# Type of lifestyle with this salary in Toronto?



## cathyjonker1000 (Jan 24, 2013)

Hi,we are moving to Toronto in a few months (from South Africa).We are a family of 5-two adults and 3 kids(11,8 and3). My husband has been offered a job which will pay him $136 000 a year. I am a stay-at-home mom. Will we be able to live comfortably on this salary, and be able to save? I do realize that rentals differ greatly according to where you stay...this is assuming we stay on the outskirts and my husband commutes to work(in the Toronto CBD). I have been told by many people that Toronto is very expensive.. Any advise would be appreciated,thank you.


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## Inphered (Jan 7, 2013)

$136,000 a year. I don't think it would matter where you live in the world, that's a good salaray. SO long as you don't expect a 5 room mansion, live in cleaners, butler etc etc you'll be fine 

Honestly, that sort of money you guys will be more than fine.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

Inphered said:


> $136,000 a year. I don't think it would matter where you live in the world, that's a good salaray. SO long as you don't expect a 5 room mansion, live in cleaners, butler etc etc you'll be fine
> 
> Honestly, that sort of money you guys will be more than fine.


I firmly disagree. There's areas of Toronto where that won't cover your mortgage, let alone bills, expenses, food and savings! It's a decent upper middle class household income, for sure... Nice that it's one person and you can stay at home, but certainly there's similar households with dual income earners at the same level and above... Depending on where and how you choose to live will dictate your lifestyle.


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## Camerish (May 24, 2012)

It really depends on your housing expectations, what "comfort-level" is for you, and how much you want to save.

Overall though, yes, you should be able to live comfortably on $136k.

For example, you could rent a 4-bedroom house in Whitby for around $1,500-$2,000 per month (+ heat/hydro, etc). I lived in Whitby for 3-years and it is a nice commuter town with lots of young families, parks, and amenities.

Your husband could take the GO train (approx. $240 per month) to work making it possible to have only one car (assuming you aren't carting the kids around too much and extra-curricular schedules are not too busy/conflicting).

You could probably keep food expenses as low as $500 if you are price sensitive.

All these are estimate amounts and do not include tax, and are after tax earnings of course.


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## Wexford_Ireland (Mar 6, 2012)

500 for food for 2 adults and 3 kids? I doubt it.

I'd guess about 7k a month disposable after tax and stuff on a single 136k salary

2000 for rent
1000 for food
1000 for car, fuel, insurance plus GTO transport
800 for heating, a/c, hydro and comms (tv, phone, mobile/cell, internet)
500 for incidentals

5300 for your monthly living expenses so guess to have 1.5K to bank, spend, buy boys toys etc 

John


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## Camerish (May 24, 2012)

Yeah, 500 may have been a bit low. Johns estimate is probably a good # to play it safe.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

Wexford_Ireland said:


> 500 for food for 2 adults and 3 kids? I doubt it.
> 
> I'd guess about 7k a month disposable after tax and stuff on a single 136k salary
> 
> ...


Probably closer to $1200 for for car, fuel, insurance plus GTO transport and $1000+ for heating, a/c, hydro and comms, depends on how cool you like to be in the summer and how warm in the winter, how many showers you take and how much you water the lawn, etc...


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

John + addition from Liam(at)large = very good indication.

Yes, you can live nice. But don't expect summer holidays abroad with the entire family 2 a year. Don't expect to buy all your kids a car.
And try to save for their higher education and your retirement, as it will cost a lot!


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## Inphered (Jan 7, 2013)

Liam(at)Large said:


> I firmly disagree. There's areas of Toronto where that won't cover your mortgage, let alone bills, expenses, food and savings! It's a decent upper middle class household income, for sure... Nice that it's one person and you can stay at home, but certainly there's similar households with dual income earners at the same level and above... Depending on where and how you choose to live will dictate your lifestyle.



Guess its all a matter on what one expects for their lifestyle. My partner and I are on roughly $120,000 a year combined. Out of that it covers, 2 mortgages, 2 cars, my bike, utilities, sports memberships, food etc etc and we still bank a grand a month savings and I'd be the first to admit that we don't live without that's for sure.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

Inphered said:


> Guess its all a matter on what one expects for their lifestyle. My partner and I are on roughly $120,000 a year combined. Out of that it covers, 2 mortgages, 2 cars, my bike, utilities, sports memberships, food etc etc and we still bank a grand a month savings and I'd be the first to admit that we don't live without that's for sure.


Well, there's your first difference, you don't mention a child. It's estimated that between birth and 18 the average cost of raising a child in Canada is about $250K (not including college or university)... That's about $14k per year, per kid.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

Inphered said:


> Guess its all a matter on what one expects for their lifestyle. My partner and I are on roughly $120,000 a year combined. Out of that it covers, 2 mortgages, 2 cars, my bike, utilities, sports memberships, food etc etc and we still bank a grand a month savings and I'd be the first to admit that we don't live without that's for sure.


Well, there's your first difference, you don't mention a child. It's estimated that between birth and 18 the average cost of raising a child in Canada is about $250K (not including college or university)... That's about $14k per year, per kid.

Hey, $136,000 will get you a decent lifestyle, if you're smart, but certainly not anywhere in the world (which is what I was disputing)...


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## Inphered (Jan 7, 2013)

Liam(at)Large said:


> Well, there's your first difference, you don't mention a child. It's estimated that between birth and 18 the average cost of raising a child in Canada is about $250K (not including college or university)... That's about $14k per year, per kid.
> 
> Hey, $136,000 will get you a decent lifestyle, if you're smart, but certainly not anywhere in the world (which is what I was disputing)...


Understand totally and I can see your reasoning for your view. I guess as I said, it's all going to depend on the lifestyle one wishes to have. I know we could live happily on $136k a year. All depends on your own individual circumstances in the end


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## Wexford_Ireland (Mar 6, 2012)

Those figures aren't going to be much different for other areas either, rent will be the biggest variable. But looking at Regina SK rents aren't much cheaper than Toronto, you might save 400-5-- dollars a month across the board but you still need a decent household income to be able to save and have some fun.

Canada is not cheap and I'm beginning to think that for a reasonable (not living hand to mouth) life you need a combined income of at least 70k even in the prairies and 100k would be nice.

John

edit 40 dollars an hour minimum wage????


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## douglasphil (Dec 12, 2012)

Its really depends on you how much is your expense. Yes i am totally agree with you Toronto is a expensive place. But there is lots of option also you can also earn money from home by doing some online work.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Inphered said:


> My partner and I are on roughly $120,000 a year combined.


 And where exactly do you live, in what kind of house?


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## cathyjonker1000 (Jan 24, 2013)

*thanks*

hi all..thanks for the replies,they have been very useful! Looks like we will be living a good lifestyle if we are careful how we spend.Given the fact that we will have 136k income, which family friendly suburbs close to the Go train can be recommended? (to rent a house)Someone mentioned Whitby? 
Is North York a good option? Milton?


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## Inphered (Jan 7, 2013)

@evhb we live in darwin Australia, near on the most expensive city to live in the country. 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, fully air on. Power recently went up 30%. No kids.

The cost of living is crazy here, between power, rates, mortgages, rent (we recently moved from a 2 bedroom unit that we were paying 430a week for not including utilities, and that's classed as cheap) fuel etc etc most peon I know are moving interstate to get away from the costs up here.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Inphered said:


> @evhb we live in darwin Australia.


Ok, so you are not really answering the question from the topic starter when you replied with


Inphered said:


> Guess its all a matter on what one expects for their lifestyle. My partner and I are on roughly $120,000 a year combined. Out of that it covers, 2 mortgages, 2 cars, my bike, utilities, sports memberships, food etc etc and we still bank a grand a month savings and I'd be the first to admit that we don't live without that's for sure.


Just to make it clear.
Maybe Darwin is very expensive in Australia, but I don’t think you can afford all these things in Toronto with $120,000/year while raising a couple of kids too.
But it’s good to know that you and your wife can life this kind of live with your income!

For the Greater Toronto Area: don’t forget to take into account the cost of child minding / daycare when both partners have a job!


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

cathyjonker1000 said:


> Looks like we will be living a good lifestyle if we are careful how we spend.


I agree.



cathyjonker1000 said:


> Given the fact that we will have 136k income, which family friendly suburbs close to the Go train can be recommended?


 Much depends on where exactly the job is, and what your expectations are. Can you tell us a little bit more?


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## Camerish (May 24, 2012)

cathyjonker1000 said:


> hi all..thanks for the replies,they have been very useful! Looks like we will be living a good lifestyle if we are careful how we spend.Given the fact that we will have 136k income, which family friendly suburbs close to the Go train can be recommended? (to rent a house)Someone mentioned Whitby?
> Is North York a good option? Milton?


It depends on how much you want to be in the suburbs versus somewhere in-between. North York is part of Toronto (amalgamated in 1998) and has a lot of bad areas. Also, it is more expensive than a Milton or Whitby, which are further outside the city.

I do not know prices in all areas, or how price sensitive you are, but, in general, the western suburbs (Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga) are a bit more expensive than the east (Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa). North suburbs (Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham) are also more expensive than east. All of these cities are perfectly fine, depending on the area, though some are known for certain ethnic backgrounds. Brampton has a lot of people from the Indian Subcontinent, Markham has a large Chinese population, etc.

As far as I know, Milton is a nice commuter town that is growing quite a bit (I suppose all of the GTA has a lot housing development). It's separated a bit from nearby towns which make it feel a bit more like a small town (versus an extension of surrounding cities).

Whitby is also very nice with a Marina/Harbor on the lake, and a lot of parks. I lived here for 3 years.

I currently live in Brampton, though I would not recommend it unless you were in "old" Brampton, mainly south of down town. however, a house in the area is probably a bit more expensive (I am in an apartment).

I suggest looking at interested areas and use Google Maps Street View to get a good idea of the surrounding area, or ask questions about a specific area. It's such a big metro area, there are a thousand places that may suit your preferences.

Also, the GO train is viable in pretty much all major suburbs (go to their website to look at their network).


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

What I like about the Go Train Lakeshore West, is that they run trains all day and in the weekends. Some Go Trains, like the one from Milton, only has trains in rush hour from Monday-Friday, rest is busses, idem for weekend. Same for Markham, where my best friend lives. If we are meeting eachother downtown Toronto for dinner or movies, I always know when I will arrive (Go Train), she doesn't. And sometimes her bus is delayed for half an hour!

If my son arrives in Oakville by Go train from Toronto, he doesn't have to wait that long for a bus. But when he travels from Oakville to Oshawa on Sunday afternoon, it takes him 3 hours to get to his residence! By car it takes only 1h15minutes. :-(

So a lot of your comfort will depend on where you have to go (job).


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## cathyjonker1000 (Jan 24, 2013)

*thanks*

Thanks Camerish and others for some useful insight.Milton and Whitby looking like good options. My husband will need to commute to work Mon-Fri to Toronto CBD. I will check out what the public schools are like in Milton and Whitby.Hopefully there are some good ones!


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Look at Port Credit, Oakville, Burlington, close to the Lake. Best Go train service to downtown Toronto, much better than Milton. 

And if you want biltong and boerewors: move to Oakville. Great South-African butcher: Florence Meats. ;-) South African Specialty Store
(there seem to be a lot of South-Africans here in Oakville + also Burlington and some in Mississauga, but maybe that's what you try to avoid)


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## Camerish (May 24, 2012)

Good point by EVHB - the lakeshore lines (West and East) have much more train service than any other. However, bus service typically runs hourly, on all routes, when trains are not available (non-peak commute times). If your husbands office is in the down town core and works typical business hours then any GO route will suffice.

Also noted by EVHB, using GO transit and going through/beyond Union station (the main hub) your travel time is far to long for a viable commute to work, but that shouldn't be an issue. My sister used to take near 4 hours visiting Whitby from Hamilton!


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## cathyjonker1000 (Jan 24, 2013)

*thanks*

thanks EVHB and Camerish. Will definately be visiting the SA butchery!


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