Mum keeps the car; Dad commutes by transit (if feasible).

I didn’t mean to have a go at anyone (and I apologise if it came across as such), but to state “you will need two cars” is not necessary, without knowing where the OP will be working / living.

My point is, if living in an area where transit is sufficient to get you to / from work, two cars would be a ‘nice to have’ rather than a necessity. It is also an expense the OP would not have to worry about.

With 3 kids under 12, they certainly will need one car, and Mum will need to have the keys most of the time

Definately agree, don't feel you have to enrol your kids in every single activity there is going. Give them time to find their feet and hang out with other kids. There are plenty of activities you can do together, that don't cost a fortune, where you can meet other families.

They still do activities, we just limit them.

One reason for us coming here was to have more down time together as a family. I'm sorry but chasing around from one activity to another during the week and then giving up time together at the weekends to drive miles to kids' sporting events ain't our idea of fun or theirs. But then others seem love it

As others have said, transit is not that extensive with three kids in tow. If the OP is out working, and probably taking a car with him, I think his wife will be ready to hang herself in two weeks without a car to get around.

Just my opinion.

don't get us wrong, there are many many families that do it on less ans without any vehicles - so don't think for oe minute that it's not possible.

But the op asked if they could live a comfortable life - to me comfortable means not having to think "oh we can't do this because we can't afford it", or "we can't take the kids x y z because you have the car today".

However all that being said - i'd go for it - its not paupers wages by any stretch - have fun and enjoy Edmonton

A person who says Edmonton has an extensive public transport system is a person who's never been to Edmonton.

The bus service is quite decent, but depending on where you want to go to and from where may require numerous changes.

The train service consists of 1 route. This is going to be built upon but is not here yet.

The town centre is not very good, the vast majority would shop in one of the numerous Mall's or shopping areas like South Common.

We live in South Edmonton, with 2 little ones and my wife is starting to learn to drive, this will be a necessity once they start pre-school, school etc. We're a 40 minute walk from the nearest shopping and who wants to stand at a bustop at -35 degrees.

$90K would be decent to start, but depending on what the OP does, that could escalate up once he gets PR and shop around a bit if the employer doesn't up the $105K.

Thank you all for the replys.

I think that you have answered the original question, and what I consider living comfortably can be achieved on the Salary being offered, I know that money is not the 'be all and end all' but I have previously put my family in a position where we overstretched our finances and it was awful and affect everything we could and could not do, so I am perhaps a little uber cautious not to repeat that mistake.

I consider the move to be permanent my eldest is coming up to 11yrs so fairly important time in his schooling and I would not want to disrupt him further. In my line of work the opportunities and rewards in Canada far exceed what is possible in the UK at the present time and for the forseeable future, I also think that the prospect for my children could be better.

I am planning to sell my house in the UK, which will free up a small amount of equity, I have already had a disasterous attempt at renting it out so wont be going down that road again!

As with most families Mrs lb77's happiness is the most important thing in the world, because she has to be there for everyone else and if she was stuck in a situation where she could not do what she needed to do, in order to to get some fulfillment due to financial constraints, then the move would be a total non starter. This will mean 2 cars will be required (and finding some babysitting) so I will factor that in.

I have been told that in Canada you are more likely to be judged on your hard work and on who you are, rather than on what car you drive/how big your house is/obsession with how much your house is worth/what school your kids go to/what label clothes you wear/what sports clubs your kids attend, which is my experience of the UK and it doesnt seem to be getting any better.

We moved from Edmonton last year. I've a wife, and 2 kids who are now 5 & 6. We had one car, normal sized house, dont smoke, had no holidays, ate out every now and then...

My salary was $72k and we pretty much lived month to month.
Is $90k, with 3 kids do-able? Probably, but like others have said, you're not gonna be rolling in it unfortunately.

I havent read all the other replies, so sorry if this has already been mentioned, but the cost of putting your kids in sports etc is expensive. The equipment itself is expensive. Groceries are expensive. We spend $200 ish every week on shopping, and my kids are young.

To add to the other comments about cars/public transit. Really depends on where you live and where you work. Getting to downtown Edmonton is easy from most parts of the City. Getting from one side of Edmonton to the other is ridiculous.
I used to live in Sherwood Park, which is a community east of Edmonton. It had 80,000 people, so it's own transit system etc. However, I still couldnt get the bus to work. I had to either drive to the bus station (or get the missus to), and then get the bus. Not a major headache at the time as the kids werent in school, but when they started etc, it was a PITA.

You'll probably need two cars, unless wifey is happy staying at home with nowhere to go.

I'm afraid it's no different in Canada. Depending where you live people judge on size of Truck, type of car, clothing, house, etc. In my experience, it's the same with school kids and definitely no different to the UK. So in my opinion, if you remove that expectation, you'll be fine.

Yep, i will make up my own mind after i get out there for a look.

That's the best way. Make up your won mind after you've lived here a while. Labelling definitely does go on. You'll be labelled one way if you drive a pick up, wear a cap, have a dog in the back, and dress like a hillbilly. Another way if you wear designer clothes and drive a convertable mercedes sports car. And completely another way if you're a middle aged chinese lady driving a Lexus SUV.

I also believe hard work might only get you so far here. Knowing the right people can get you further.

Just a few tidbits to consider:

Bullying in Canada is worse than England according to stats.
http://prevnet.ca/BullyingFacts/Bull...2/Default.aspx


Kids are bullied in Canada for wearing the "wrong" clothing
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119326834963770540.html

Teens and adolescents are expected to wear not just any designer brands but the "right" ones. "The better brands you wear, the more popular you are," says Becky Gilker, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Sherwood Park in the Canadian province of Alberta. "If you don't wear those things you get criticized." In many schools, the most expensive designer goods, such as those by Chanel or Louis Vuitton, have the highest social ranking among girls. But popular teen brands such as American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch and Aeropostale are also important. Miss Gilker says Hollister and Roxy are big logos at her school.

But even the wrong color can bring put-downs, Miss Gilker notes. When she wears pink, she says, "I get the snarky 'Nice clothes!' when people walk by in the halls."

On a more positive note, the money you quote would give you a decent life although not extravagent. Your children would experience different (not better) things and different (not better) opportunities. This can be a good thing.

So if you keep your expectations real, the chances of success are high i think.

Hope you enjoy

i have lived in Edmonton with 3 kids under 12 with just me working...i am now in the process of moving to Calgary.

i think the money is very doable...transport is fine but you do have to change buses to get places.

What is it that you do for a job?

Monkey,

I am a chartered Structural Engineer 10+ years experience with a specialisation in Steel Framed buildings, I think salary wise the offer is good comparing it to the published pay scales and considering I need a years Canadian experience to get a recognised qualification, wage ceiling seems to be $125,000.00 for Structural Engineers.

My experience is in general building structures and not in Oil and Gas unfortunatly, which does seem to pay better salarys.

Can I be a Cheeky Monkey and ask what salary you managed on, with 3 kids as the sole bread winner?

I also work in the construction field in main contracting as a project director..i came to Canada as a construction project manager and started on $105k..and managed fine with just one car living in a nice house in a nice part of town.

Update have been offered and accepted the job offer will be coming out in early July. Now to find somewhere to rent 3-4 bed, sherwood park or south west ideally furnished, have looked on Rent Faster and Kijiji, any other good web sites out there?