[Wexford_Ireland]

Having spent the last few weeks researching emigrating to Canada I thought I'd post up some observations and links

No spammy links below, a lot of them are internal to this site.

The prices used in the list were culled from a few sites and should be reasonable although I hear conflicting stories about cars with some saying like for like new cars are cheaper due to no double tax but good second-hand cars are expensive.


Rental

Apartments seem to be the Canadian way, looking for a 4 bed-roomed 1600 sq foot or bigger house is going to be hard and expensive.

Some offer utilities included others don’t. Add in TV, broadband and phone on top which are super expensive estimate 150 a month for

REALTOR.ca -Welcome


Classifieds Search Results : Rentals - thestar.com


toronto all housing classifieds - craigslist


Real estate for sale / rent Toronto (GTA). Farm land, condo's, acreage, townhouses, apartments & ranches. Find property on Kijiji classifieds.



Car insurance is mad in Canada.

As an Irish person your license doesn't transfer, however you can take a 1 off test but the insurers still count you as a new driver. Expect quotes of 5000 Canadian dollars for places like Toronto!!!

However some brokers take in previous history abroad like Johnson’s below.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...nada/66673-car-insurance-toronto-ontario.html


Auto Insurance Quotes - Home Insurance Quotes - Plan Benefits ? Johnson Inc.



Cost of living - see end for my take on prices

Health insurance is cheaper a family of 5, 2 adults 3 kids in primary came in at 1400 including dental. Expect employers to offer health insurance for salaried positions.
Taxes are less than here, when you read of people complaining of higher taxes take note of where they are from, UK folks get a huge shock in Canada, Irish will range from pleasantly surprised to new tax old tax same tax.

We are the most heavily taxed people through direct and indirect taxation in Europe outside of the Scandinavians and they get a lot better services in return.

Irish tax
60k job 5k per month 3.5k after tax
Tax Calculator 2012
​

Same job in Ontario Canada 60k euro = 79k CA Dollars
79k job 6.6k per month 5k after tax (5k CAD = 3850 euro)
Canadian Income Tax Calculator 2012 | Life Insurance Canada​

So in Canada you're 350 Euro better off per month.



Job Offer, Vancouver forum
software engineer earning 125k all in inc. bonus etc.


2012 ComputerWorld Canada Salary Calculator


http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...59-advice-needed-moving-british-columbia.html
200 a week groceries for family of 4



Child benefit tax rebating
Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB)

Rates
CCTB/NCBS Guideline Table effective July 2011 - June 2012 (2010 tax year)


Play with different cities Dublin and Toronto are about the same.

Toronto is about the same as Dublin :: Cost of Living Comparison


Toronto is 17% cheaper on average than London
http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/london/toronto?


For Irish a safe bet is to take the salary or rate here and multiply by 1.5 to get the equivalent Canadian dollar rate that provides the same standard of living.

If you earn 20 euro an hour here and are struggling to survive and are offered 30 Canadian dollars an hour you'll be living in a different country, harsher weather, no family and friends backup and be struggling there as well.



What’s it like stuff

It's big, second largest country in the world. It’s bigger than China.
Driving nonstop from Vancouver to Montreal is 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and would take 50 hours.


Ireland would fit in one corner of one province.

Wannabe Saskatchewans, when looking at the maps remember Regina (pronounced Reg-eye-na) to Saskatoon is like Waterford to Sligo.
MAPfrappe - Move Outlines


scroll down and you can grab and slide the map of canada around, zoom in and out.
Put Calgary where Cork is and Edmonton is Donegal town
Vancouver to the coast is like Dublin to Galway.


http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...-canada/88246-tell-me-about-saskatchewan.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/canada-expat-forum-expats-living-canada/104778-where-hub.html


Moving
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...ts-living-canada/105372-shipping-ireland.html



Cost of living prices
Apologies for the formatting but vbulletin mangles whitespace and

 tags are not allowed here.
 
Basically the first number is Irish price in euro, second number is Canadian price in CAD and the third number is the Canadian price converted to Euro at today’s rate of 0.76
 
[LIST]
[B]Restaurants[/B]
[*]Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant___€ 12.17____$12.87__€ 9.78
[*]Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course_____€ 67.12____$53.22__€ 40.45
[*]Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar___€ 7.03____$7.67__€ 5.83
[*]Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)__€ 4.86____$4.87__€ 3.70
[*]Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)___€ 5.07____$5.65__€ 4.29
[*]Cappuccino (regular)__€ 2.88____$3.39__€ 2.58
[*]Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)____€ 1.88____$1.74__€ 1.32
[*]Water (0.33 liter bottle)____€ 1.32____$1.56__€ 1.19


[B]Food[/B]
[*]Milk (regular), 1 liter_____€ 1.16____$1.99__€ 1.51
[*]Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)____€ 1.78____$2.44__€ 1.85
[*]Eggs (12)___€ 3.15____$2.94__€ 2.23
[*]Fresh Cheese (1kg)____€ 10.86____$9.82__€ 7.46
[*]Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)__€ 10.76____$10.69__€ 8.12
[*]Apples (1kg)__€ 2.46____$2.78__€ 2.11
[*]Oranges (1kg)____€ 1.83____$2.99__€ 2.27
[*]Potato (1kg)__€ 1.04____$1.64__€ 1.25
[*]Lettuce (1 head)__€ 1.00____$1.51__€ 1.15
[*]Water (1.5 liter bottle)_____€ 1.72____$2.16__€ 1.64
[*]Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)____€ 10.38____$14.84__€ 11.28
[*]Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)__€ 2.35____$2.94__€ 2.23
[*]Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)__€ 1.97____$3.49__€ 2.65
[*]Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro)___€ 8.87____$10.55__€ 8.02


[B]Transportation[/B]
[*]One-way Ticket (local transport)__€ 2.09____$2.70__€ 2.05
[*]Monthly Pass_____€ 94.70____$84.86__€ 64.49
[*]Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)____€ 4.16____$3.61__€ 2.74
[*]Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)____€ 1.14____$1.97__€ 1.50
[*]Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)____€ 29.80____$32.03__€ 24.34
[*]Gasoline (1 liter)____€ 1.48____$1.23__€ 0.93
[*]Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline ____€ 26,747.50____$22,517.73__€ 17,113.47
[*]Car tax_____€ 600.00____$110.00__€ 83.60
[*]Car insurance___€ 500.00____$2,000.00__€ 1,520.00


[B]Utilities (Monthly[/B]
[*]Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment__€ 120.00____$195.96__€ 148.93
[*]1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)__€ 0.22____$0.34__€ 0.26
[*]Internet (6 Mbps, Flat Rate, Cable/ADSL)__€ 32.73____$42.13__€ 32.02

[B]Sports And Leisure[/B]
[*]Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult___€ 57.81____$49.52__€ 37.64
[*]Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)_____€ 20.00____$19.24__€ 14.62
[*]Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat____€ 10.03____$11.76__€ 8.94

[B]Clothing And Shoes[/B]
[*]1 Pair of Levis 501 (Or Equivalent)__€ 81.50____$56.40__€ 42.86
[*]1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ___)__€ 51.50____$45.08__€ 34.26
[*]1 Pair of Nike Shoes____€ 80.80____$98.94__€ 75.19
[*]1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes__€ 84.83____$112.45__€ 85.46

[B]Rent Per Month[/B]
[*]Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre_____€ 915.62____$943.60__€ 717.14
[*]Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre__€ 719.23____$763.27__€ 580.09
[*]Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre_____€ 1,615.00____$1,562.77__€ 1,187.71
[*]Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre____€ 1,155.00____$1,248.78__€ 949.07

[B]Buy Apartment Price[/B]
[*]Price/ SQM to Buy Apartment in City Centre_____€ 3,800.00____$3,611.52__€ 2,744.76
[*]Price / SQM to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre__€ 2,587.50____$2,588.64__€ 1,967.37
[*]Salaries and Financing__
[*]Median Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax)_____€ 2,318.58____$2,997.57__€ 2,278.15
[*]Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly___% 5.17____%4.32__

[/LIST]

 

[LindaDoyle]

Having spent the last few weeks researching emigrating to Canada I thought I'd post up some observations and links

No spammy links below, a lot of them are internal to this site.

The prices used in the list were culled from a few sites and should be reasonable although I hear conflicting stories about cars with some saying like for like new cars are cheaper due to no double tax but good second-hand cars are expensive.


Rental

Apartments seem to be the Canadian way, looking for a 4 bed-roomed 1600 sq foot or bigger house is going to be hard and expensive.

Some offer utilities included others don’t. Add in TV, broadband and phone on top which are super expensive estimate 150 a month for

REALTOR.ca -Welcome


Classifieds Search Results : Rentals - thestar.com


toronto all housing classifieds - craigslist


Real estate for sale / rent Toronto (GTA). Farm land, condo's, acreage, townhouses, apartments & ranches. Find property on Kijiji classifieds.



Car insurance is mad in Canada.

As an Irish person your license doesn't transfer, however you can take a 1 off test but the insurers still count you as a new driver. Expect quotes of 5000 Canadian dollars for places like Toronto!!!

However some brokers take in previous history abroad like Johnson’s below.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...nada/66673-car-insurance-toronto-ontario.html


Auto Insurance Quotes - Home Insurance Quotes - Plan Benefits ? Johnson Inc.



Cost of living - see end for my take on prices

Health insurance is cheaper a family of 5, 2 adults 3 kids in primary came in at 1400 including dental. Expect employers to offer health insurance for salaried positions.
Taxes are less than here, when you read of people complaining of higher taxes take note of where they are from, UK folks get a huge shock in Canada, Irish will range from pleasantly surprised to new tax old tax same tax.

We are the most heavily taxed people through direct and indirect taxation in Europe outside of the Scandinavians and they get a lot better services in return.

Irish tax
60k job 5k per month 3.5k after tax
Tax Calculator 2012
​

Same job in Ontario Canada 60k euro = 79k CA Dollars
79k job 6.6k per month 5k after tax (5k CAD = 3850 euro)
Canadian Income Tax Calculator 2012 | Life Insurance Canada​

So in Canada you're 350 Euro better off per month.



Job Offer, Vancouver forum
software engineer earning 125k all in inc. bonus etc.


2012 ComputerWorld Canada Salary Calculator


http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...59-advice-needed-moving-british-columbia.html
200 a week groceries for family of 4



Child benefit tax rebating
Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB)

Rates
CCTB/NCBS Guideline Table effective July 2011 - June 2012 (2010 tax year)


Play with different cities Dublin and Toronto are about the same.

Toronto is about the same as Dublin :: Cost of Living Comparison


Toronto is 17% cheaper on average than London
Toronto is 17% cheaper than London :: Cost of Living Comparison


For Irish a safe bet is to take the salary or rate here and multiply by 1.5 to get the equivalent Canadian dollar rate that provides the same standard of living.

If you earn 20 euro an hour here and are struggling to survive and are offered 30 Canadian dollars an hour you'll be living in a different country, harsher weather, no family and friends backup and be struggling there as well.



What’s it like stuff

It's big, second largest country in the world. It’s bigger than China.
Driving nonstop from Vancouver to Montreal is 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and would take 50 hours.


Ireland would fit in one corner of one province.

Wannabe Saskatchewans, when looking at the maps remember Regina (pronounced Reg-eye-na) to Saskatoon is like Waterford to Sligo.
MAPfrappe - Move Outlines


scroll down and you can grab and slide the map of canada around, zoom in and out.
Put Calgary where Cork is and Edmonton is Donegal town
Vancouver to the coast is like Dublin to Galway.


http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...-canada/88246-tell-me-about-saskatchewan.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/canada-expat-forum-expats-living-canada/104778-where-hub.html


Moving
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ca...ts-living-canada/105372-shipping-ireland.html



Cost of living prices
Apologies for the formatting but vbulletin mangles whitespace and

 tags are not allowed here.
 
Basically the first number is Irish price in euro, second number is Canadian price in CAD and the third number is the Canadian price converted to Euro at today’s rate of 0.76
 
[LIST]
[B]Restaurants[/B]
[*]Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant___€ 12.17____$12.87__€ 9.78
[*]Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course_____€ 67.12____$53.22__€ 40.45
[*]Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar___€ 7.03____$7.67__€ 5.83
[*]Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)__€ 4.86____$4.87__€ 3.70
[*]Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)___€ 5.07____$5.65__€ 4.29
[*]Cappuccino (regular)__€ 2.88____$3.39__€ 2.58
[*]Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)____€ 1.88____$1.74__€ 1.32
[*]Water (0.33 liter bottle)____€ 1.32____$1.56__€ 1.19


[B]Food[/B]
[*]Milk (regular), 1 liter_____€ 1.16____$1.99__€ 1.51
[*]Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)____€ 1.78____$2.44__€ 1.85
[*]Eggs (12)___€ 3.15____$2.94__€ 2.23
[*]Fresh Cheese (1kg)____€ 10.86____$9.82__€ 7.46
[*]Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)__€ 10.76____$10.69__€ 8.12
[*]Apples (1kg)__€ 2.46____$2.78__€ 2.11
[*]Oranges (1kg)____€ 1.83____$2.99__€ 2.27
[*]Potato (1kg)__€ 1.04____$1.64__€ 1.25
[*]Lettuce (1 head)__€ 1.00____$1.51__€ 1.15
[*]Water (1.5 liter bottle)_____€ 1.72____$2.16__€ 1.64
[*]Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)____€ 10.38____$14.84__€ 11.28
[*]Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)__€ 2.35____$2.94__€ 2.23
[*]Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)__€ 1.97____$3.49__€ 2.65
[*]Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro)___€ 8.87____$10.55__€ 8.02


[B]Transportation[/B]
[*]One-way Ticket (local transport)__€ 2.09____$2.70__€ 2.05
[*]Monthly Pass_____€ 94.70____$84.86__€ 64.49
[*]Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)____€ 4.16____$3.61__€ 2.74
[*]Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)____€ 1.14____$1.97__€ 1.50
[*]Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)____€ 29.80____$32.03__€ 24.34
[*]Gasoline (1 liter)____€ 1.48____$1.23__€ 0.93
[*]Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline ____€ 26,747.50____$22,517.73__€ 17,113.47
[*]Car tax_____€ 600.00____$110.00__€ 83.60
[*]Car insurance___€ 500.00____$2,000.00__€ 1,520.00


[B]Utilities (Monthly[/B]
[*]Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment__€ 120.00____$195.96__€ 148.93
[*]1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)__€ 0.22____$0.34__€ 0.26
[*]Internet (6 Mbps, Flat Rate, Cable/ADSL)__€ 32.73____$42.13__€ 32.02

[B]Sports And Leisure[/B]
[*]Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult___€ 57.81____$49.52__€ 37.64
[*]Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)_____€ 20.00____$19.24__€ 14.62
[*]Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat____€ 10.03____$11.76__€ 8.94

[B]Clothing And Shoes[/B]
[*]1 Pair of Levis 501 (Or Equivalent)__€ 81.50____$56.40__€ 42.86
[*]1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ___)__€ 51.50____$45.08__€ 34.26
[*]1 Pair of Nike Shoes____€ 80.80____$98.94__€ 75.19
[*]1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes__€ 84.83____$112.45__€ 85.46

[B]Rent Per Month[/B]
[*]Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre_____€ 915.62____$943.60__€ 717.14
[*]Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre__€ 719.23____$763.27__€ 580.09
[*]Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre_____€ 1,615.00____$1,562.77__€ 1,187.71
[*]Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre____€ 1,155.00____$1,248.78__€ 949.07

[B]Buy Apartment Price[/B]
[*]Price/ SQM to Buy Apartment in City Centre_____€ 3,800.00____$3,611.52__€ 2,744.76
[*]Price / SQM to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre__€ 2,587.50____$2,588.64__€ 1,967.37
[*]Salaries and Financing__
[*]Median Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax)_____€ 2,318.58____$2,997.57__€ 2,278.15
[*]Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly___% 5.17____%4.32__

[/LIST][/quote]

Well done on all this research. Wish i had you around when we were coming here, lol.

 

[G-Mo]

Some of your points and numbers are seriously wonky!

Apartments are NOT the norm, not even in the city centre (like Toronto). There are a lot of condos which are very popular, but, I don't know ANYONE who is renting anything other that a house in the GTA.

125k for a software engineer, in Toronto or Vancouver, is VERY high. That's more Senior Team Lead or PM (even then, it's high).

You can't just convert Euro to Dollar when doing your salary and tax calculations, doesn't work that way. Also, your tax numbers fail to take into account Provincial and Federal Sales Tax (sometimes amalgamated as HST) on TOP of many of the items you have listed in your cost of living (tax is not included in prices here, it's added on AT the till). Plus property tax, etc, etc, etc...

Cost of living, many of your Canadian prices are WAY too low. I'll highlight some of them:
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) between $6-8, plus tax and 15% tip
Milk (regular), 1 liter $3.00+
Fresh Cheese (1kg) $15.00+
Bottle of Wine (CHEAP) $14.00
One-way Ticket (local transport) $3.00
Monthly Pass $126.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) $4.25
Gasoline (1 liter) $1.30

I could go on...

 

[Wexford_Ireland]

Its research, thought it might be helpful and assist people looking for info, hence the links so that people can do some research of their own as well.


The 125k IT link was just a link to a forum post where a guy stated ....

Been offered a role with an engineering company based in Vancouver City Centre.
Had a verbal agreement on terms and conditions as well as the expected salary package. (just waiting for the formal offer).
A quick breakdown of the offer is as follows:

$10,000 lump-sum relocation payment (moving from Australia).
$125,000 salary per year
4 weeks annual leave
6 weeks furnished accommodation when we arrive.

And as for the prices, I dont live there so I can only go on what I can see via internet searches

petrol
Toronto Gas Prices - Find the Lowest Gas Prices in Toronto, Ontario
1.24 to 1.26




My figures maybe wonky but they are based on what I can find.

In Ireland all taxes are included in the display price. So how does the Canadian system work. Genuinely asking, not being awkward.

I am trying to get a handle on the costs of living in Canada. So if I earn x here and it keeps me and my family just above the poverty line what do I need to earn in Canada to match.


That way if someone offers me a 90k CAD for a job that pays 45K here I can say with some degree of confidence thats a good, reasonable or poor offer.



John

 

[G-Mo]

In Ireland all taxes are included in the display price. So how does the Canadian system work. Genuinely asking, not being awkward.

I am trying to get a handle on the costs of living in Canada. So if I earn x here and it keeps me and my family just above the poverty line what do I need to earn in Canada to match.

That way if someone offers me a 90k CAD for a job that pays 45K here I can say with some degree of confidence thats a good, reasonable or poor offer.

John

Regarding taxes, products are advertised and priced on shelf / in store with their pre-tax amount (e.g. A sprocket is $99.99), when you go to the till to pay, the tax is added. Here in Ontario we have a 13% HST, so, that sprocket will actually cost you $112.99 at check out.

Gas prices in the GTA are realistically $1.29 right now, you may find cheaper (hence the reason for that site) but the current GTA average is 1.29. Now, gas prices can go up or down as much as 10c in a week here, but, if you want to future proof, they are forecasting highs of $1.35 for the summer.

As a rule of thumb here, they advise not to spend more than 25% of your monthly gross income on rent or 1/3 of your monthly gross on a house (that's mortgage and operations).

 

[Evan1975]

Evan

Actually car insurance is about $2000-$3000 . Plus the cars are much cheaper than Europe and there is no monthly tax for car like some European countries.
In general your quality of life is much much higher than Europe here in North America. (no small car, no small house/apartment, less tax, more jobs, etc) You'll see more BMWs in North America than Germany!

 

[LindaDoyle]

Actually car insurance is about $2000-$3000 . Plus the cars are much cheaper than Europe and there is no monthly tax for car like some European countries.
In general your quality of life is much much higher than Europe here in North America. (no small car, no small house/apartment, less tax, more jobs, etc) You'll see more BMWs in North America than Germany!

Hi, this site can sometimes become more confusing to those wishing to make the move than a help (believe me, I know). You can never compare like with like cos everyone's situation is different i.e. wages, rental/buying, etc. In my experience car insurance here in Winnipeg anyway is anything between 1200 and 1600 per month and that is for a second hand banger (not a new car). I dont know why anyone would say that cars are cheaper here cos believe me they are not. My OH is an automotive technician and he is absolutelly shocked at the prices of cars over here. Tax system is different in different provinces for example here in Winnipeg we have GST and PST. As for BMWs my OH works for them here in Winnipeg.....Im not gonna comment on that one cos Im afraid of the responses I would get if i did.

@ John, like I say....take what you can from these forums. I got to the stage that I actually came off it altogether for a while cos there was so much conflicting stories and so many diffferent opiniions, in fact if i had of listened to a lot of what i was told Id still be sitting at home in Ireland depressed. I think what you put up was very good info. and obviously you are only going by the research that you have personally had access to so fair play and I think it is very helpful to people wanting some basic info But make sure you mention the next time that we also pay for our eirtime here in Canada so that means you pay for both incoming and outgoing calls. Good luck with what you are doing and hope it works out for you.

 

[Evan1975]

Evan

I Winnipeg anyway is anything between 1200 and 1600 per month
I live in Toronto and bought a 2006 BMW 323 for $16000 and the insurance is $254 per month.
According to the carinsurancecanada website:
Manitoba has one of the lowest premiums for car insurance in Canada. Manitoba Public Insurance has announced a 10 per cent rebate for everyone who paid car insurance in 2008. After the rebate, the average car insurance premium in Manitoba for a passenger vehicle is $833 per year

 

[Oggy]

Hi John! I really have to give you kudos for taking the time to share the information that you've gathered in your research.

Forums can be such a fantastic resource for firsthand information, however, you have to be aware of generalizations. Many times I find answers making comparisons between Canada and the UK (for instance), which is simply too broad to answer. What happens in Ontario may not have any similarity to what happens in BC, for instance. I even find differences between costs in Vancouver and where I live in Kelowna (BC), well alone elsewhere in Canada. It's such a vast country and each province can have their own provincial rules or regulations.

This website may be helpful to those that are looking for cost of living comparisons in Canada....
Cost Of Living Comparison

This site will give you the up-to-date gas/petrol prices for locations in Canada and the USA ....

GasBuddy.com - Find Low Gas Prices in the USA and Canada

Vehicle insurance and licencing varies with each province. Some provinces such as BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are operated through the provincial governments, whereas other provinces offer coverage through private companies. The rates, procedures and regulations can vary quite a bit.

Just a heads up ....

 

[LindaDoyle]

Hi John! I really have to give you kudos for taking the time to share the information that you've gathered in your research.

Forums can be such a fantastic resource for firsthand information, however, you have to be aware of generalizations. Many times I find answers making comparisons between Canada and the UK (for instance), which is simply too broad to answer. What happens in Ontario may not have any similarity to what happens in BC, for instance. I even find differences between costs in Vancouver and where I live in Kelowna (BC), well alone elsewhere in Canada. It's such a vast country and each province can have their own provincial rules or regulations.

This website may be helpful to those that are looking for cost of living comparisons in Canada....
Cost Of Living Comparison

This site will give you the up-to-date gas/petrol prices for locations in Canada and the USA ....

GasBuddy.com - Find Low Gas Prices in the USA and Canada

Vehicle insurance and licencing varies with each province. Some provinces such as BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are operated through the provincial governments, whereas other provinces offer coverage through private companies. The rates, procedures and regulations can vary quite a bit.

Just a heads up ....

Totally agree with you. Nice explanation.

 

[Simon9999]

Some of your points and numbers are seriously wonky!

Apartments are NOT the norm, not even in the city centre (like Toronto). There are a lot of condos which are very popular, but, I don't know ANYONE who is renting anything other that a house in the GTA.

125k for a software engineer, in Toronto or Vancouver, is VERY high. That's more Senior Team Lead or PM (even then, it's high).

You can't just convert Euro to Dollar when doing your salary and tax calculations, doesn't work that way. Also, your tax numbers fail to take into account Provincial and Federal Sales Tax (sometimes amalgamated as HST) on TOP of many of the items you have listed in your cost of living (tax is not included in prices here, it's added on AT the till). Plus property tax, etc, etc, etc...

Cost of living, many of your Canadian prices are WAY too low. I'll highlight some of them:
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) between $6-8, plus tax and 15% tip
Milk (regular), 1 liter $3.00+
Fresh Cheese (1kg) $15.00+
Bottle of Wine (CHEAP) $14.00
One-way Ticket (local transport) $3.00
Monthly Pass $126.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) $4.25
Gasoline (1 liter) $1.30

I could go on...

G-Mo,
sorry but I have to say that some of your prices are WAY high...not all but some. Booze, fuel and dairy costs are no where near your stated levels where I live...small town southern alberta. I have experienced the prices you state in the larger cities (Van or Calgary) but they are certainly not to be found in smaller centres (lower overhead costs than those found in larger cities). Taxes are also variable...no HST or PST in alberta. In my career specialty, environmental management, salaries have never been better. If you are employed in the private sector a six figure salary is the norm for anyone with the smarts and 5 plus years experience. Do I think the cost of living is too high? Of course!...but it could be a lot worse and apparently it is...in some places.

 

[G-Mo]

G-Mo,
sorry but I have to say that some of your prices are WAY high...not all but some. Booze, fuel and dairy costs are no where near your stated levels where I live...small town southern alberta. I have experienced the prices you state in the larger cities (Van or Calgary) but they are certainly not to be found in smaller centres (lower overhead costs than those found in larger cities). Taxes are also variable...no HST or PST in alberta. In my career specialty, environmental management, salaries have never been better. If you are employed in the private sector a six figure salary is the norm for anyone with the smarts and 5 plus years experience. Do I think the cost of living is too high? Of course!...but it could be a lot worse and apparently it is...in some places.

If you re-read the OP, it was predominantly about TORONTO not small town southern Alberta. The prices I gave are applicable to location.

 

[Wexford_Ireland]

Just as a follow up on this having spent the intervening time researching further I've come to the conclusion that I need to earn 1.5 to 1.75 times my euro salary in CAD dollars to equal or better Irish cost of living if you live near a large city where near is some type of reasonable commute.

Now obviously if you earn 500k a year that's not going to scale so well but a 40k euro job in Ireland would need a minimum of 60k in Canada in general to be comfortable and 70k to be happy.

Maybe an hour north of Saskatoon would let you away with less? Maybe, but I wouldn't want to be an hour North of Saskatoon scraping by trying to find the money for home heating oil.

I know this is hugely dependent on your lifestyle, kids or no kids, 1 or 2 cars, etc etc.


But if your earning 20 euro an hour here and struggling and someone offers 30 CAD an hour in Canada you're going to struggle in Canada.

Equally if you're earning 40 euro an hour here and comfortable and you're offered 70 CAD an hour in Canada you're going to have a nicer time there than here.

For the UK viewers change those figures to between 1.75 and twice your UK salary in Sterling.

And I hate to say this because it rubs me the wrong way but if you are on social welfare you need to figure out your hourly "wage" by taking your social weekly amount, add in mortgage relief etc. factor in an extra 15% to cover the fact your "wage" doesn't have a commute or travel costs and divide the answer by 40 hours to get an hourly rate.

so 500 euro a week on social including all the bits and bobs by 15 % is 575 so your hourly rate employed by the government for sitting on your backside (I appreciate it may not be voluntarily) is just shy of 15 euro an hour. And your struggling at that big time. So the CAD offer better be better than 27 CAD per hour before you think of moving.

How sad is that.

John