Kaye5

When you're comparing wages (which has only so slightly freaked me out) this can't be comparing a London wage with a Canada wage, surely? Working in London I earn nearly twice as much as I would earn anywhere else in the UK. There is no way I would earn twice that figure in CAD!!

But if I compare what I would earn in the regions, then 2 x in CAD doesn't seem so bad...

JGK

Depends where you are as well, I'm probably paying (the equivalent) about 100 quid more than I was when i left the UK in 2001.

My "quality of life" has definitely improved in Canada.

dboy

I would imagine they are more comparable to typical regional wages from teh UK, say the South East. As I said though, you have to compare certain professions.

Aviator

For me it was pretty much the same as the UK.

Alan2005

Salaries for IT (and probably most other non-government jobs too) are less here than in the UK even if you are considering the regions. Don't discount real estate costs either; relative to salaries Vancouver is more expensive than London.

This info is on the web if you look, either on the stats can website or via google.

Kaye5

Yes, I think I'd better give Vancouver a miss. At least in London we get paid more which covers some of the higher housing costs.

I've checked the salary levels and I would probably (if I was lucky) get the same in CAD what I get in London in GBP. Better look somewhere with cheap housing...

dboy

Yes indeedy....

dboy

Bear in mind though that the housing costs here are distributed differently. If you want to be right downtown, costs are silly and Alan is right, the wages being lower makes it worse than London. However, if you are looking for suburbia with a detached house in a nice area, prices drop dramatically, probably by as much as 40-50 percent within an hour of downtown.

Coquitlam for instance you could get a nice, newer 3 - 4 bed detached, 2400 sq feet for around 600-650 K, downtown that will get you an ok 2 bed apartment.

Generally, prices drop here the further east you go. Depends what you are looking for.

dboy

Why are you wanting to leave though. If an higher wage balances things out, then why go through the headache of a move over here? It doesn't seem that you are focused on one area, so it's not that you hanker after a certain spot.

Alan2005

Toronto is your best bet for London style IT jobs. I have no idea what the commensurate salaries are like, but I bet they are higher than here.

Still, there are compensations for the relatively high cost of living in Vancouver, I'm just off to whistler for a day on the slopes... you don't get that in the UK!

Lychee

... or Toronto!

Kaye5

We have our reasons for wanting to make the move - not one of them financial....! Having said that, I have no desire to make us destitute. Even if we never make it to Canada, we will leave London. The areas we can afford to live in London are not places I am happy raising my kids. We're looking at Ontario (to be near my aunt) or possibly NS/NB. Yes, I guess we would be looking at suburbia rather than downtown - anywhere.

dboy

If you are considering suburbia I wouldn't discount the Vancouver area. Ontario will certainly more affordable though.

Goodluck!

Kaye5

Thanks! We're not discounting anywhere, though haven't really looked at the west yet. Only recently started looking at anything other than Ontario. Will bear in mind what you have said re Vancouver suburbs.

BristolUK

We had a few slopes in Totterdown...the San Francisco of Bristol.