Re: price comparisons - question
 

A lot depends where you live in Canada. In the GTA and Vancouver a lot larger proportion of your canadian salary goes towards housing costs than elsewhere in Canada, but you dont have to live there. 90 mins from TO our older (but OK) house would be about $130-150k (property taxes appraised at $116k!!!). A brand new house nearer $200-250k

Getting away from the big ticket items my best guess is that for day to day expenses £1 cost in the UK is about $1.30 cost here. (except bread and milk which is $1.20 a loaf for the cheap no name stuff, which seems a lot more than the UK :confused: )

Dont forget UK prices already include the sales tax, but here you have to tack that on top of the sticker price. Property here is certainly cheeper than the UK, but salaries are generally lower. I think I have more spending power here on my engineering salary...at least I am paying more than just the interest on my mortgage, which is more than a lot of my contempories can say in the UK. We have 2 cars, my wife doesnt have to work and we make ends meet, but without too many luxuries (apart from my wife not having to work;) ) without being up to our necks in debt.

Things like electricity, heating and insurance are pretty expensive here, so what you gain on buying goods perhaps you lose on house running expenses. We pay $150-200 a month for heating oil over the year, and thats over and above our elctricity costs, which are seldom less than $100 a month, and more in the summer with the A/C going.

A $15k car here will be as cheap as it sounds. You get what you pay for, but its certainly not in the same rip off level of cost as some stuff in the UK.

Re: price comparisons - question
 

Why is this when Canada has large land areas under crop? Normal bread in UK about 70p a loaf with Asda cheap stuff at 20p! Very odd :confused:

Re: price comparisons - question
 

Many good points (especially about utility costs - hadn't really thought about those!) Not sure you're right about the 15K car though: I bought a used Honda Accord back in 1998 for 11K. It now has 250000 clicks and still runs like a dream - and it's fully loaded: A/C, sun roof, power everything. It's starting to creak a bit so I'm now looking for a replacement and have seen some very decent BMW's (mid- to late 90's mmodels) for about 10 - 13K. That's very affordable!!
Btw, is car insurance in the U.K. as exhorbitant as it is here? Probably not! That may be one of the few things that is substantially higher over here

GTR

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are there subsidies on bread in the U.K.? I know milk prices here are held artificially high to support farm subsidies. The actual price of a litre should be well below a buck

GTR

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Probably. We/I drive a Jag and that is about the same as my my wifes people carrier used to be. About £650 per year but thats with 9 years no claims bonus. Without that it would be up to the £2,000 mark if I were a new boy on the block even given my age. A newly passed driver in the UK might pay £1,000 - £1,500 a year and up for a 3-4 year old Focus/Fiesta or similar.

Read that after a few years insurance can get to below $1,000 for a normal car in Canada.....I hope.

Re: price comparisons - question
 

I was refering to new cars, no doubt canada is cheeper than the UK (not many places arent!), but as a percentage of average salary its not so great a difference. There are not to many good new vehicles to be had new below $15k after tax, the UK caters to the small/cheap car market sector better than canada. I can only think of the Toyota Echo (Yaris) and the GM Aveo clones, and I suspect either would be squished like a bug on a windscreen if hit by a truck here. I suppose the small Kias also qualify, and maybe a Hyundai or two?

Even though Canada is a tough envirionment on cars, I too would rather spend $15k on a larger used vehicle. Dealer servicing isnt ridiculously expensive, so oil changes every 6000k dont seem too painfull and most people do them. Always used to DIY in the UK, and far less frequently than here. Much as I like Beamers you still pay for the name and they are a bit too RWD for my taste in Canada. Rather spend the money on an Audi, or a newer Subaru, but each to there own.

As far as insurance goes, it is expensive, but its not helped by:
A. Most immigrants having to start from scratch again,
B. Winter conditions causing fender benders, and
C. Everyone and there dog trying to sue someone for something, I would guess that Legal and Medical costs are probably the main cause of the difference in premiums .

FWIW between my Subaru and my wifes older Mazda Protege we pay $1800 a year, and thats after maxing out no claims here. Seems a rip off to me, but we shopped around and thats as low as it goes with full coverage. It probably doesnt seem so bad when converted to pounds...but I dont get paid in pounds! As a percentage of houshold income Im sure its higher than it would be in the UK, even with all the car crime over there.

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Yeah, I know....I've never owned a Beamer (decades of Japanese cars and two VW's) and now I'm thinking of snobbing up a wee bit :) What's "RWD", incidentally? Got all the other abbreviations but this one stumped me

I notice you're located in Quinte - very nice part of the province. I work in Prince Edward County quite a bit

GTR

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I would have to agree with you here. Between us my husband and I made much less last year and manage a car and even manage to save. I think a lot is down to priorities. We bought a car second hand $5000 and it works like a dream.much better than anything we could have affored in uk. Insurance and petrol is cheap enough. We don't consider tv/cell phones necessities and spend no money whatsoever during work hours. We do like to go out but spend wisely.....
tip: buffets are great when you go away. you can get your dinner and discretly arrange your breakfast for the next morning!!!

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Rear wheel drive as against FWD..front wheel drive. Rear wheel a total pain in the arse in the snow to me.

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Rear wheel drive
I thought it was only farmers down there ;) :D Where have you played?

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A place called the Waring House in Picton. There's also a nice jazz festival in mid-August

GTR

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Place has a good reputation for food around here, and is supposed to have a nice pub :beer: . Will have to check it out :)

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A great place to stop after a day at Outlet Beach.

Re: price comparisons - question
 

It's a serious mistake to make any assumptions upon possible earning power when you arrive in Canada.
I'm a graduate with tonnes of experience, yet I earn less than $20k as I've had to take a survival job in a shop.
Many others seem to be in a similar position.
The best policy is to assume the worst. i.e minimum wage (shop work, bar jobs, flipping burgers etc.)
Anything over that is a bonus.

Re: price comparisons - question
 

Yes I am aware as seen too many threads like this not to be. One difference though is that by the time our youngest leaves Uni if we ever manage to get there it will be another 8 years. High school etc to finish first for our middle one as well. Our eldest has secured a place at Waterloo (waiting on Western to answer) so even she will have been in Canada four years before looking for work and I must say having done the tours there is an enormous amount of preparitary work done on emplyment issues before students graduate. Whole buildings are put aside where prospective employeers interview and coach. I was, as was the family blown away by the facilities on offer. So she probably will be a dual passport holder so in effect a citizen. I have tried to think the whole thing through but best plans of mice and men... (Is that sexist nowadays)... best plans of mice and people...?

But poor old me... does worry me but I am at an age where we have a bit put by. Thanks though. The future anywhere is unsure.