Jjuk26canada

Hi Guys, im not quite undertsanding the wages and cost yet and could do with some help trying to understand it.

There are many threads saying that the cost of living is the same in the UK as it is in Canada, i aslo see that people often compare the two when answering.

If the costs are roughly the same im assuming that shopping, insurance, diy, cars, bills ect are the same so for instance if all my bills came to £2000 in Canada they would come to $2000. This is roughly speaking.

So if i was earning £30000 in the uk i would have £28000 left.

If i were earning $60000 in Canada i would have $58000 left.

Thus meaning in Canada i would be better off moneywise, correct?

I know if i converted the £30000 in to Canadaain Dollars then the wage would be the roughly the same but when in Canada i would not be paid in £ but in $.


I guess if all my bills came to £2000 in the UK but the cost of similar items were $4000 then thats when the cost would be relative.

Thanks for any help sorry to be so thick.

Jason

Alan2005

Cost of living is about the same on average.

It's harder when you get to specific cases as it depends on where you live now, where you intend to move to and what you like to do in your spare time.

JonboyE

No. They would come to $3,200. (£2,000 x 1.6 (current exchange rate)). On average.

Tangram

Are you looking for work in accounting ?

Boy d

This all tends to be a bit academic as you have no idea what you will be earning. You seem to be assuimg that 30 000 quid will amount to the same purchasing power in Calgary as 60 000 bucks. I really have no idea if that's the case or not. But yes, generally speaking cost of living is similar to the UK. Calgary as lower taxes so lower living costs.

I will throw in a wrench though. Average wage is higher in Alberta compared to the UK and is comparable to London (654 quid vs about 1000 dollars a week), so if you are hell-bent on breaking it down to averages, you should, in theory, be better off in Calgary (not withstanding lifestyle or where you are coming from of course as already noted).

As i noted you have no idea what you can expect to earn. The higher wages in Calgary may actually be artifically inflated due to well paying oil sector jobs, much like finance jobs in London, so may have no real bearing on what you may actually earn outside of oil (my god, i'm even confussing myself!).

In short, you need to first assess what wage you can realistically expect in cow town, and then assess cost of living. You appear to be approaching it from the wrong end.

Aviator

This is how it used to be 20 years ago, what cost £ in the UK was a $ in Canada. With the stronger CDN$ and what seems to be either falling prices in the UK or rising prices in Canada, there is not much difference now.

In my view it is unwise to compare the cost of living between two countries to make an immigration decision. Just look at what you have left over from your wages in the country you choose to live in and decide if there is enough to live. Easily figured out by visiting the country and some investigation. It is surprising what we can manage on if needs must.

Immigration can set you back between 5-10 years economically before getting as fully established as you were in your home country, unless of course you come here loaded with cash.

JonboyE

One poster, who used to live just outside Edmonton, reported he supported his wife and children on $70,000 pa. On that, he said, you have to budget, count each dollar, and there wasn't much left at the end of the month. However, it did buy an acceptable lifestyle.

I have never lived in Alberta, but from across the Rockies that does ring true.

Could you support a family on $60,000?. Sure. On $50,000? It can be done. If your reason to move to Canada/Calgary is compelling enough then it is surprising how little you need to get by. I know people in Vancouver who live a (for them) fulfilling and rewarding life on less than $20,000. I wouldn't want to live like that - but they are content.

My question to you is what sacrifices are you prepared to make? I note from another thread that you are earning around £34,000 and your wife £19,000. I strongly suspect that going from £53,000 in the UK to $60,000 to $70,000 in Calgary will involve a noticeable reduction in your material standard of living. £34,000 in the UK to $60,000 to $70,000 in Calgary may be a wash - it depends on where you live now, what you spend your money on now, and what you intend to spend it on in Canada.

Boy d

i have found this also. I moved to North America in 1989. The standard of living was higher here than the UK then. Wages seemed higher, everything cost less (other than cheese of course, money went further, now it's much the same really. Although i think it's more of a case of the UK and Europe having improved, rather than it declining here.

Piff Poff

OK, this is how I see it, for example and I'm just picking numbers out of thin air - not fact.

For ten pounds, you go to the supermarket and buy a loaf of bread, half dozen eggs, pint of milk, baked beans, and some bacon.

For ten dollars you go to the supermarket and buy a loaf of bread and a pint of milk and half dozen eggs.

It's just cost you less in fuel to get there.

You go to the cinema and spend 20 pounds or dollars on tickets and popcorn.

you need to buy chicken and steak, the steak is cheaper than the chicken but the bill would come out the same.

lots of waffle that sort of make sense on a sleepy sunny sunday morning

christmasoompa

I'm the first to admit that my maths skills are somewhat lacking, but even I know that £2000 is not $2000!

Going on today's exchange rate, if you spent £2000 in the UK then assuming the same things cost the same in Canada (unlikely, but going on the 'cost of living is the same' basis), then you would spend $3260 in Canada.

You seem to be forgetting the exchange rate, so need to recalculate.

Posidrive

Dollar/Pound comparisons are generally pretty meaningless. You need to look at what you would be earning in Calgary vs what you are earning in the UK and then work out your local expenditure.

For what it's worth I moved back to the UK from Calgary working for the same company, doing the exact same job and feel a little more financially comfortable back in the UK.

Generally I would say move to Calgary for a different rather than financially better lifstyle.

Jjuk26canada

Thanks all im getting it now , we are visiting early next year so hopefully we can experiance it first hand.

Jason

Almost Canadian

Visiting will give you no idea at all as to what your comparative cost of living will be if you move to Calgary unless, of course, when you do finally live in Calgary you will live in a hotel, attend nothing but touristy things all the time and maintain the equivalent of your UK salary

Jjuk26canada

Lots of investigation before hand, we will also be meeting some local residents while out there, dropping in on local employers and schools ect...

Its all to try and give as good an idea as possible, you are right though only by living there will we experiance the cost of living there

Jason