Cost of living in Canada?
May 29th 2012, 7:37 pm
#76
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
average wage is higher though.....something like 24 thousand quid vs about 50 thousand bucks here (around 32 thousand pounds). Although individual experiences with income will vary.
we are also faced with a drop of around 35 percent in the value of the pound against the dollar over the last few years.
Personally, given my earning ability here vs the UK, i am consdierably better off.
we are also faced with a drop of around 35 percent in the value of the pound against the dollar over the last few years.
Personally, given my earning ability here vs the UK, i am consdierably better off.
May 29th 2012, 7:49 pm
#77
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
Just be carefull you are comparing apples to apples. looks can be deceiving once you take different tax rates and costs of living / additional local expenses into account.
May 29th 2012, 9:15 pm
#79
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
May 29th 2012, 9:18 pm
#80
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May 29th 2012, 9:28 pm
#81
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
May 30th 2012, 12:51 am
#82
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
Taxes are way lower in Alberta than in the UK, there's no real comparison. GST is 5% compared to VAT of 20%.
The 40% rate in the UK kicks in around £34,000 (so $55,000 roughly), in Alberta the absolute maximum income tax rate is 39% and that's at $132,000. (The personal allowance is roughly the same).
Basic capital gains rate in the UK is 18% but the 28% rate kicks in at £35,000 - in Canada it's 50% of the income tax rate, so the absolute maximum in Alberta is 19.5%, and at £35,000 (i.e. where you would be paying 18% in the UK) you would be paying less than 18% in Alberta.
Plus indirect taxes such as fuel taxes are WAY lower here. Car registration fee is $70 a year, compare that to a tax disc in the UK where it will usually be well into the hundreds.
The 40% rate in the UK kicks in around £34,000 (so $55,000 roughly), in Alberta the absolute maximum income tax rate is 39% and that's at $132,000. (The personal allowance is roughly the same).
Basic capital gains rate in the UK is 18% but the 28% rate kicks in at £35,000 - in Canada it's 50% of the income tax rate, so the absolute maximum in Alberta is 19.5%, and at £35,000 (i.e. where you would be paying 18% in the UK) you would be paying less than 18% in Alberta.
Plus indirect taxes such as fuel taxes are WAY lower here. Car registration fee is $70 a year, compare that to a tax disc in the UK where it will usually be well into the hundreds.
May 30th 2012, 12:53 am
#83
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May 30th 2012, 8:15 am
#84
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
There's variation in many of these things - consumables vary within provinces let alone the whole country. I'm Canadian, been living in SW England for 9 years, moving back to the Maritimes in Canada soon. Other than for housing (including council tax) and petrol (for me - and there's many different spending patterns) I would say my £1 goes further in Britain than the equivalent does in my area of Canada. And with this I mean used cars, groceries, taxation at income, travel (planes), mobile phones, internet, vet bills, prescriptions, car insurance, eating out, leisure pursuits. But then again, depending on what a person works at they may be entitled to a higher income bracket in Canada and this may even out.
In my experience travelling back to Canada every year multiple times inflation in Canada has really taken hold. A $20 note in your pocket now is ... diddly. A £20 note in your pocket is still something to buy something with. But then, I spent most of last year in Australia - and wow, talk about inflation!!
In my experience travelling back to Canada every year multiple times inflation in Canada has really taken hold. A $20 note in your pocket now is ... diddly. A £20 note in your pocket is still something to buy something with. But then, I spent most of last year in Australia - and wow, talk about inflation!!
May 30th 2012, 4:01 pm
#85
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
There's variation in many of these things - consumables vary within provinces let alone the whole country. I'm Canadian, been living in SW England for 9 years, moving back to the Maritimes in Canada soon. Other than for housing (including council tax) and petrol (for me - and there's many different spending patterns) I would say my £1 goes further in Britain than the equivalent does in my area of Canada. And with this I mean used cars, groceries, taxation at income, travel (planes), mobile phones, internet, vet bills, prescriptions, car insurance, eating out, leisure pursuits. But then again, depending on what a person works at they may be entitled to a higher income bracket in Canada and this may even out.
In my experience travelling back to Canada every year multiple times inflation in Canada has really taken hold. A $20 note in your pocket now is ... diddly. A £20 note in your pocket is still something to buy something with. But then, I spent most of last year in Australia - and wow, talk about inflation!!
In my experience travelling back to Canada every year multiple times inflation in Canada has really taken hold. A $20 note in your pocket now is ... diddly. A £20 note in your pocket is still something to buy something with. But then, I spent most of last year in Australia - and wow, talk about inflation!!
May 30th 2012, 5:35 pm
#86
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
In my experience travelling back to Canada every year multiple times inflation in Canada has really taken hold. A $20 note in your pocket now is ... diddly. A £20 note in your pocket is still something to buy something with. But then, I spent most of last year in Australia - and wow, talk about inflation!!
RBC ABMs now have $50 bills available, at least the new ones do. One of my pet peeves has always been this reliance on issuing 20s at bank machines, regardless of country. Whenever I used a £50 note in the UK it would always cause some sort of problem, call in the manager, etc.
And the tellers get into that habit as well, pull out a wad of 20s, err... the reason I came in was to get higher denominations...
May 30th 2012, 5:42 pm
#87
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
In terms of the inflation, I'm referring to buying power over time - as in my experience over the past 9 years - the relative cost of buying most everyday items in Canada has changed significantly in that time period. The $50 bill in Canada is what the $20 bill was 10-12 years a go. Try buying groceries for a week in Canada on $60 for 2 people. I do this without much effort in Britain.
May 31st 2012, 3:13 pm
#88
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
In terms of the inflation, I'm referring to buying power over time - as in my experience over the past 9 years - the relative cost of buying most everyday items in Canada has changed significantly in that time period. The $50 bill in Canada is what the $20 bill was 10-12 years a go. Try buying groceries for a week in Canada on $60 for 2 people. I do this without much effort in Britain.
I think the costs of groceries is very simmilar to the UK (apart from the cheese of course). We have moved over from the UK 2 months ago and I can tell you that our food bill was £100 a week for 2 adults and one child. There isnt such thing as a cheap food shopping anywhere these days
May 31st 2012, 6:55 pm
#89
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May 31st 2012, 6:59 pm
#90
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Re: Cost of living in Canada?
Our experience:
Last year in London we spent about £60 a week from Sainsburys. After moving to Halifax, we shop in Superstore or Sobey. It costs us $150 - $170 a week. It is not just cheese more expensive. I think all vegetables and fruits are much more expensive except blueberry! So now we are gardening. :-)
Last year in London we spent about £60 a week from Sainsburys. After moving to Halifax, we shop in Superstore or Sobey. It costs us $150 - $170 a week. It is not just cheese more expensive. I think all vegetables and fruits are much more expensive except blueberry! So now we are gardening. :-)