# Moving to Edmonton Advice Please



## SHanlon (Apr 14, 2013)

Hi All,

Myself, my partner and our three year old son are planning on moving to Edmonton as soon as our visas come through. Obviously I have tons of questions on everything Edmonton related and was hoping if any of you have any advice. Just little things on what to bring, what types of clothing/coats etc ( have heard clothing is expensive over there????) Also we are looking at what areas to look at for renting... we have been told south is best areas to look in, just wondering if there are more specific recommendations? I will hope to find an area thats family orientated and with a kindergarten close by.....My partner is a plumber/pipefitter with 15 years experience so fingers crossed he can find something asap. Would anyone have any experience or advice on what path to choose between plumbing and pipefitting. Is all the pipefitting work on camps??? Or whats the difference between rates/salary etc? 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we are trying to be as prepared as possible and getting excited about it too....

Looking forward to your replies!!!!


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

SHanlon said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Myself, my partner and our three year old son are planning on moving to Edmonton as soon as our visas come through. Obviously I have tons of questions on everything Edmonton related and was hoping if any of you have any advice. Just little things on what to bring, what types of clothing/coats etc ( have heard clothing is expensive over there????) Also we are looking at what areas to look at for renting... we have been told south is best areas to look in, just wondering if there are more specific recommendations? I will hope to find an area thats family orientated and with a kindergarten close by.....My partner is a plumber/pipefitter with 15 years experience so fingers crossed he can find something asap. Would anyone have any experience or advice on what path to choose between plumbing and pipefitting. Is all the pipefitting work on camps??? Or whats the difference between rates/salary etc?
> 
> ...



I live in Edmonton... so hope I can shed some light on your questions.

There should be lots of Plumber/pipefitter jobs in Edmonton. There is still a huge construction boom going on here. Lots of people are still moving to Alberta and Edmonton, which is creating a lot of housing and business related construction type jobs.

Edmonton has all 4 seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter). If you don't already have winter clothes, you will need some... but you can purchase them here in Canada. WalMart has reasonable prices on clothes, but we also have a multitude of clothing shops in Edmonton mostly at any of the malls. Summers can be hot (+30c) for days or weeks at a time, and winters can be cold (-30c) for days or weeks at a time. The average daytime temperature in summer in Edmonton is around +22c with a lot of hours of sunshine. The average daytime temperature in winter in Edmonton is around -10c. So you will need clothes to dress according to the season. As reference for cost of some clothes... (at Walmart). You can get adult jeans for $15 each, t-shirts for $5 each, collared shirts for $10 each, winter parkas $25 each, etc. (I've purchased all of these items in the past 4 months, so I know the prices are accurate).

Where you move to or locate in Edmonton may be dictated by which part of the city you decide to get jobs. It's not too economical for example to live in the deep south of Edmonton, and work in the deep north of Edmonton (although there are those that do that... including myself). 

To get an idea of rent costs and what you can rent, see here for house rentals:

House rental Edmonton Area. Houses, townhouses, duplexes for rent on Kijiji. Free Rental Listings.

See here for apartment (flat) rentals:

Apartments for rent in Edmonton Area. Condos, lofts, furnished, unfurnished rentals on Kijiji. Free Classifieds.

All areas of Edmonton are family friendly and no matter what part of Edmonton you chose, there are good choices of schools/kindergarten. Of note, there are 2 school systems in Edmonton... public and catholic. You are free to put your kids into whatever school system you decide. (You don't have to be catholic to put your kids in the catholic school system). Education is free, but you will have to purchase school supplies at the beginning of each school year.


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

You can do a cost comparison between the two cities (the city which you're currently living in, and Edmonton) by going to this web site.

Enter the city which you're currently living in (Where do you live now), then pick Edmonton, Canada as your destination city (Where are you comparing).

This will give you a good comparison of prices of everything (meals, food, clothing, transportation, etc.)

Cost Of Living Comparison

The Edmonton prices in the comparison are somewhat accurate and a good guide, but some of the prices, especially the grocery prices are skewed to the higher end. For example... I purchased groceries this past weekend, and... a loaf of white bread was $1.29, dozen eggs was $0.99, 4L of milk was $3.99, block of cheese (old cheddar) 1kg was $5.99, vanilla ice cream (Breyers 1.4L) was $3.99.


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## GRETZKY427 (Jan 5, 2013)

RGS said:


> You can do a cost comparison between the two cities (the city which you're currently living in, and Edmonton) by going to this web site.
> 
> Enter the city which you're currently living in (Where do you live now), then pick Edmonton, Canada as your destination city (Where are you comparing).
> 
> ...


And were i like in Australia we pay anywhere from $1-$3 for a loaf of bread, $5.25 for a dozen eggs, 3ltr milk $3, 1kg block of cheese $6.95-$12.55.

Insane prices compared to Edmonton...Edmonton is cheap compared to my city.


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## SHanlon (Apr 14, 2013)

*Thank you!*



RGS said:


> I live in Edmonton... so hope I can shed some light on your questions.
> 
> There should be lots of Plumber/pipefitter jobs in Edmonton. There is still a huge construction boom going on here. Lots of people are still moving to Alberta and Edmonton, which is creating a lot of housing and business related construction type jobs.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! That's great info to have! Sounds fantastic with all four seasons! In Ireland all we get is rain! And that's a relief on prices of clothes etc! Just trying to find out as much as possible before we go. Hopefully my partner will go in June and we will follow over in a month or so! If you can think of any other tips or tricks that be brilliant. Thanks again!


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## SHanlon (Apr 14, 2013)

GRETZKY427 said:


> And were i like in Australia we pay anywhere from $1-$3 for a loaf of bread, $5.25 for a dozen eggs, 3ltr milk $3, 1kg block of cheese $6.95-$12.55.
> 
> Insane prices compared to Edmonton...Edmonton is cheap compared to my city.


That's great info! Yes I believe Australia prices are gone through the roof! They seem pretty similar to Ireland maybe a little cheaper, cheers!


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

Edmonton has a great Irish community. Here are some good contacts for the Irish club here in the City. You may be able to ask questions (emails) directly of people from Ireland who have moved here or know about immigrating and living in Edmonton.

Contact | Edmonton Irish Sports & Social Society


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