Tribleedinumph

We are trying to 'crunch' the numbers for our move to Canada, at the moment we are getting by in the UK but my partner has to travel 3 hours a day to work and back, we have no family life as he is always tired and too much to do around the house. The main reason we are moving to Canada is he has been offered a job where he will be earning 20k (gbp) a year more than here and will live within a 15 minute commute, and will have every other friday off (company work a 9/80 fortnight).
But the big question is how much more does it cost to live in Canada. We will be losing my wages of 10k a year and we are unsure whether we will be financially okay. I am probably asking you all the impossible but we are guestimating a rent of approx $2,500 for a 3 bed house and just wondered what we can expect to pay on average for other bills for a family of four?
Appreciate any feedback, thanks in advance.
Yvette.

mandymoochops

Depends on where you want to live. You coul rent something the size of Buckingham Palace for that money if you were in Nova Scotia, however Vancouver might get you a thimble.

Do a search under "cost of living" that should throw up about 57,000 threads about costs of living all over the country.

Tribleedinumph

Sorry, meant to put that we would be in the Burlington/Hamilton area. Will check that out though, thanks.

JonboyE

It is an impossible question to answer. It depends as much on what you want out of life, and how much that costs, than how much you earn.

Posters here range from a family living quite happily on less than $25,000 a year to others who complain that they struggle to get by on $100,000.

Overall, the general consensus is that there are swings and roundabouts. Some things more expensive and others cheaper. With the current exchange rate the cost or living is roughly the same. Possibly even a little higher until you learn where to go for good value or if you insist on replicating your shopping habits from the UK.


Hey, even in Vancouver you can rent somewhere decent for $2,500 a month.

Tribleedinumph

I am aware I am asking a tricky question...hence the posting title!!, but I guess I am hoping someone with a family of four in a 3 bed home can give me a rough idea. We are not extravagant by any means and the main reason for our move would be for work life balance, but not at the expense of finacially crippling us.
We would be on $100k a year with health insurance provided. Is that considered a 'livable wage'?

Auld Yin

$100k p/a is considered better than a living wage. It will not buy you luxury but will give you a satisfactory lifestyle.

JonboyE

It is more than I need.

BristolUK

Different now with kids out of school and wages replacing child tax credits but it was true for four years.

dbd33

It's a good wage for a family of four. You could live comfortably on that money in that general area. Some points:

- you seem to have a fixed idea of the commuting time, since you don't yet have a house, I don't think you can be sure of that.

- health insurance here is like the NHS, everyone has it. Some employers top it up, with drug plans and the like and that's great, but it's not much of a selling point for a job.

- employers in Canada aren't under much obligation to deal fairly with their staff, unless you know the firm involved well, you might want to look for a commitment from them to this deal, moving expense money for example, before crossing the ocean for a job offer that may or may not be genuine.
In the local jargon, you want them to be invested.

London Mike

$2,500 per month rent is eminently liveable on if, by my calculations, you're pulling down $6,000 p/month after tax, EI and CPP (for $100k).

bigals

as dbd says the money is ok just make sure the job is secure!

iaink

I wouldnt say it was any more expensive to live in Canada, its just no longer true that its cheaper.

Some things are more, some are less, overall it pretty much balances out is my feel.

bryandd

I am a Canadian living in the UK, and I can tell you that life in Canada is definitely cheaper than the UK. Things like petrol and food are considerably cheaper in Canada, and you don't have to pay council tax on top of your rent. Like others have said, it depends on where you want to live and what you want with your money. 100K a year is more than enough to live a very comfortable life in most parts of Canada.

iaink

On the other hand my car insurance is 10 times more ($2k+ a year for 2 cars, with 10+ years good record here), I have to drive twice as far at least to get to anywhere worth going to, and there are no affordable small cars with engines that get 60MPG. My property taxes are more than council tax, and a small chunk of lamb costs so much that I cant remember the last time I even took the plunge, and a cheap bottle of wine in $9, but not really worth drinking, so you end up spending $15.

Its swings and roundabouts

dbd33

Hamilton ON is definitely cheaper to live in than the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, yes. Vancouver vs. Larne, not so much.