$205,000 for a household income in Calgary is a lot of money.

Quite interested to know what you do for a living to get that much tbh.

NYC every time...dont even know why you need to ask the question

Will your employer offer any assistance with housing? If so, that would make NYC a no-brainer. Even if not, I'd still take a modest real income hit to be able to spend some time living and working in NYC without kids.

Another thing to factor in might be the net value of your package for both locations - and I'd take the relative cost (to you) of housing in to consideration, as well as :

- personal taxation: I understand that Alberta tax rates are low compared to the rest of Canada (I'm sure others can chime in here with some hard figures), but no idea how it compares to NY overall.

- healthcare (make sure this includes co-payments - so how much do you expect this to "cost" you in terms of impact on your disposable income over an average year)

And then take in to account the lifestyle trade-offs that you'd really want to have.

From what you've said on this thread, I'd say NYC without question. Good luck!

Totally agree!!

It's a fair question. Where you prefer depends a lot on your career, interests and preferred lifestyle.

+1 to this. I personally could not live in NYC - I find it too big and too fast. I like visiting big and busy cities, but wouldn't want to live somewhere like that. My preference would be somewhere a bit more calm, like Calgary. NYC is fantastic to visit, but living right in the city would do my head in. EVen when I was living in London, I lived outside of London. Didn't mind the bustle during the day, but wanted to come home to somewhere calmer and quieter. (And yes, NYC has that in the outer parts - Brooklyn, etc - just depends what that makes the commute into the city. I could live in one of the quieter London boroughs and still be at work in under one hour door to desk.)

Again, to be clear, I was looking for advice on the standard of living I could get in Calgary and in NYC on the offers I have had.

NYC is very attractive, as is Calgary, so the standard of living is one measure for determining which one to accept.

Thanks

It's difficult to tell you about the standard of living unless you give some information about what kind of lifestyle you like to live.

Do you prefer houses, apartments, condo's?
Do you like to eat out / socialise / go to the pub /attend the theatre / buy alcohol?
What do you like to do in your leisure time?
Do you want boy toys?
Homebody or want to travel around 'doing stuff'?
Do you prefer high-end meals or budget?

They really are chalk and cheese though. One's standard of living in NYC is determined by shows seen, restaurants tried, fashion, big city stuff. Calgary's all about consumer durables. For someone who really wants a nine foot television and a room of a size to hang it, there's no decision to make.

Calgary is the most boring place i have ever lived in by some stretch..if i was youngish couple Calgary wouldn't even be an a realistic option..im going back to London to regain my sanity and interact with some normal people

^ A guy I worked with in London got transferred out to Calgary about 3ish years ago. He and his wife moved out there and were a bit unsure of what to make of it... The original work contract was only for 2 years, but he asked to have the transfer made permanent because he and his wife absolutely love it out there and want to try to stay permanently.

To the OP: Again, it depends what kind of lifestyle you are looking for... the two cities really don't compare straight up.

The only possible way I can think that a Calgary lifestyle may be better in some way to a NYC one is if the OP enjoys sking on some real mountains, which are at least relatively nearby.

Money doesnt even come into it. NYC is perhaps the premier city in the world in which to do, well, pretty much anything. Calgary is a backwater in comparison.

What does the OP mean by "Quality of Life"? Is it to be measures in terms of TV size and what car you drive or by more intangible means based on things experienced?


The pay on offer is pretty decent by any standards. Just check what medical benefits are on offer in the US, and then go there anyway.

It all depends what you want out of life.
Do you want access to potentially some of the best restaurants in the world or some of the best in Canada?
Do you want to see some shows on Broadway or wait till they may vist Calgary with a different cast?
Do you want to watch the Yankees or the Calgary whoevers?
Would you make use of your access to some of the best art performances and galleries that continental US has to offer?
If you are not only well paid but also have the time to enjoy New York and all it has to offer then in my opinion there is only one choice.
It is however your choice. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

I don't think it's that simple. For example he's not married, well he'll have to be to move to NYC.

NYC to me is just a big city full of big buildings that block out the sun and lots of people milling around. Okay to visit but I don't think I'd want to live there.

But I suppose if the employer sponsored him for LPR, you have more choices of where you could live later on.

Plus where you live in NYC is bound to be smaller than in Calgary. And yes the weather is very cold in Calgary but NYC isn't exactly known for it's fantastic weather either so if you're going to be indoors a lot...

But the money is a factor, he can easily live on either amount in either city but at the end of the day they're paying him more total to be in NYC. But on the other hand taxes and the cost of living are higher, so would you end up with more at the end of the day?