deise1980

Hi All ,
I have received a job offer in around the calgary area ,high river to be more specific .I am going to consider the job offer and do some research on local economy ,rent ,food ,schools for my kids etc .

Does anyone know how much money after tax is required for us to even survive 2 adults 2 kids i.e to cover ....

1. rent - 3 bedroom house/appartment (doesnt have to be central)
2. Utilities - gas ,electric ,cable ,broadband
3. food

I understand there will be more bills such ,petrol ,clothing ,mobile's but for now im trying to find out what the basics will cost .Also what stoppages would come out of my gross income ? paye ,tax etc and at what rates just so i can establish my take home pay ?I have also read about co op house does anyone know anything about them and what there about ,difficulty in getting one etc ? I would be very greatfull to get as many opinions on the above as possible .

Rgds
Deise1980

burton bunch

I can only give you a rough guess - but here goes

Rent around $1200 pcm
Gas and electric $230pcm
TV phone and internet $150pcm
Food $200 pw

Thats my rough guess on the basics.

To Calculate your net pay use the Canad REvenue online calculator to find out what your take home pay would be.

Dont know what you mean by co op houses so cant tell you anything about that.

Rent depend greatly on where you are located but I think that High River would probably be about the amount I have stated as it is an easy commute to Calgary

Hope this helps

cheeky_monkey

you would be lucky to get a 3 bed house for $1200 i would say min $1500 and up.

burton bunch

What in High River thought LEthbridge was bad

HPJOS

OP said they have a job offer in High River. But it is not an easy commute to Calgary downtown. We have friends who just moved back from High River, it was taking her an hour each way and longer with inclement weather or accidents; they made the classic mistake of looking at their wonderful large new build and 1 acre lot only during off-peak times and not taking rush hour traffic or abysmal weather into consideration.

Bucks_Family

If the job offer is in High River, why would they commute to/from Calgary downtown..?

burton bunch

Who said that?

Bucks_Family

The OP said they have a job offer in High River, but HPJOS was talking about the commute between High River and downtown Calgary. I was confused too..

deise1980

Hi guys ,
I have been offered employment in high river and just assumed its a rural enough area so so would have a large scope for cheaper accommodation maybe on the outskirts of Calgary ?I also have 2 school going kids and 1 in nursery . Do any of you know what high river i like ?
Rgds
Deise1980

Almost Canadian

High River is a small place outside of Calgary. Once you get onto Deerfoot Trail, you can reach the southern parts of the City in about 15 mins. If you wished to take the C-Train downtown, the nearest station would be in Somerset which you could reach within 15 mins from accessing Deerfoot.

I like High River. It has most things you would need and, if it doesn't, you would likely be able to find them in Okotoks which isn't that far away.

beautiful050278

+1

I would say the same, this area is expensive.

Okotoks might be slightly cheaper and probably more to choose from.

Also there is more schools as its so much bigger.

rwin

The name High River is one reason I'd not live there. There is potential for flooding every year and not much for high ground to live on.

Other than that its a nice place. Small though.

Shaun_and_Em

I agree with Rwin, it wouldn't be my first choice to live but it depends what you are looking for, I also agree that $1500 pcm minimum for rent and $200 per week for groceries is optimistic, depends on where you shop, at Safeway you would spend much more than this...

Flossie and Jim

Bear in mind if you are thinking of only having one car and you will be using it to get to work, then your missus will be going stir crazy with three kids at home!

I'm not sure if there is any public transit in High River. You might want to check out on google maps how compact it is for walkability. Others on here can tell you if there is any transit in Okotoks, and if not, how easy is it to get around on foot. Southern fringes of Calgary might be better thinking about access during the day to libraries, shops, entertaining the kids, employment opportunities, etc.

I don't know the ages of your kids but pushing a buggy on snow is like trying to push one on a sandy beach!

Rent faster.ca is a good site to get an idea of rental prices.
For an idea of phone/tv/Internet packages check out shaw.ca (they don't tie you in on a contract)
I'm a bit of a flyer bargain hunter and split my food shop between a few places have a look at flyerland.ca at wal mart, superstore, sobers, Safeway. I don't usually get much change out of $200 for a big shop for two adults and two kids that lasts us 7-10 days but we are still paying for nappies and formula which adds up.
For a 3 bed, 2,000 sq ft detached house we pay around $250 a month in winter for electric, water and sewer, and around $50 ish for gas.
It costs us $50-$60 to fill the tank on our mid-size SUV.
Council tax equivalent here is called property tax although with a rental it is usually included.
You might be able to keep costs down initially by renting an apartment as they often include your property tax and some utilities as well.