremes in summers.Long story short both countries may have extreme weather...

Rambi

But how many 40C+ days did we have in Melly this summer?

NickyC

I've lived in Sydney for 31 years and can count the number of +40c days I've experienced on one hand. The weather where I am is not the slightest bit extreme.

fish.01

Yes. I think everyone is fascinated by how housework became a sport

fish.01

Cable tv has just never taken off here so those who want it have to pay a premium. A long winter locked inside may change our mind. Internet/phone costs me $59 including calls. Isn't banana's a silly example given the temporary nature of the price? Wouldn't the employees of Horton's get paid a lot less than muffin break?

Rambi

It all started in the East Midlands of England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ironing

knn

In my opinion, hands down- Canada is prettier than Australia. The Rockies, Banff, humongous beautiful malls, cheap flights to Usa, Europe and Central America.....but the weather is a huge turnoff.

My lips were cracking up there, couldn't feel my toes, nose, fingers, runny nose everyday. Dressing up is a hassle. Was so scared of dropping my baby due to my thick gloves and thick baby clothes.

So, i'd rather stay put in Australia and visit my relatives in Canada from time to time.

ProudVIC

There were two days above 40C and only 22 days above 30C since November last year.

So that's 22 days out of 145 since the 1st November last year that had a maximum temperature above 30C in central Melbourne.

It's hardly Death Valley...... (like some people like to believe, remember all of Australia is unbearably hot in summer )

EDIT: Official Melbourne stats

Mean annual number of days above 30C = 29.9
Mean annual number of days above 35C = 10.0
Mean annual number of days above 40C = 1.3

So if you can get through the 10 days in the year that are unpleasantly hot, the 1.3C days that are extremely hot, and the 20 additional days that are fairly hot then you are left with 335 days in the year that are quite comfortable. In the ranges around Melbourne and the southern coastline there are even fewer days of 30C+ heat to endure.

Japonica

Yes, bananas is an extreme example, but still given that Australia will not import any and Qld seems to be disadvantaged in terms of cyclones and the like, it's more a statement that Australia seems more at the mercy of the elements and the market (domestic) than other countries. If the bananas in Chile or elsewhere get wiped out, Canada will just get them from somewhere else.

Even when everything was okey dokey with bananas, our local ones were 3.99/kg while the Canadian imported ones from Ecuador were 0.69/kg. You'd think that it costs a lot less to sell local produce, but it doesn't. And yes, local pickers in Australia can ask for more in wages than some laborer in Ecuador...still I thought transport costs would even things out a bit.

It'll be interesting to see if Shaw and other Canadian companies adopt a quota system on internet usage...I read in January that they were considering this.

Interestingly, I checked a couple of forums and the rate for the Muffin Break employee is anywhere from $8.24 per hour for permanent part time to $16.44 for full time manager. The Tim's employee gets from $9.25 to $10.00 to start, with supervisors getting about $12.48/hr. You'd hope the Muffin Break ones would get a little extra seeing as the cost of living is higher here.

Japonica

Well, we know it's the only time men will willingly touch a broom...

Japonica

Ha ha ha...I had to giggle...perfectly heated and warm...that was never our experience starting our cars at -35C, even with a remote starter. They were parked on the street, plugged in, and that involved running out after 10 minutes to scrape the windshield *cursing, swearing* and then running back in to get the kids into their winter coats, boots, and mitts and then run everyone back out to the car ("hurry! hurry! hurry!") and buckle everyone in while the windchill is turning fingers to ice and then start driving and hope the heater defrosts the windshield that has become frosted from their breath. Our cars were never what anyone would call new, so they'd usually warm up just in time for us to arrive at our destination and get out into the cold again.

And none of the houses I've ever lived in, from a 1940s bungalow to a 1970s 4-level split, have ever been perfectly heated. All were insulated up the wazoo, including that oh so attractive Canadian feature of plastic on the windows and weatherstripping on the doors, and they were still chilly. "Put on another sweater!" was the constant refrain. During the winter our gas heating bill was usually $220 a month and this was with the thermostat kept to 20C during the day, 17C at night, and kids wandering around in fleece layers and wool socks.

And while hotels, malls and the like may have cooling as standard, most average homes don't. There are not many days over the summer where the temperature is so sweltering that homeowners are prepared to pay thousands for a/c. I've only been in two Canadian homes ever that had ducted a/c. One was used as a retreat house and the other was a luxury home. But then I run in pretty modest circles...maybe if I grew up around wealthier people, I'd have encountered it more often.

But thanks for that...it was a nice trip down memory lane...

fish.01

I was paying 1.50/kg in Brisbane before the flood or 2.50/kg in supermarket. Yes, Australia chooses to source all its fresh produce from Australia. I guess it ensures we control the safety and supply of our food as well as provide jobs - the variety of climates gives us the ability to grow various types of crops where other countries have to import. We pay the price for this sometimes but it has it's upsides too. Don't know how long this can last.

Australia has broadband quotas due to the cost of buying traffic on the long distance sea cables. Unlimited seems to be on offer now - eg tpg - so not sure how the rest will go.

The minimum wage in Australia is $15. When comparing with Canadian relatives-in-law and their friends the lower Canadian wages seemed to equal out the difference in price. They certainly don't seem better off but purely anecdotal of course. Did notice fast food chains in calgary seemed a lot more popular than individual restaurants like here. Guess living next to the states would influence your dining tastes and availability of chain food.