Originally Posted by dexdaw

OK you've got me!!!!!!!
Typical matelot eh!

Originally Posted by sans

It was a big risk Upping sticks, and moving half way round the world without even having a glimps first.............
But hey at least your big enough to hold your hands up and say.......we made a mistake
And yes i totally agree on the price of things, we was at the opposite side of Canada.....so it may of been slightly different, we found it same cost of living on half the wages......compared to where we lived in the UK and that was only 25 miles from Doncaster.

You maybe should of posted this in TMBTUK forum

Originally Posted by McNicoll family

As for shopping, when we were in Alberta we found a lot of things were cheaper

Originally Posted by BristolUK

So taking away mortgage and heat/lights, £9k has been doing for four in Canada what £7k did for one in the UK.

It must be something to do with being able to buy enough things for less. Or is there another explanation?

Originally Posted by dbd33

What about the disproportionately lower cost of feeding, clothing and housing marginal people? If one person costs n to keep going, 2 people don't cost 2n, "two can live as cheaply as one". Perhaps 4 people routinely cost 9/7n to maintain.

Originally Posted by moosey2canada

We arrived in NS last wek after deliberating for over 2 years we decided to just pack up and come to NS got a vistors visa for 6 months thought we ahd plenty of money did loads of research on net and books etc but didnt comeover for scouting trip, assumed everything would be ok. ITS NOT. we have worked out our finances and what is alot of money in the the UK isn't alot of money here- houses inside our budget are miles from anywhere, cars are expensive, shopping is expensive chicken is $10 FOR 1 SMALL BIRD dont think thats only £5 its not when youre earning dollars its 10 dollars! petrol is dearer than home in equivelents, if we live here, bearing in mind we are both professional people with good jobs, we couldnt afford chicken in our weekly budget, milk is 2 dollars a litre - more than petrol. fruit is extortionate please dont reply that maybe we are shopping inthe wrong place we looked at the three top supermarkets and barring a few cents here and there it doesnt vary much. If you like a drink get ready to get a bank loan to enjoy one, 24 330ml budwiesers is $40 dollars dont ask about spirits. We thought this would change our lives and be a better life but the fact is that we had it all at home a house of our own that we could afford to run and have nice, a car each, money for holidays meals out and basically a nice life- all the things we came here for. So now we are going home in 3 weeks (when our flat runs out of lease) embarrassed, (we had a huge party before we left) a few thousend pounds lighter and homeless and unemployed and to be honest going home is more frightening than coming to NS ever was i feel like such a failure, if anyone can put a positive glean on this i would appreciate it but only as long as its not well at least now you know or at least you tried.

Originally Posted by NSpaul

Is part of the problem that because you are on a visitor visa its hard to make a proper assessment of what your finances will be like when you are working here? For instance do you have an assumption about what you are going to earn and thats what you're assessing the cost of living against? I dont disagree that the cost of living in NS, especially near Halifax, can be much higher than people tend to think. You see people living well here - people have boats, cottages they go to at the weekends etc but you really need to earn good money to live well here. If someone's told you that you're going to earn $50k then I'm not at all suprised if you're wondering how you're going to survive on it. Why not just speed-up the job search and start earning to stop the drain on your finances?

Originally Posted by NSpaul

I've said it before I know but just wanting a bigger house than you can afford in the UK on its own is really the wrong reason to move to Canada.

Originally Posted by treehavn

How about maybe wanting to afford to own a home one day full stop? We're two professionals living in east London, 'home' is currently a rented cockroach and rat afflicted flat above a chicken take away. The whole '5-bedroom house' aspect is ridiculous imho (as is deciding to jack it all in after a week, although props for following their gut instinct I guess) but I'd be lying in that moving back to Canada isn't partially driven by the desire to one day afford to buy a home.

Originally Posted by Poppy2

The point being made isnt that they made a poor choice because they wanted more for their living situation (ie the big house), but that this sounds as if it was the only motivator. That is part of wanting a new start, space to grow and a new lifestyle. You have to balance out what works for you and what isnt ideal. I chose to come with my kids because of the space, the education opportunities, the proximity to the rest of Canada and the US for travel, the closeness to the UK and family etc, etc. However, here I currently am in a job that is far from my ideal, but I make it what it is and I can afford my totally comparable mortgage. In the UK we spent the same money each month on a house that was a box, here we have an acre, a view that is stunning, 4-5 beds and a cinema room (well a small windowless room with a big TV and surround sound). For us, overall and in countless ways, we are better off.

But its not just about a house. And how long is week or even 3 to honestly evaluate what someone can or cant afford, what income you can expect and even where to start looking at houses? Its cold feet and maybe a gut reaction that will be deeply regretted.