brizzle

You're giving cheese to mice !! I bet your one of those people that lights cigars with money and baths in Champagne

Alan2005

As it's their last meal on this mortal coil I feel it's only fair. Still, that only goes so far, so I set the traps with Canadian cheddar.

Atlantic Xpat

Given the price of cheese in Canada, that says a lot about your income and lifestyle. Why it's the equivalent of using Foie Gras to catch rodents. Or having the staff do the same.

monkeyboy3

Hi,

Thanks for all the posts...first of all there was no reason why I put Toronto(capped) and Vancouver (uncapped)....typo on my part.

All the info is great and I am open to townhouses though I am being put off moving to Canada somewhat just now.......maybe now is not the right time financially to us.

I cant believe some of the prices I am hearing (its not that I don't believe you guys I just can't imagine there is actually a place more expensive that good old Blighty). I agree the exchange rate is making this sound worse.

Apart from house prices, the extra long commutes are a bit of a downer on things(looks like I would need to stay over the 30km mark), car insurance (I thought it was bad when I was 18 in the uk and the car insurance was more than the actually bloody car), annual leave entitlement (10 days average WTF).

When I originally thought of Canada I just thought it would be cheaper than the UK, I wasn't expecting to stay Downtown but I thought a 30km radius would be far enough outside of Toronto or Vancouver downtown to buy an average fairly big family house (more for your money than the uk)

The only plus seems to be that the summer is better than the UK which to be honest is not that hard to beat.

Is there any plus points out there? Any?

Rose tinted glasses are off and I am wonder if the grass actually would be greener for us just now........maybe one day!

ExKiwilass

iF money/living standard was the main pull for you to come to Canada then maybe you're right to stay in the UK.

monkeyboy3

Thanks Kiwilass.........what are the main pulls for Canada?

I live in Scotland outskirts of Edinburgh (5 miles from city) have the country side on my door step or not far to travel.......the weather is rubbish thats a given, but Canada also sounds harsh weather....worse probably barr the summers

Alan2005

The rest of Canada is a frozen hellish wasteland, but lower mainland BC isn't harsh, it's temperate. Summers in Vancouver are great and the winters are probably not far off what you get in Edinburgh (at least from what I remember when I lived there a long time ago).

monkeyboy3

Thanks Alan.....yeah my wife works with a Canadian who said that the winters in Vancouver are not all that bad, not worse really than Scotland.

So if you don't mind me asking why did you move? Family? Job? Better lifestyle? etc...........and would you do it again now?

I never thought I would utter these words but "Blighty doesn't sound that bad after all"

Tangram

I take exception.

Alan2005

I'd visited Vancouver a number of times and thought it would be a nice place to live. And it is.

Would I do it again? I managed to keep my UK job when I came here but I was prepared to come without it. Knowing what I know now, I would not be prepared to move here without a decent income lined up.

No offence meant there fella. I'm sure your part of Canada is balmy for two weeks in August.

JonboyE

For us it was wanting a bit of adventure, to live in beautiful surroundings, a society where we could live in peace, and to be 6,000 miles away from the in laws.

Not necessarily in that order though.

We had a reasonable comfortable lifestyle in the UK and didn't move to be better off. However, we were fortunate in our timing. Then the housing here was considerably cheaper than SE England in 1999.

Oink

Adventures are great as long as you can go home afterwards.

monkeyboy3

Thanks alan......yeah I am thinking I really need to secure a job with a decent wage from the UK before we take the leap.

Vancouver looks great but wouldn't be great without the $$$$$behind you

monkeyboy3

Couldn't agree with you more on the in-laws bit hahaha

It is also about adventure for us, a new place to live, new surroundings etc but at the end of the day (apart from it getting dark) you need the $$$ to live and enjoy that adventure. An hour plus communte and 10 days annual leave is not floating my boat (maybe I am having a bad researching week!)

Tangram

10 days. Joking aside we tend to get good summers ( taking into account mozzies )