hh619

Yeah, that's on top of the relocation money. I'm hoping it won't cost us circa $72k with just the move?

hh619

I've seen some rentals in the region of $2800-3000 in the tri-cities area... that's circa 42% of take-home income on rent though, might be pushing it slightly?

We love the outdoors also. We cook our own food, and would definitely purchase an older car. We are thinking just 1 to start with as long as i can use public transport for work, but that will also push the price of rent up considerably.

christmasoompa

As long as you've got a good chunk of money put aside for relocating (as above, the $5k offered by the company won't come close), and that £35-45k isn't to be used for that, then you'll be fine.

Lots of helpful moving cost figures in this thread to give you an idea of what you're likely to spend - cost of moving to canada

And this thread has some great info in about deposits, salaries and what sort of property price you may be able to afford - residential mortgage in Canada

HTH.

MayaPrinces

I would definitely look for a property north of Vancouver - halfway between Vancouver and Whistler - in a small town (20,000 friendly people) called Squamish. That’s where I live. Going east, yes, those bridges are brutal, but traffic is not as bad if you commute from Squamish. It is know as the “Recreation Capital of Canada”. Skiing, mountain biking, climbing, mountains all around the town. Getting from Squamish to downtown Vancouver (if not at rush hour, and there’s no delays), is just over an hour. Lots of doctors, massage therapists, and young families, and yes, childcare is in short supply.

Houses are around a million, but there are three bedroom townhouses in the $800,000s and below. Have a look at realestate.squamishadventure.com.

Please feel free to ask if you have any questions about Squamish.

dbd33

I assume you're an estate agent. Please explain how $115,000 in income and $100,000 in cash gets an $800,000 townhouse. It's just not the kind of income needed to finance a house.

MayaPrinces

I am not an estate agent.

What happens is, you don’t pay cash to buy a house, you actually take out a mortgage and pay for the property over, say, 25 years!

All I was doing was suggesting that Squamish was a better location to purchase property than the Fraser Valley.

Geez, I registered on this site today, specifically to just give a wee bit of advice to the original poster, and I am very surprised to have someone comment so negatively to my bit of input. I think I won’t be adding any more to this site from now on if you’re just a bunch of people trying to diminish someone’s attempt to offer some information!

dbd33

Then I apologize. That was a scurrilous accusation.

Squamish is just past the chair lift on the highway, isn't it? It's certainly a scenic spot.

dominiqueincanada

dominiqueincanada

bc2015

Just FYI, if you want to buy a property for $1 million or more (and to get a good house in a good area you would be looking at at least that amount), then you need a downpayment of 20% of the purchase price. If you want to a buy a property under $1 million and have less than 20% downpayment then you get stiffed with CMHC insurance which will cost an extra 3-4% on top of the purchase price. Right now for us the downpayment is the biggest issue, could easily afford the mortgage.

MayaPrinces

We lived in North Vancouver before we moved to Squamish, but real estate property there is so expensive.

All I wanted to impart was:
Instead of looking for Fraser Valley/Surrey property (which means a commute on the No. 1 highway), look into Squamish with a commute on the Sea to Sky Highway. There is no comparison! The No. 1 Highway is MAD most days. The Sea to Sky Highway is beautiful (even in the pouring rain).

Siouxie

5k won't even cover your basics. How much it will cost will depend on how much you decide to leave behind and how much you decide to bring! For instance, if you were planning on sending over your worldly possessions you can consider that to be £2500+ for the contents of a 2 bedroom.. in a shared container.

Add on to that the deposits for electricity, gas, telephone, cable... rent deposit.... initial hotel/motel while you find a rental.. flights... If you decide to bring the bare minimum then you have the replacement costs of everything... properties in Canada are unfurnished apart from a fridge/freezer and cooker, generally speaking (furnished rentals tend to be megabucks)...

Do have a good read of our Wiki - there's so much valuable information in there! Restocking your stock cupboard - spices, herbs, all the stuff you take for granted, until you move abroad, lol.. it adds up... mattress's are a different size here (unless you buy from Ikea) - so unless you are bringing your bed with you, you'll have to replace all your linens etc., too.
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Categ...gistics-Canada

Not forgetting the cost of your work permit, etc., and then actually applying for Permanent Residence.. another few thousand $

Car rental / car purchase / insurances (including renter insurance) / cell phone packages / internet / healthcare contributions (Provincial) / the list is endless! The general consensus is that the Govt. requirement for proof of funds for resettlement are far too low: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...ity.html#money

There's a couple of threads around that may be of help in budgeting for the move. cost of moving to canada


Don't forget also that you will have deductions from your pay - taxes, EI, CPP - and the RRSP matching - plus Provincial Health (and potentially a healthcare plan) you may also have a tax liability if the employer provides you with a vehicle or accommodation. https://www.taxtips.ca/calculators/c...calculator.htm

tweed_wearer

Is that 35-45k after sale of house (representing your equity) plus cars or is that additional?

Townhouse rental in our area (easily commutable downtown) is about $2700 a month.

scrubbedexpat091

I'll agree with this, even with the Lions Gate and possible issues, the commute from Squamish overall most of the time will be easier, and more enjoyable vs highway 1 to the east which is a miserable commute these days, even during non-rush hour, I would never wish that commute on my worst enemy.

My wife has a friend who is a nurse, commutes Squamish to VGH and has for years, its very common for people in Squamish to commute to Vancouver for work, and often overlooked as people assume the commute is worse where its actually better vs highway 1.

42% for housing in Vancouver region isn't actually bad, its likely on the lower end for most renters, 50%+ is more and more the norm in Vancouver region for renters and really only the high earners can stick to 30% unless sharing with multiple roommates splitting the rent evenly.

dbd33

I’m open to the idea that Squamish is everything one could dream of as a place to live but, if you’re attracted to Vancouver, wouldn’t you want to live in Vancouver? Just as, if someone wants to move to Toronto, living in Oakville rather defeats the purpose. Life is then all about the commute and, again, I’m open to idea that Squamish has the best rainy motorways in the world but are they really sufficiently better than Birmingham’s rainy motorways to justify the upheaval?

If the money is there to live a new city and explore it a bit that’s one thing but moving to the equivalent of Basildon and schlepping up and down to town every day is quite another. The OP may as well move to Shropshire, be in the rain, and spend lots of time in the car.