A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Good afternoon,

My wife has been offered a transfer within her company to work in their Toronto office. She worked there for a month last September and loved it and now they are pushing to get her there permanent. I went to visit her and also loved the place so the offer is very tempting. But as you will have all experienced there are major pros and cons to consider. We are both doing well financially in steady jobs, have a mortgage, both have car finances (both fairly recent too), 2 cats to consider and we live a good life.
But the lure of Canada and what it has to offer, and with chances like this very rare we can't stop thinking about moving and worried we will live to regret it.

So please could I have some advice on the following please:

What do we do regarding our cars, we are both with Audi finance so is there anything that could be done with this?

Is the cost of living as high as it seems? Our mortgage is only 3750 a month but rent looks like it's more than this?

I will obviously be out of work, if my wife gets a job this gives me a pass into the country ( I think). what's the demand for Quantity Surveyors in Toronto?

Is moving there worth the upheaval and giving up our lives in the UK for? Please give me some good points that makes Toronto and Canada better than the UK.

I really will appreciate any advice I receive, we really can't make a decision so it'll be nice to hear from those that have made the plunge.

Kind Regards

Harry.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

What do you think Canada have to offer you? What is luring you?

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

We just loved the city on our visit there last year, lots to see and do, loads to explore in Canada in general too plus it's on the doorstep to the US which we absolutely adore. It seems a more laid back place to live, plus it has decent summers.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Am assuming the 3 is meant to be a pound sign...

When we moved over my husband managed to get a six month leave of absence from work because he was following me... could you try that maybe...

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Have you visited in the winter?

I do think it is more laid back and crime is lower than the UK.

Other than that I'm not sure it is necessarily better than the UK as it comes down to personal preferences and what you like to do with your life.

The cost of living here in Toronto is high. Most day to day things are more expensive than the UK.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Lots of pros and cons... living in Toronto is expensive but not horribly different than a few zones outside of London. I was paying £1650/month for my Zone 2 2-bedroom flat. My brother was paying $2300 for his downtown Toronto 2-bedroom condo.

Some very broad generalizations: Produce is more expensive, packaged goods are cheaper. Auto insurance is way more expensive. Gas is cheaper. Flights are more expensive. Clothing is cheaper. Swings and roundabouts. Entertainment (movies, restaurants, etc) are broadly similar. Overall my husband and I haven't found a HUGE overall difference in our cost of living, finding it generally evens out. Buying a house in the suburbs of Toronto as copmared to the suburbs of London... well, have a look on realtor.ca and you'll make your own judgement pretty quick.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Stay where you are and take holidays to Canada if you feel the need.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

I'd go for it. Actually I did go for it. I was in a similar situation 25 years ago. My girlfriend (now wife) came home (Manchester) and told me she'd been offered a nursing job at a Toronto hospital at an international recruitment fair in the UK. We spent 7 great years in Toronto and, although we don't live there now (long story), we still miss the city and visit often.

For us it wasn't about Toronto or Canada being "better than the UK". In some regards I guess it was but in others maybe not. However, we weren't thinking about it that way or concerned about it being better or not. Like you, we were attracted by the idea of living in a different country, seeing different places, and doing different things. It was great to be on the doorstep of the US and travel there too. But is that better than being on the doorstep of continental Europe and traveling there?

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Nope.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Ha the pound sign didn't cross my mind... I thought wow he thinks that reasonable, how the other half live ;)

Edited to add...you'd have to really want to come, have very clear reasons to give up a life, that sounds really settled.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

x 10500

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

It's reckon up time when the novelty has worn off and you are living your day to day life in broadly the same set of circumstances you were in the UK. For some the variety of the outdoors and the arguably more laid back lifestyle here outweighs being far away from family and friends; for others it doesn't. It then comes down to what you are prepared to sacrifice from one scenario to achieve the other. I think as has already been said, one isn't better than the other - you can only judge that for yourselves - and the only way you can do that is to move here. That doesn't make it the right decision though!!!!

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Err, he's thinking of relocating to Toronto. OTOH, without burning boats, maybe for a couple of years wouldn't hurt.

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

I must admit I've never lived in Toronto, but I suppose I'm referring to the general (right or wrong) notion that life in Canada is supposed to be more Laid back. Personally, I find the professional inertia I experience on a daily basis raises my blood pressure as least as much as hoodies and people wearing PJs in Asda!

Re: A bit of advice about moving to Toronto
 

Fair enough, but if you're going to do that, wouldn't you want to go somewhere more exciting than Toronto?