Buchan6

We've been in the Toronto area a few months now and starting to have some doubts about living here long term.

We're not missing England or homesick our feelings are very rational. Our concern is if this move is right & its fuelled by the financial reality of living here. Also we like the area, theres a lot to see and do.

In summary I'm netting a lot less $$ than back in England and impulse buys are now considered luxuries or items Id save for ever for. My widfe also had a tidy income back home, which also gave her a huge amount of independence. Shes unlikely to work for a couple of years at least due to our kids ages.

On this basis staying seems a no brainer !!!

Its a myth of the low cost of living here really is, but we couldnt have found out about it 'on paper' weve had to live it. A combination of moving closer to Toronto, exchange rates, and two years of price increases over here mean that we'd probably end up buying a house here for similar price as back home. OK it'll be bigger but my ability to pay it off will be a lot worse.

People keep harping on about "The Lifestyle" here but you still have to pay for it !!

We're now starting to look at this move as an opportunity for a life / work experience that a lot of people would love to be able to do, so we're pretty upbeat still. My children are young enough to fall back into school back home with no ill effect.

Guess I,m not the first / last person to feel this way.

Any advice,

pinkpanther

I'm in a similar situation although we have been here 2 years and my husband really wants to go for citizenship so we will think of our final year here as a chance to see and do new things.

We find that that 'living the lifestyle' is very expensive and we have less disposable income here than in the UK but we do have a large house and an equally large mortgage and that was our doing. We wanted to come to Canada for the experience and I think after 2 years we had decided we had certainly had that! I can't wait to get home to the UK actually and if I had my way I would be leaving now but hubby is the sensible one!

Perhaps you should just treat it as an extended life/holiday experience and see how you feel a year down the road. As you say you have young kids. Mine are a bit older and they have certainly lost out with the 'education' system here.

TrishP

I too am finding the same as you, but you are both living in very expensive parts of Canada. Maybe try living somewhere else in this enormous country? Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Maritimes are supposedly much cheaper for property and day-to-day living costs.

Here in the north I'm scraping by each month but I love the outdoors lifestyle and my job is much more laid back then it was in the UK (worked in the NHS!) - for me, as long as I have a roof over my head, food in my belly and clothes on my back I'm fairly content, but I understand that we're all different people and hope to achieve different things in life.

I would encourage you to think seriously about miving back to the UK so soon - pink panther, I think you're right to hang on for citizenship. Who knows, you may get back to the UK and then wonder why when you remember all the reasons for leaving in the first place. It takes so much time and money to get PR, don't leave and lose your PR and regret it!

Buchan6

Trish,

[QUOTE=TrishB]I too am finding the same as you, but you are both living in very expensive parts of Canada. Maybe try living somewhere else in this enormous country? Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Maritimes are supposedly much cheaper for property and day-to-day living costs.

Agree, but I dont want to trek my family around the country, we want to set up and build a home.

Also its been said here that there are cheaper places to live although getting a job will be harder aand the cash you get will be less, so same problem I guess..

pinkpanther

Yes you are right, we are all different.

We did look around the country before settling on BC.

I think I have found out that I actually like Canada as a holiday destination but I don't really want to live here!

Good luck with your decision.

JAJ

Was your move to Canada motivated for financial reasons or was it some other reason?

In the 1960s and 1970s, British people could improve their financial circumstances at a stroke by emigrating to Canada. Anecdotally that's no longer the case (the reverse often applies, for a variety of reasons), so in order to emigrate successfully some other reasons are needed.

Lizzi

Well that's a great attitude you have, to look at the positives of being somewhere totally different and how it will enrich your lives.
Just a comment, if you want to stay a while in Canada I would buy rather than rent though, at least you will make money (hopefully) from price increases rather than pour it all into a rental.

Buchan6

Too answer the above questions

JAJ - Guess, like Pink Panther, We wanted to come to Canada for the experience. Didnt expect to become filthy rich but expected a lower cost of living which from my exeperience there isn,t. We ain't bitter about it we had it good back in England, we just doidnt realise it at the time as all our thoughts and efforts were concentrated on Canada.

Lizzi - Thanks for the positive comments. At the moment we're on a 12 month lease and will probably look to return when it expires. I understand what your saying about buying but the lease issue plus the fact my cash is earning a tidy sum in interest mean buying is not an option.