Canada - can someone help me about cost of living over there ?

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1
So i'm looking at a job in canada next but i want to no if it's a high cost of living?

2
Like most any country, the real cost of living in Canada depends quite heavily on where you will be living and how much money you're making in comparison to the cost.

Will you be able to spend more or save more comparatively than you can in Switzerland? Probably not. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, it is the best country in the world after all

3
but are the shops open on Sundays?

4
Message to Editor Bob - we need EFs in Italy, Canada, UK and ....kindly relay to Sweden.

5
Unfortunately yes

6
i no it looks amazing! and im not to worried about the saving part yet haha i just want to no i'll wont struggle for money each month and i'll have to check the shops before i make any decions! or i could just get a hobbie instead of being hungover on a sunday and then wanting to go shopping

7
look what you do when you bring up shopping! ^^ there's like 10 spelling mistakes because i get so distracted!

8
Do you like paying lots of taxes? Do you enjoy only having 2 weeks of vacation per year? No, seriously, Canada is great. There are a lot of nice things about it. And if you can work in getting pregnant while you're there, you get one year's paid maternity leave thrown in.(makes up for lack of vacation )

9
Hi,

I am from Canada and have lived in Vancouver B.C., Calgary Alberta, and Toronto Ontario. All popular cities and all very different in terms of quality of live, cost of living, attractions, scenery etc.

Someone replied saying that it depends where you live (sorry I forgot the name) and that is absolutely true. Vancouver, and Toronto are the most expensive cities in Canada, though Toronto is bigger and there is more variety and availability in terms of real estates and rental opportunities. Though, relatively speaking, I have found Geneva to be extremely expensive, and much more expensive than Canada.

I definitely recommend it, it would be a great experience. Canada is very multicultural, and there are many recent immigrants. Plus the stores are open Sundays, haha, good luck!

10
... and do they all look like this?

11
could someone say the minimum amount of money required for a family of four, with normal living conditions.

12
Perhaps go for a visit before deciding on such a big life change? Toronto is a lovely town. Look for the CN Tower; you can't miss it.

13
Unless there's been some radical change to the law, paid parental leave is 18 weeks for each parent, and either can transfer all or part to the other, making the highest possible paid leave 36 weeks. However, you have up to one year's leave from your job, you just don't get paid for all of it. It's also not full pay, something around 60 percent, not sure exactly. Anyway, it's not Norway!

14
120,000...

15
My sister is on mat leave in Toronto. She gets one year off (can share with hubby) and 80 % of her salary (paid by unemployment). Her position is guaranteed for the year. I don't know though if this applies to all provinces, or if there are any other conditions!

16
completely 100% depends on where you are moving to. If you can tell us that, we can give you a lot more info. The cost of living is definitely less overall, but most of the salaries are less as well so the savings account may not be greatly improved - and to give you an idea of how much you would need to make is impossible without knowing where you are going, what kind of lifestyle you like (ie how many cars, house or apt, downtown or suburb) as these all have massive impacts.

So, bottom line, you say what city you are looking at and some idea on your lifestyle for the family of 4 and I (and many others) can actually give you answers that will make sense for ya...

otherwise we will just keep talking about how all the stores and restaurants are open on Sundays and yes, I still miss that but it's only been 4 months so still figuring out all the other options!

17
I have lived in Regina, SK, White Rock BC, and Calgary AB, all in Canada, and am now living in Neuchatel. I find Switzerland to be much more expensive than Canada, particularly for common goods such as food, shampoo, cleaning products, etc. The only things I have found to be less expensive here are cheese and chocolate.

For example, in Canada for two people we had budgeted $400 CDN a month for food. It was adequate, but not extravagant. Here we are paying more like 500-550 CHF per month and are eating much less meat, and less "treats".

For rent, in will vary, but for a two bedroom + living room, kitchen, bathroom suite in Calgary (a major city), you could pay anywhere between $800/month (if it is a basement) to 1400/month for a pretty swank set-up.

Wages do seem to be different as well. I don't know exactly what minimum wage is in each province but I would guess between $7-10/hour. For a bachelor's degree you could start around $35,000-50,000 /year, and for a masters, between $50,000 -70,000/year (before taxes).

One consideration I would keep in mind when considering Canada is weather. It varies a fair bit from province to province because Canada is so large. A lot of people prefer BC for it's climate, and therefore wages are lower. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me, I would be happy to comment on what I am able to.

Good luck with the decision, it's a big one.

18
I agree with Kristanez's wage guidelines. In Calgary however (only if you have oil/gas/energy experience) you can earn a bit higher. Don't forget that you'll pay over 25% income tax (I paid 42% as a single with no children). Utility (phone, mobile, electric, heating, cable, etc.) costs are approx 50% higher than Switzerland for some strange reason. Groceries are indeed cheaper, but you'll need to factor in the cost to drive to the store (higher insurance, gas, time, etc.) because you can't simply stop by a local grocer on your public transit home journey like in Switzerland.

Lots to consider aside from what you earn too. Medical insurance is free in some provinces (Alberta & BC at least) --though seriously you get what you pay for! Emergency wait in hospitals in Calgary were averaging 26 hours last fall and they were sending all scheduled births to Montana a year ago. School overcrowding is a topic of late too.

Plenty of positives to outweigh the above though. Good luck with your decision.

19
Hi

I am researching a bit on this particular topic for a while as I am interested in moving to Canada for studies and for a job with my wife .

There is a link which could help you to get an idea how it looks the cost of living in Toronto.

http://www.toronto.ca/immigration/cost_imm.htm

good luck.