Calgary Canada
 

Hi I'm dave I've been offered work in Calgary started about march time I would be coming over by myself first followed by my wife and 3 children soon after. I could do with some advice on where to start with banks homes schools etc. also what sort of wage can you live comfortably on just checking there're offering me a decent wage ha any help would help thanks

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Have a look at this article Dave:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle15372581/

I don't live in Calgary - I live in Ontario but I think you would need at least 70,000 and ideally 100,000 to support a family comfortably.

Also this Moneysense online article might give you some idea with respect to areas in Calgary to buy:

http://www.moneysense.ca/property/bu...e-to-buy-now-2

Good luck!

Re: Calgary Canada
 

What company/industry to you work for/in?

I am looking into moving to Calgary and it looks like moving from within a company is by far the best way to do it.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Thank you englishmaple I'll have a look at them I'm sure they'll help. Are we talking £'s or $'s with the wage there?

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I'm a roofer/cladder and applied online and been offered a 2jobs upto now 1 in Edmonton the other in Calgary both offering pretty much the same package

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Edmonton is around 8% cheaper to live in than Calgary, so you might want to consider the other position as well.

This comparisom website shows you a breakdown - click on the arrows next to each subsection: http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-li...lgary/edmonton

Another comparisom website is this one: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...city2=Edmonton

There are lots of threads on the cost of living on BE, I would suggest a quick search might give you an idea of what to expect - here's a few to be going on with.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...+costs+Calgary

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...+costs+Calgary

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...+costs+Calgary

Welcome to BE!

:)

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Yeah, search the forum first, this question has been answered many times, come back with any additional questions you don't see answered. The main problem usually is finding somewhere to rent at a reasonable price as housing is scarce in Calgary.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Dave we're talking $'s in terms of 100,000K - I would think you would need at least that. Ideally a lot more if you've got 3 kids and a wife and you're wife is not working but much depends on you're own lifestyle costs. All I know is that Calgary has a real shortage of accommodation and the cost of living is high there - but, I also know from reading posts on this forum, how much people like living there - it's got a lot of attractions

Re: Calgary Canada
 

If your considering moving to Calgary this could be a good read -

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/rental-cru...gary-1.1363746

another link on affordable housing and lack of -

http://www.calgary.ca/CS/OLSH/Pages/...r-housing.aspx
all the best

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Thanks I didn't realise it was that bad, I've been looking at loads of rental places I thought there was plenty to choose from

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Dave I recently posted on LinkedIn for some info on moving West. One person who is in Calgary posted that for every rental available there will be 9 people willing to make an offer - so her advice was to make an offer straight away if you were interested in something.

My sense from reading around and talking to people is that there is a real shortage of rented accommodation in Calgary which hasn't been helped by the floods that occurred this year and led to people having to move out of their homes.

Have you asked your new employer whether they can help with accommodation relocation? Whether HR have any contacts? It really is all about networking in Canada I've found (at least in Ontario anyway).

When I moved with my then husband to Ontario in Jan 2002 we rented a home for 4 months from a seniors couple who were snowbirds (took off for 4 months to Florida every winter). It was a bit pressured as it did mean we had to be out by April - and we bought a house straight away. In retrospect I wouldn't have done that - I would have rented for a year so that we could have got more of a sense of the different areas of the city that we were living in. However we were both feeling a bit insecure at the time from all the upheaval of the move so we bought - plus it was a hot housing market at the time and we were worried about getting back onto the property ladder.

My understanding with respect to buying property in Calgary is that it is very expensive - and I don't know how competitive the buyers market is - the rental market is definitely challenging (but not insurmountable otherwise no one would move there!).

I don't know what the rental rules are in Calgary but one thing I will say is that the rental market laws in Ontario are a breath of fresh air compared to the hoops I jumped through with landlords in the UK. Tenants in Canada seem to have a lot more rights and the standard of rental accommodation seems higher to me (although having said that, I still have quite a few memories of living in some actual dives in the UK!).

If you have a good job offer then I would post up on Calgary kijji that you are looking for accommodation, listing details and then whoever contacts you, arrange to see family properties on your arrival - might be one way to do it.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Hi I recently moved to Calgary and can vouch for most of the above so far. I had a great realtor that helped us find everything we needed (She's an expat too). If you want her details pm me and I'll put you in touch.

Good luck
Wayne

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I have read through the linked threads and some of the above articles, do people honestly think a family of three would need 100k to survive? I am genuinely interested here, I realise it all depends on what kind of life people lead etc. We live a very basic life, pretty much hand to mouth and rarely have much left at the end of the month.

Me and my partner both live in the UK, I work full time and she works part time 22 hours per week. We have a one year old daughter, and for the last year we have been researching and planning a relocation to Canada. The reason we want to leave the UK is mainly financial and wanting to give our child a better future. The work I do in the UK is notoriously badly paid (i am a Greenkeeper). We live in Fife, which is the Home of Golf and the area is flooded with Greenkeepers meaning that golf clubs can pay as little as they want as there is so many well qualified guys out of work.

I worked in Alberta in 2011 and as such I have quite a few contacts there and have been told I won't have much trouble securing a job. My job in the UK currently pays 17,500 per year and my partners part time work brings in about another 4,000. We dont get too many benefits as we don't qualify so basically we survive on an income of less than 23,000 per year. Our rent alone amounts to 6,000 per year.

The jobs I have been looking at in Canada are paying between 40 and 50k per year. So at the higher end of that scale, I have been told I would take home around 30,000 after tax (correct me if I am wrong). Obviously we would be hoping that my partner could get a job part time too, to supplement that. But essentially we would be looking at earning close to twice our income in the UK. I realise that rent is more expensive in Canada than the UK and the price of groceries etc is slightly more expensive.

But I just struggle to see where people are spending this 100k that they are suggesting as a minimum income? I am genuinely interested in hearing peoples opinions here, and whether we are crazy contemplating a move. Like I say,we live very basic lifestyles as it is (as you can see from our income). I can understand maybe people who earn 80,000 per year in the UK needing 100k in Canada to survive, but for someone who has gotten by on 23,000 per year is it doable to get by on 40,000ish?

Re: Calgary Canada
 

On a $40,000 annual income, based on a bi-monthly pay, you will have around $1,230 after deductions per pay (not including any Union dues or Benefit deductions) - around $31,980 a year, about $2,665 per calendar month.

I believe you would qualify for the Alberta Family Employment credit - which would give you potentially an additional $1390 a year (based on the income above) for 2 children.

You should also qualify for Child tax benefit, the amount would depend on income.

Rent for a 3 bedroom small house will likely cost you between $1500 & $2000 a month in Calgary (from what I could see). That means that more than half your monthly income is going to go on rent alone. On top of that you will need to potentially pay electricity, gas, water, cable, internet, bus fares/vehicle expenses, insurance, clothing and food - and child care costs if your wife works as well (though there is a child care subsidy you can apply for). You would have between $600 to $1,100 a month (depending on rental costs) to cover everything.

I just don't think that income will be anywhere near sufficient to cover your costs living in Calgary.

:(

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Thanks for the reply.

I have seen house prices in Calgary and because the rental market is so expensive we had kind of struck that off. We had been looking at 2 bed houses near Medicine Hat, for well under a 1,000. We were told that it may be better to aim for something away from Calgary as it is cheaper. The advice I have gotten elsewhere is that it would be doable on about 48,000 before taxes. It would seem not!

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Depends on how you want to live.

Rent on a shitty basement suite with one bedroom in a good neighbourhood is about $700-1000/month, sometimes includes utilities and sometimes doesn't.

My basic outgoings amount to about $2400/month give or take, this includes rent, utilities food, gas and insurance. I'm in a 2 bedroom townhouse with garage in a nice area. I drive a relatively frugal vehicle by North American standards and I own it, so no monthly payments on that.

I like having the ability to buy what i want, when i want/need it and have some expensive hobbies to cater for (motorbiking, skiing, ice hockey). Also TV and internet are expensive as hell

I could certainly cope on much less, and i do have a decent amount of money left at the end of the month that goes into savings.

If i was supporting a wife and kid on a single income, i'd have no hobbies and life would suck for me

Re: Calgary Canada
 

On 48k, your nett take home per month (not including any Union dues or Benefit deductions) would be in the region of $2,793 - around $100 extra - but you would also get some family/child tax credits and possibly GST/HST refunds. http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/gst_credit.shtml

If you were outside of Calgary the rental would certainly be cheaper (and possibly 'doable') but you would have to factor in travelling expenses. You do realise that Medicine Hat is a 300k drive away though I hope - almost 3 hours. You may want somewhere a bit nearer!

If you can find housing for $1,200 or less a month you would probably be ok, apartments will be cheaper than houses.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Hi
Don't forget car insurance if you drive
My first quote back when I first arrived in Alberta was $3000k a year
Plus $400-$450 a month in gas .........
I do drive a truck so a smaller car would use less gas maybe.
All the best

Re: Calgary Canada
 

People will tend to normalise their circumstances. Someone used to living on $110,000 a year cannot imagine the depravity of living on just $100,000. The same person earning $90,000 would see $100,000 as luxury living.

I know someone who earns $125,000 who is constantly broke. I know a family of five who get by creatively on $40,000 and are happy enough (they own their own home). I don't want to do it though.

You can get by on $48,000 for the three of you but it will be very, very tight. Others do but I suspect it feels like poverty. It is only worth going to the effort and expense of emigrating if you are very positive that things will improve in the future.

Is greenkeeping a year-round occupation in Alberta?

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I agree with this.

The other thing to remember is that there is not much of a social safety net here.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

what the hell were you driving?

I'm still considered a "young" driver, and my insurance on my Honda truck was $1800 first year here, then dropped to $1400 this year

its about $80 to fill and sees ~600km to a tank, which will last me about 10 days (3.5 V6 4WD, roughly 11L/100km or 25mpg)

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I bought a 2 yr old f-150 truck 5.4l when I arrived in Canada
Just bought a brand new f-150 3.5l Eco which does use a little less gas than 5.4 did
I live Springbank SW Calgary its rural so need the truck and work near the NE near Airport but we just have the one vehicle so my OH uses the truck to get her self to work some days as well. I have a company vehicle whilst I'm at work during the day. We very rarely use less than $100 bucks a week in gas even in the new truck. My insurance is lot less than what they wanted when I arrived in Alberta. 1/2 ton trucks don't run on fresh air sadly but its nice to have one.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

i see, makes a bit more sense now!

Re: Calgary Canada
 

We use the gfs 1994 VW Beetle it uses 200 pesos a week on gas about $16,my gas guzzling 98' Ford Explorer which I drove down from Winnipeg sits in the driveway all week ,only use it to go to the beach,I know life is hard ;)

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Would like an old VW beetle myself as second run around
Really like the old VW campers as well.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Yes, I could not but strongly agree with this too.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Firstly, consider if your circumstances have the potential to improve. I cannot understand why someone would move so far to be in the same (hand to mouth) position, unless it was a very temporary condition.

And no, green keeping cannot possibly be a year-round job. The tarpaulins go on the greens by November, the irrigation is blown out, and only animal footprints can be seen in the snowy layer until end of March. A sheltered course might be open by end of April. Would you have a back up option for the winter?

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Re: the reference to 100K - IrishGuy I made that reference because accommodation is very expensive in Calgary and hard to come by ... if you were living somewhere else it might be possible to live on a lot less. For example, I live on 30K in London, Ontario at the moment - but it doesn't leave a lot left for socialising by the time I've paid my bills (rent, utilities, food, medical bills) - the downside is that there are very few jobs here - but if you move to where the jobs are, then the rental costs etc are much more.

I would think you would have to have a back up plan for the Winter as others have pointed out .. maybe you could do snow clearing? I don't know how much snow they get in Alberta - they get quite a bit round where I am but it does vary from year to year.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I like somewhere like Medicine Hat would be a good place for Irishguy in Fife or Lehbridge,I know people who live in Calgary and they tell everyone is in debt!

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I drive to work everyday from an acreage outside of High River to Calgary. $40 in gas lasts me a week and a half. I travel when most others don't so I am able to keep a relatively constant speed until I hit downtown. If I was travelling from the SW to the airport, there is no way that a truck would be my vehicle of choice, if I was concerned about the cost of travelling.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I agree that there are cheaper options
But I like having a truck and am willing to pay for the gas required to run it.
Springbank where we live has one of the best views of the Rockies I feel and the drive home from work well worth it. Now going to work in the first place is another matter :-)

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Each to their own.

I own a Yukon as well as the Fiesta I use to travel to and from work. However, there is no way you would find me using the Yukon for my daily commute to work:p

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Fiesta would be ok to work and back but we live on 20 acres and access to the house is via a very long drive way which climbs up the hill side so for us a good 4x4 is the best option. Like I said earlier I enjoy the truck it reminds me I'm in Canada :-)))

Re: Calgary Canada
 

There are millions of old beetles and campers here in Mexico ,i was thinking of an export business for classic cars but probs too much red tape.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Heard that 'some' factory in Brazil is selling them off cheap :-))))

Re: Calgary Canada
 

I saw a VW Beetle in Winnipeg for sale $5000 a "classic" ,my gfs 94' cost $900 ,spend a couple of hundred bucks on paint job etc and make a nice profit ,maybe!

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Sounds a good idea, i could run the Calgary base of the
'Business' :-))

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Thanks for the replies everyone. And yes, several golf courses keep staff through the winter. The seasonal staff are laid off, and the Superintendent and one or two others stay on.

I have worked as a Greenkeeper in Canada before, I have worked in Norway, Cyprus, Scotland and Ireland - all as a Greenkeeper. Many years education and qualifications behind me, and several industry awards for both my study and my work. Whats your position in the industry that makes you such an expert on Greenkeeping in Alberta?

Re: Calgary Canada
 

Good luck Irishguy from the kingdom of Fife (im from Edinburgh) .I looked at moving to Canada as challenge ,if you do the same you will make it.

Re: Calgary Canada
 

:goodpost: This. I would not move here to have the same standard of living. I came over and ended up worse off and I would not recommend that to any one. Living hand to mouth is not living IMO.

I suppose it depends on what you consider to be essential as to how little you can live on. Calgary is OK to get around via transit, but I cannot imagine relying on it to get around as my only source of transport. Therefore a car is essential to me and the other expenses that brings (insurance, finance payments, gas and maintenance as well as a set of snow tires when it was new). To me internet access is an essential in this day and age and as I was doing that I added TV and land line phone to my package. I don't have the most expensive package, nor the cheapest, but it's an expense I am not going to give up lightly. Extra health coverage is pretty essential for me, so taking out Blue Cross coverage is again pretty essential. Hopefully I will get a job soon that offers benefits and I can cancel the Blue Cross plan, but until then I need the comfort of knowing I'm covered if something unexpected happens. My food costs are higher due to being gluten intolerant so I buy the gluten free alternatives which have a premium price.
These are just some examples I can think off off the top of my head at work between phones calls, but it gives you an idea as to how easy it can be to spend extra money and suddenly go "wow, where did that $100k go?"