spock007

Hello all,

I'm Scottish and may have the chance to move to Canada in the near-future, though it is undecided as yet. I'm 30, my girlfriend 49 (!) with kids over 18. I look forward to reading the links relating to Canada that I see on this forum...

We'd be looking at moving to Kelowna with a total salary of between $100-120k Canadian dollars (is that a good salary for the region?). Compare that to my £50k in the UK and her £18k and I think it might make us a little worse off, financially - but that's why I'm here, to find out about the cost of living etc.

Ideally she would be able to find work and we're not sure if her children will be able to come over given they are legally adults. One has autism and in the UK this daughter gets benefits because she really is unable to work, and I assume she wouldn't get this in Canada.

In the UK we get 33 days total for holiday (includes public holidays) and I see Canada holidays are like mainland America's - i.e. not very many! A slight worry.

Housing in the UK costs a fortune... £250k++ for a detached home so I will be checking out the costs in Canada...!

I'm a little worried by the cold

I'm a massive rock guitarist so I will also check out what the music scene is like there...!

Healthcare (especially with older partner) - that is also a concern!

OK, that's all for now! If you've anything to mention, it would be appreciated

magnumpi

If u can play Rush songs u be ok

Don't think u can bring the over 18 kids with u, they have to get their own visa

Houses here are on par with UK prices, (unless u move to stick town) and cost more to heat and cool.

Health care is ok but most have work benifits to help with the extra cost

The cold !! Well it's not that cold in Van, but not that hot either and houses cost lots. It does get cold in Toronto, and hot in summer. And houses cost lots.

Holidays ? Depends on your job, if u are a guitarist then u go busking when u want :@)

neilcumming

Hi spock007 ,Im from Edinburgh ,I came to Canada in 2007.$100-120K is a decent salary to live on in my opinion.The problem I had is I bought a house that was too big for our needs.Depending on where you live you have to heat your house(a basement we didnt use) all winter or your pipes will freeze and plug in your car overnite to heat the oil or that will freeze.I didnt have a problem with the mortage ,it was the heating bills etc that was the problem.So I would suggest take that into account when looking at homes.
Most pubs in Canada have live music so if you are any good you could earn extra cash that way.Yeah probably good idea to brush up on Rush or Bryan Adams lol

JonboyE

Yes.

Unless your girlfriend is Canadian then, I think, no.

That is a good assumption.

They could well be negotiable if the company needs you. 10 days +statutory holidays (i.e. bank holidays) is the legal minimum. However, you will be right in the middle of holiday country.

Kelowna is not cheap. You can find cheaper but should be able to get something decent in the $400,000 to $450,000 range. You can pay a lot more ...

It doesn't get too cold in Kelowna compared to much of Canada. I'd worry more about the heat in summer.

Umm ....

It's OK. The main difference to the UK is that you pay market price for prescription drugs. Your employer will probably have a benefits plan that mitigates this cost.

Lychee

Most people wouldn't move to Kelowna to pursue music, but that isn't to say there isn't a tiny little live music scene. Set your expectations accordingly: Kelowna Live Music Blog « Helping spread the word about live music in Kelowna, BC

dbd33

It's worse than that. The daughter would not be eligible to come to Canada due to her disability. She would be considered to be likely to make "excessive demands" on the healthcare system.

I suspect the parents of autistic adults in Canada would have a hollow laugh at that, nonetheless, there it is.