oceanblue

I know there are several posts on here indicating the cost of living in Toronto... but I would like some realistic opinions from people actually living there. How easy is it for a couple to get by on minimum wage? I'm aware that lifestyle varies from person to person... but let's assume a couple is working minimum wage jobs ($10 per hour) Would this be enough to pay for rent (1 bedroom), utilities, food, car insurance and gas for one car?
We don't have any children... I'm in my late 20's, and my hubby is 35. We've grown up in Cyprus and don't like the lifestyle here... it's a very small place, there aren't many opportunities, and the cost of living is quite high. We rent a 2 bedroom apartment, and just get by... we don't go out very often, except for the odd meal at a restaurant twice a month. It's mostly just work, home, work.
We won't be losing great jobs when we move to Toronto, and we could always come back to them in the future.
My husband is a computer technician (MCSA certified) with ten years experience in this field. I work in a Vet. clinic as a receptionist/assistant. We don't have a college degree (this worries us with regards to finding jobs) We're just looking for some reassurance that we'll be able to 'get by' on minimum wages. We feel that it's now or never.. as we would like to have a child in a couple of years.

Your opinions would be gratefully received.

Thanks

snowshoveller

Doesnt sound like it would be much fun!

What sort of visa will you have,

oceanblue

My husband was born in Canada. He is going to sponsor me.

JamesM

You would get by. Obviously you would not be living in the most glamorous locations in Toronto. Over time you would I expect land better paying jobs. Waitering and Barman actually earn quite well in Downtown Toronto.

oceanblue

Thanks for your reply.
I would not mind being a waitress - I enjoy anything that keeps me busy - even if it's physical - I work 12 hour shifts on my feet all day - no problem, while I'm still young!

dbd33

I think that's questionable. I think two people on minimum wage would be in dire straits and would not be able to run a car. Just the insurance for any such car would cost about 10% of their gross income.

What they'd need to do would be to forego the car in the short term and then run it without insurance (something we did for years when we were poor). If they want to avoid actual crime, they'd want to find work for cash money; hospitality, construction, some form of work where the regulations are flouted and there aren't any deductions. They'd also want to find out how to beat the queues at the food bank. Poverty is a high risk lifestyle, one of the risks for the immigrant is being caught for something minor and deported, which makes me wonder; how can the husband meet the financial requirements to sponsor the wife if they're broke?

Regardless of whether or not it can be done for an immigration law standpoint, in my view moving to Toronto to work for minimum wage is not going to be a step up unless you're in a refugee camp.

oceanblue

I hear your comments, but I would welcome other peoples opinions on what you say because it appears to be a little bit dramatic.
Who said we're broke? We will have 25,000 CAD to establish ourselves, but would rather not use that money to pay for day to day living expenses.
Thankyou for your input though. Nobody chooses minimum wage jobs, if they can avoid it... we're looking at worst case scenario here.

iaink

On minimum wage (x2) with a car it would certainly be a struggle...not a lot of fun for sure.

In reality though with your expereince I think eventally you would both get a fair bit more than minimum wage, especially if you can get the relevent canadian qualifications/ certificates for your respective roles...so that I guess is the silver lining.

The cloud though is that the job market is tough right now, so no guarantee that either of you would be working for minimum wage for a while...

iaink

There is no financial requirement for spousal sponsorship....Im suprised you didnt know that!

I agree entirely.

Bill_S

It will be very difficult. Toronto is not a low-cost place to live. Assuming a 40 hour week, minimum wage would bring you < 20K pa, before taxes. IMHO it would be a struggle to feed, clothe, and house yourselves. Imagine living like grad students on a low stipend... tolerable for a few years knowing that there is a reward at the end. Unless you know this will be a very temporary situation, there's no way I'd recommend trying to get by in Toronto on minimum wage.

Souvenir

I don't think it's overly dramatic. $25k is not a lot of money.

Try this test. Would you be comfortable in a situation where it took more time to earn enough for a pint of beer than it took to drink it?

el_richo

I'm certainly not up to speed on cost of living in TO but i would think minimum wage would bag you around $2000 per month after taxes etc for the both of you combined.

So with that in mind, rent would be what? $1.3k a month downtown for 1 bed avge? Plus bills, food, transport?

I'd say it's doable in the lower income areas and in my opinion your life will remain stagnant to your current situation just with different scenery.

If you still feel like side stepping (is what you're talking about) to another country to begin on minimum wage, i would say it's doable with a little comfort if you drew down on your savings each month.

You've probably already done it but spend some time researching cost of rent, bills, transport costs, and if possible try to find out grocery expenses etc. It'll give you a view of whether you're good to go or not.

Just my thoughts.

dbd33

I thought I signed an agreement to support a spouse for n years, to keep her from being a burden on the state. That's a bit hollow if there's no requirement for proof of income.

Simon Legree

An excellent test. I shall have to try it on a long term, "scientific" basis ! When people compare prices between here and UK using an exchange rate it doesn't tell you much. It's more a question of how long it takes you to earn that commodity. I think that the UK is expensive even at today's rates. What costs a dollar here costs a pound in the UK. Ergo it costs me 1.70 times (depending on the exchange rate) as much. I certainly would not want to try living as a DINK on minimum wage in Toronto or anywhere else for that matter. However, if you have a chunk of capital to bring with you things would not be so bad. If you had prospects of getting qualifications accepted and getting better employment it would be worth the short term pain.

iaink

The burden to the state bit rings true, but as you say, its rather hollow with no minimum income required.

I think in practice the state will support with one hand, but claw money back eventually with the other at tax reporting season. Could be wrong though.

Wont apply to these folks as they will both have full time minimum wage jobs... Good luck with that eh!