Canada Dreams

hello all,

just been reading up on the thread about living on minium wage, we had our hearts set on moving to canada, and now it might seem that we cant afford it.

we aim to bring with us $1000.000 and $70.000 of that will be used to buy a house, what we are concerned about is that the wage im looking at for myself would be $25 per hour and my partner $15 per hour.

i know this has been talked about before, but would anyone be so kind in letting us know if its worth moving out on that kind of pay.

thanks for advice

Beastie

You need to be a little more specific so that BE members are able to help you. Do you have a specific area you wish to move to? Canada is a huge country and cost of living/housing etc varies depending on the area/province.

Canada Dreams

oops sorry

yes we are thinking of either NS or NB

bazzz

If you're bringing a million bucks, why are you even thinking about working?

Canada Dreams

i tell you what your right bloody long day sorry, wish we had that much

is this better $100,000

mclauchlan35

I would think that would mean around $80'000 year gross between you and from what I read on the boards NS and NB are pretty good for property so I would think you could live ok on that.

Depending on your spending habits.

Good luck anyway

Danny

wizzard

You should be ok, that's just starting so it would be the least you would be earning for a while. It's nowhere near minimum wage, that is more like $8/hr so you are like 3 times minimum wage. As a couple in the Toronto area which is more expensive standard of living wise than NS or NB we have lived fine on combined household incomes from $18/hr when I first moved here to $50/hr and the range inbetween over 5-6 years. If you have the cash for a decent downpayment on a house your mortgage shoulddn't carry for too much and that is the bulk of our expenditure in Toronto with the ridiculous house prices here. If we moved out of the city (presuming we could find jobs) we could buy the same house we have no for half the price or a much nicer one for a similar amount.

airbornesapper

You might find this link (average wages in NB) useful.

http://www.gnb.ca/0381/downloads/Ave...nglish2004.pdf

Although the document is dated 2004, don't expect things to be much different.

Your hourly rate expectations would be good pay for this area. I have family members who do not earn even close to that and they seem to manage.

Hope things work out for you....

hudd

Canada Dreams

$30k seems a small allowance to get you started in Canada. Have you been offered jobs you will walk into when you arrive in Canada? When we moved to Calgary in 1997 we spent $40K for 2 used cars,insurances, replacement furniture, beds, white good, other general house hold gear, winter clothing for the family in the first 6 weeks. I also did not work for first 3 months and spent about $12k living and travelling to interviews in Alberta. We spent over $50K before I got my first job on $18/hr. Also had to supplement my income using our UK funds for the first 2 years in Canada.

I would say it is doable to move to NS/NB with $100k in cash, but would recommend not buying a house until you are working and expenditure for your moved to Canada has settled down.

A question to ask yourself - would I move to the UK with $100K and take $15/hr and $25/hr jobs as well. Having lived in Alberta, Ontario and now back in Oxfordshire our monthly total expenditures in Canada and the UK are very similar (Canada was slightly higher- size of house = more running costs, transportation- no company car and high annual mileage ). The only difference back in the UK my net pay is 40% more than when we lived in Canada.

hudd

bazzz

We managed on less than $5k.

Elaine B.

We managed on about $500.00. Not fun but it can be done.

dbd33

We arrived with $2,000 in credit card debt, fifty bucks cash, a snooker cue and a pair of skis. We had had clothes but they were lost in transit. Fortunately I had a job to go to.

JSHalifax

Hi there, I think it could be done, you should have a more positive attitute, you havent said if you have jobs to go to.. you can buy an income property which will help pay your costs, you can rent an extra room in your house and take international students..St Marys Universirt and Dalhousie both have programs which we did during the first few years we were here, they are paying around $600-700 a month.. we had part time jobs at weekends, we owned one vehicle and tried to economise, its was tough at times but we never looked back.....if you feel this disheartened already how will you feel when you hit your first bump in the road.. also depends what kind of lifestyle you have now and what you imagione you will have here, as all immigrants it can be hard starting from the beginning and working your way up but the rewards are worth it...
Over ten years here and loving life to the full!
June

DaveLovesDee

I came over with my clothes, some DVD's I couldnt watch until we got a multi-region DVD player, and about $500.00. I moved into her rented apartment with my Canadian girlfriend and we managed on her pay until I could work. We're now just now getting financially stable after 18 months.

I'd suggest renting for a year, only spend on necessities to start with, and wait to treat yourself until after you've managed to make your income higher than your outgoings. If you're not earning, then you're spending what you can't afford.

Good luck.

bazzz

Bollocks to that. We'll all be dead soon enough. Enjoy yourself now, I say.