Costco versus other stores' special offers was a long-running saga between the ex & I . He thought & still thinks bigger/more is better Also, I tended to factor in time & gas prices to get there, which didn't always work in Costco's favour.


Once upon a time, Costco was useful & had good savings. Maybe still does on some consumer goods (TVs etc??), also brand name basic clothing. I wouldn't know, as I realised that as far as food goes, I'm way better off shopping local supermarkets/farmers' market special offers weekly.

I also realised, a while ago, that it's worth reading the minuscule print of $ per weight/volume labels on supermarket shelves: several big names are all guilty of pushing "bulk"/large volumes of basics with big flashy signs, but when one looks at the small print, the regular size is cheaper...

I'm an unashamed cheapskate, & often buy no-name goods, knowing that they usually come from the same manufacturers as known brand names.

To swerve back to the op, food shopping was cheaper here than in Europe, years ago. Recently, not.

I'm in Qc, widely derided here & elsewhere as an Awful & Expensive Place to live.

Rent : 610/month all inclusive except snow clearing
House & car insurance: 50/month
Groceries for 2 people: ~250/month (no, that's not a typo)
Gas/transport : 80-100/month
Internet & 2 unlimited cellphones: 120/month

S

I am American and I turn everything off down to the internet modem when not in use.

Now the Canadian I live with is another story, she is always leaving things on especially lights....lol

touche! Shame on me for racial sterotyping!

From what I can tell Quebec seems pretty reasonable price wise on stuff when compared to other places, and downright cheap when compared to BC where we seem to always get to pay a premium on everything.

I compare flyers from Ontario/Quebec to BC for chains that have stores nationwide, and more times then not the prices in the flyers are cheaper then what the same product is here in BC for the same item.

If I spoke French, I'd consider Quebec.

Salaries are also lower in Quebec on average than in the ROC though...

(Re: bold) This is, of course, a major point to be considered!

Another good point, depending on one's job/sector/where in Qc one lives...

All in all, I think COL v. Salary, mostly evens out across Canada, although I do tend to think, based on unscientific criteria, that East of Toronto *might* be slightly cheaper than West of.

S

What a deal....

Worth considering - low COL in my opinion.

Would you mind describing the type of accommodation it is that you live in and the approximate location in Qc?

Thanks

Now there's an avatar !

a true to life picture photo of a senior from the council estate ....

who was the other guy, the bearded one? he looked familiar...

Assuming you're not taking the piss:

I live ~an hour/hour & a half (depending on traffic & weather) North of Montreal. 2/3 hours to Ottawa. Town is considered "regional" capital. All major services, + pretty good (for Quebec) transport links. In the heart of major tourism sector. Large Anglophone population, but not quite enough for us to be considered as a bilingual municipality. I speak French . Salaries are good for Qc; low if you look at Canada-wide averages. Very little to no chance of a job if one doesn't speak French, but 30 minutes up the road is Tremblant, where one *might* get lucky

I rent a reasonably-sized apartment in a quadruplex, just off the Main Street, one street back from lake & 3 public beaches. Walking distance <15 minutes to everything from supermarkets to library to hospital.

Apartment has 2 king-size bedrooms, walkin bedroom-sized closet, reasonable kitchen-dining room, smallish living room, miniscule bathroom, massive glassed-in front balcony, large back balcony. All renovated to "as new" when I moved in 1/2013. We've had our bad moments with some dodgy tenants in other units in the building, but as of the last 6 months, & tightened rental requirements, it's a great building to live in. Free large parking lot too .

I've been rather un/underemployed for the last year, but if all goes well in the next one, I'm looking at buying a duplex in the same town, average pricing 130K in a quiet part of town, with no renovations required. With renovations, <100k.

S

Shirtback @ post 101 thanks

No, I wasn't taking the piss, something I try not to do ever.

Good info & amazing COL

Good luck to you ....

Its James Randi - Novocastrian sussed the picture from the get-go

JREF - Home

Oh ok. No idea who he is (James Randi) but I did look at the link. Haven't been on BE long enough to know all of Novo's incarnations. He was wizard (sans baguette) when I joined.

Your insurance is awfully high???

I pay $210 with renters and life insurance included.

Who do you use???