I look at all the boards....and yes we are getting 6-12 inches tomorrow.......I pay $1000 a month health ins,I guess it's more expensive to live here but I don't really know for sure....when you add all the tax's and the multiple insurances you need it really is not cheap to live here

Wow!!! Alberta health for a family is CDN$89 per month ... that covers your basic healthcare costs. Last time I had to pay Alberta Blue Cross it was CDN$46 per month - the covers additional costs like prescriptions, etc - normally that's covered by employer's health insurance.

What's vehicle insurance like in the US?

Say for an average family vehicle like a minivan??

Do you have to pay a road tax or annual license fee - ours is CDN$50/year.

Do you get the feeling that you're talking to yourself?........sorry I'm bored....no one wants to play tonite.....

I often feel that way ... it's a requirement for a career in IT ... it usually comes after someone asks for an explanation of what's actually happening at the bit level.

It's a rough job...but someone has to do it, and you guys get paid SO well for your services.... you'll get really bored with me because I don't even know what a "bit" is, much less what it does or what level it's at.....that's for my Mac guy to know....or do Macs not have bits?

All systems have bits ... even Macs ... although Mac bits have the extended characteristics of gender and emotion.

I can remember getting my kids to sleep when they were babies by talking them through the development of the Intel processor family ...

I understand that much, but what do they do?

Depends...what do you think your market value is? If its higher then push them up, if you cant believe your luck then grap it with both hands.

Life's not really about money, its about happyness. Can you and your family live happily on 90k? Can you achieve your family goals? Are these going to be the right people to work for, will you he happy and satisfied in the job.

Maybe you can angle for more vacation rather than go for the $$$s. Might be your best chance to haggle on that one.

Good luck.

Glad to see you are on the up even if its still not enough.

Is this a rags to riches story in the making?

(Ni I am nit suggesting you walk around in rags - just a phrase)

Priceless and zzzzzzz

Sounds like things are really coming together !!

A lot more easilly than we could on the $60K I got paid in my first job ... bearing in mind that recruitment consultants had suggested I would get paid $80K to $90K when I first landed back in 2001

That why's I wince when people start asking if they can get by on $40K ... even without a mortgage it would be tight.

What was the ballpark equivalent in purchasing power of Canadian to UK salaries ? Was it about 2/3rds i.e $60K would be about £40K ?

If you were asking where to live, I'd say Iqaluit about now ... it's not a very straightforward question to answer.

£40K probably buys you more travel opportunities in the UK, which is one thing we've missed so far.

$60K in Canada will get you a bigger house and a nicer car than you could get in the UK, but you won't be disappearing off to Mexico for two weeks in the winter with your family.

If you want to buy a lot of expat foods in specialist stores, you'll pay through the nose. Some people refuse to send their kids to city schools ... that's $10K per kid gone immediately in school fees.

You have to think about RSP's & RESP's ... one gets a tax break and the other qualifies fr a government grant ... but you have to have the spare cash to invest in both, or you'll all be working in Walmart in 20 years time.

It's all down to lifestyles and expectations and it's one that I can't answer for you.

You dont think that recruitment companies would "big it up", just to make you more likely to sign on with them, do you?!!! :scared: :scared: