Jules Europe

I wouldn`t necessarily say that some of these big houses in Canada that I have seen were out of the way, they were in various parts of Nova Scotia and not too far from Halifax.

BristolUK

Or you can sell your ropey old 2 bed, UK terraced house and use the 80% equity to buy a four bedroomed detached house and a duplex in a decent sized city and still have money left over. Then live off the rent money without having to work for a living.

Mine aren't.
Canada - 4 bed detached house with big garden, air conditioning, garage, driveway = $2000 pa. About £1100

Bristol - My old 2 bed terraced home, no garage, no drive, tiny kitchen, small garden. = currently £1152.

So not only cheaper for something 3 or 4 times as good, it pays for masses of snow clearing too. Imagine how much cheaper if there was no snow to move.

Rents in many areas may be a fraction of UK rents.

My duplex. Large 2-bed apartment with balcony, attic and parking = £347 a month. Large 1-bed apartment with deck, basement and parking = $295 a month. It's one of the more expensive rentals too. 1-bed apartments are available for £250 a month inclusive of all amenities (heating, lighting etc).

Now there I won't disagree with you. Except to say I don't love the snow for even two minutes.

BristolUK

Even after the £ crashing I'd say that's true.

That's true too. But if you have a significant chunk of capital from the UK (and it needn't be that much) it can make a huge dent in your housing costs, meaning your $$ go further.

You don't need to live in one of the famous cities; there is plenty on offer elsewhere.

In Atlantic Canada one can buy perfectly decent 2/3 bed homes (detached!!) for £50k (fifty thousand £). Imagine the small mortgage payment if you have a chunk of that as a down payment.

Much of it contradictory, unfortunaetely. But all equally valid according to people's own experiences and expectations.

What I find is that although prices are similar when taking into account lower $ income there is great scope to save on grocery shopping. There really are great deals every week at the supermarkets with many items two-thirds or half price. I spend 10-15 minutes making a list (from the flyers) of the best prices for these itmes at that supermarket and those items at the other one. I have a 30 minute shop in each of two stores instead of 45 minutes in one and I reckon to spend around $70 for every $100 normal prices.

I was never able to make such savings in the UK. There's no coupons involved, just a targeted shop.

Tr1boy

none of that means much at all with a salary comparo.

BristolUK

Not sure what you mean....if housing costs are lower...and they often are, then it's possible to manage perfectly well on a lower salary isn't it?

We have $18k as a total income for four of us. Less than £10k. We manage fine. The information I gave is very relevant to us. It can be for others too.

Tr1boy

No it isn't. Not without knowing the mean delta between the lower cost and the lower salary. Simply saying 'lower' is simplistic in the extreme.

Bevm

Actually, houses on the peninsular in Halifax aren't generally cheap. A lot of modern housing is beyond that area and cheaper. Generalizing like crazy. There are some rundown areas on the peninsular and some swish ones off. But there's limited housing in one area, it's a desirable place to live, often within walking distance of theatres, great restaurants, bars, parks, the historical downtown etc, so it costs to live there. Not Vancouver costs, but not cheap.

Bev

bev1

5 months is plenty of time to know if its right for you or not

Good luck

We head home Thursday night from Perth (been here 5 months) and can't wait

Jules Europe

I am making an analogy of costs to that of Europe and in relation to Europe even the properties in Halifax are cheap. I suppose if you take a millionaires mansion and stick it in a location with sea views etc then its going to be expensive. But then again this would be expensive in most countries.

Generalization is actually very important when determining house prices in a country or city etc as it helps to determine the average house price of the area. London for example as a generalization is very expensive but if you know where to look there are cheaper properties to be had. I imagine the same could be said for Halifax but in this case going in the other direction.

seasprite

I think alot of us do these things because we feel the need for a little adventure and self improvement. It takes time away to see that we had it all already in our home nation!
If you feel a sense of relief at having made the decsion to return then it is the right one. Good luck with the move.

p.s as for housing costs I was prepared to live in a tent as long as it was home.

fionamw

Without taking away from the fact that the decision is made, they're comfortable with it, will be glad to be back in UK, etc etc., I'm wondering just how soon would be too soon to make a decision like that...
Five months, for example, is let's say 22 weeks or so. The first 4 or 5 are most likely taken up with rushing around getting settled. The next few maybe trying to get to know people? Get more familiar with what's in the area? So say you're two or so months in before you start to feel you've arrived. That means it's taken three or so months - about 12 weekends - to decide it's never going to seem right.
Believe me I don't know if there are even rights & wrongs, only what people want to do.... just seems maybe a bit swift? How many weekends, or working weeks, or whatever, does anyone think it takes to not feel right?

BristolUK

Eh?

But I haven't simply said it's lower. I did make a general comment that if costs are lower it could be done on a lower income. That's for people to look into.

I did, however, also make very specific comments about lower costs...low cost of buying and low rents. I said we have an income for a family four of under £10000. I mentioned actual housing costs, actual income and how cheaper groceries coulld be obtained.

What do you want me to do, tie your shoelaces as well?

Jules Europe

That`s 833GBP per month!!!! And you get by on this? That makes your region of Canada cheaper than anywhere that I know of in western europe. Always thought that living costs in Canada were on a par with that of the UK.

Tommyboy17

I see what you mean (i think...) and its very relevant to us as already as we are looking at the 'long game'. Currently in a 2 bed 2 bath with a lounge bigger than the one bedroom place we had in the UK for the same money. Looking to buy, we can pay off a huge chunk of the value straight away and have far smaller monthly payments than would have in the UK, so more money left over for everything else (after housing).

Tommyboy17

For those heading back, all the best, your thinking isnt right for me but we are all different and thats what makes heading across the world whether its to live forever more or just a city break, new people with a different take it on something keep it interesting.

I hope you can look back on your time with a smile and think of it as an adventure and have at least a couple of good pub stories to tell folk when you get back (ones about the weather get them everytime).

For me, I did 8 months in Canada and knew I had to come back, back I came and 1 year down (ok 51 weeks) and I still think I made the correct decison, I miss a bunch of stuff from the UK like most folks family and friends mainly, its a bit brutal around xmas when you are used to being around them, but I know i would be back in the UK for 2 months max and I would realise I was in the same routine again, life had become too predictable and now its not again even after a year. Maybe it will become a bit 'samey' again, but i'll cross that bridge when I come to it as I know its years away at the moment.