hi mate we live in Blackpool and have taken the plunge and applied still waiting to here .but i have been to canada many times and have got good friends there and i have done my home work and if we go mortgage free we will be better off .car insurance is one of the things which is a lot dearer in Canada( i think Canadians can't drive very well) so my friend pays about $2000 for 1 car where here my car cost about $750 so it is a lot dearer but other things are cheaper ie petrol is half what we pay .if i pay £1500 here it will save me £750 so i could use that to off set the car insurance.food in restaurants is cheaper and i think supermarket shop is cheaper not by a great deal.house prices are better in Canada but i think there poll tax is higher mine here is £1200 some of the houses i have been looking at are round the $3000 p/a at present you can just double the dollar .hope you fine this helpful.gaz