# Costs of living & doing business



## arina83 (Nov 8, 2012)

Right now, I'm considering moving to Canada. I co-own a small manufacturing business with my father, and we'd move that and ourselves. 

What's the cost of living like in Canada?


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

arina83 said:


> Right now, I'm considering moving to Canada. I co-own a small manufacturing business with my father, and we'd move that and ourselves.
> 
> What's the cost of living like in Canada?


Firstly, do you have a visa? The cost of living is higher than the US, probably on a par with the U.K. 
AFAIK, the Entrepreneural Programme is still suspended.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

arina83 said:


> Right now, I'm considering moving to Canada. I co-own a small manufacturing business with my father, and we'd move that and ourselves.
> 
> What's the cost of living like in Canada?



Canada is the second largest country in the world (bigger than both Australia and the US) so your question is unanswerable. The cost of living will vary from one region to the next as well as within each region. The cost of living in Vancouver British Columbia and Sidney Nova Scotia have no relation to each other.


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## arina83 (Nov 8, 2012)

As I said, I'm only doing research now. If we wind up doing this, we won't be doing it for a while (5-10 years). So visa status is currently irrelevant.

I'm fully aware that Canada is a big country. I was hoping that folks from several areas would respond. Right now, I'm thinking more of the area within an hour or so of Toronto or Ottawa. Or somewhere in Ontario, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia. 

If this is the wrong place to ask general, fact finding questions please let me know where I should.

My goal now is to figure out how realistic this would be.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Who knows in 5-10 years what Canadian Immigration rules will be. As of today and from what little information you have chosen to provide I would posit that your chance of immigrating to Canada are slim to none.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

arina83 said:


> As I said, I'm only doing resMy goal now is to figure out how realistic this would be.


You will only know if it's realistic if you look at the options to getting a visa. Without qualifying for a visa, it doesn't matter if cost of living is half of what you are used to, or double.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

arina83 said:


> I'm fully aware that Canada is a big country. I was hoping that folks from several areas would respond. Right now, I'm thinking more of the area within an hour or so of Toronto or Ottawa. Or somewhere in Ontario, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia.


Again, your question is too broad. You would really have to do some research and narrow down your choices to several specific places. Once you do that we can certainly help as members will likely live in, or at least have knowledge of, the areas you specify. Even saying something like "within an hour or so of Toronto" is too broad a geographic area because the cost of living in Kitchener-Waterloo differs from that in Hamilton which differs from that in Niagara, which differs from that in Barrie which differs from that in Bowmanville which differs from that in Brampton (every one of those areas is within an hour's drive from Toronto). 

As I said, narrow things down and be a bit more specific and then we can help.


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## Canuck15 (Sep 21, 2016)

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Toronto

Excellent tool to plug in the numbers and an idea of cost of living. This tool can be applied worldwide.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Canuck15 said:


> https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Toronto
> 
> Excellent tool to plug in the numbers and an idea of cost of living. This tool can be applied worldwide.



I just took a look at that site and it is inaccurate for a lot of things.


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## Canuck15 (Sep 21, 2016)

colchar said:


> I just took a look at that site and it is inaccurate for a lot of things.


Is it? It was bang on for some Canadian cities. Basically proved the fact that accommodation prices/rental was a rip off. To buy a home in the 'burbs some of the detached homes go for nearly $1 m  

Terraced (town) homes go for around $500k - $600k around the better school catchment areas too which is nuts but the way it is. 

It may not be correct for other areas but for Canada it was pretty much correct.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Canuck15 said:


> Is it?


Yes, it is. I live in the GTA and the prices it quotes for many things in Toronto simply aren't accurate.




> Terraced (town) homes go for around $500k - $600k around the better school catchment areas too which is nuts but the way it is.



We don't have "better school catchment areas" like the UK does. Things are done differently here and all schools within a given area are of essentially the same quality. For example, of the two closest public high schools to my house, both are of the same quality. This is typical here in Ontario. Schools in poorer areas might not be as good but all schools within a given socioeconomic area will be of similar quality (ie. schools in middle class areas will be the same, schools in upper middle class areas will be the same, etc.).





> It may not be correct for other areas but for Canada it was pretty much correct.



Again, no it was not. As I said, I live in the GTA and looking at some of the prices listed there I had to wonder where the hell they were getting them as they do not reflect the prices that I pay daily or weekly.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

colchar said:


> I had to wonder where the hell they were getting them as they do not reflect the prices that I pay daily or weekly.


They are getting them from people like you and me who enter it in their system. If 'you and me' take it serious, the prices will be rather ok. If we make a joke of it, you get unreliable results.
On that website, I can fill out data for places where I have never spent a single day in my life.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

EVHB said:


> They are getting them from people like you and me who enter it in their system. If 'you and me' take it serious, the prices will be rather ok. If we make a joke of it, you get unreliable results.
> On that website, I can fill out data for places where I have never spent a single day in my life.



Ah, so it is even less reliable than Wikipedia then.


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## Ayamas (Oct 29, 2016)

arina83 said:


> Right now, I'm considering moving to Canada. I co-own a small manufacturing business with my father, and we'd move that and ourselves.
> 
> What's the cost of living like in Canada?


Keep in mind that, while it is crucial to factor in your new destination's cost of living; IT IS NOT the only way you’ll know what an offer is really worth.You might risk your income if solely depend on base salary.

Being an expat involves a multitude of risks and extra cost, such as i.e extra transportation cost, housing double payment, losing annual bonus , home/host country taxes, home country morgage payments/host country housing rental , higher tax, unexpected import duty, higher international school fees ,moving cost, rental deposit , year by year inflation cost, storage cost etc….and lot's more of other issues!!:fingerscrossed:


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## Canuck15 (Sep 21, 2016)

Where do you live colchar if you don't mind me asking?

In some particular areas of Ontario, the schools perform differently.

Having had my two kids go through different schools in two different school boards, this has been our direct experience, hence I can only speak for my experience and my kids.

Comparing some schools in say Mississauga, Malton compared to Lorne Park evidence that there are huge differences and yes, better catchment areas. A friend made a strategic move to Lorne Park in Mississauga from another area, specifically for the better school; her son is now in an Ivy league university and she puts it down to the excellent schooling and yes, the catchment area.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Canuck15 said:


> Where do you live colchar if you don't mind me asking?


The GTA.





> Comparing some schools in say Mississauga, Malton compared to Lorne Park evidence that there are huge differences and yes, better catchment areas.


Those are not 'catchment areas' as the term is used in Britain. Malton is a dump so schools there will not be very good. I lived in Malton until 1979, and went to grade school there, so I am _very_ familiar with it. Hell, I drove through part of it on my way to work (as a college instructor) this morning. I now live in Brampton where the schools are completely different from those in Malton, despite being only a few minutes away. But those are not 'catchment areas', they are different towns (Brampton is a city but town will suffice) with different income levels (ie. they are very different socioeconomically) and completely different demographics.




> A friend made a strategic move to Lorne Park in Mississauga from another area, specifically for the better school; her son is now in an Ivy league university and she puts it down to the excellent schooling and yes, the catchment area.



Again, 'catchment area' is not a term used here nor is the situation the same as in Britain. Schools in Lorne Park are better than those in Malton because of the socioeconomic makeup of the areas - areas that are nowhere near each other. As I said above, schools in poorer areas will be worse than those in upper middle class areas, but all of the schools within a given socioeconomic area will be basically the same. 

When you say 'catchment areas' it makes it sound like you can move one postcode over (ie. move a few blocks away within the same town) and experience entirely different quality in the schools. That is not the case and the areas you mentioned are nowhere near each other so it isn't fair to compare them. Actually, it is rather ridiculous to compare them as Malton and Lorne Park are 30-40kms from each other and are entirely different worlds. You are comparing apples to oranges here.


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## Canuck15 (Sep 21, 2016)

Ah so we are neighbours then colchar! We probably passed each other this morning by the sounds of your route this am!

Catchment area/socio-economic make-up - living in a better area = better school. 

Let us agree to disagree.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Even in Oakville are differences between the high school. The best ranked school is ranked 9th in the province, and scores 9.1/10.
The lowest ranked school is ranked 192 and scores 7.1.
But both are still very good scores, as they compared 627 schools!


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## Ayamas (Oct 29, 2016)

colchar said:


> I just took a look at that site and it is inaccurate for a lot of things.


Of course online sources info is not 100% accurate but still accurate in a reasonable range as stated in the website.

In fact merely asking people living over there is also not 100% accurate unless you have landed and living with the people you ask! To get the best accurate answer is from a person who have a the same 100% lifestyle and married status , job rank, kids, nationality etc...

In other case, all the answers in this forum will be irrelevant and inaccurate because the person you ask have a totally different lifestyle , job ranking and eating taste. Maybe if you ask about salary some may say it enough but some may say not enough.

In a free market , the same plate of food will have difference price even in the same shopping complex. 

You can't expect a 100% accurate price but accept it just the best guesstimate. Because those people might get a cheaper deal or know the right place to get the best deal . 

Your cost of living will vary depending on your own lifestyle. The best way to make it worth is whether your lifestyle can match the same way as your own lifestyle in your home country.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Ayamas said:


> You can't expect a 100% accurate price but accept it just the best guesstimate.


For many things listed they are not even remotely accurate guesstimates.





> Your cost of living will vary depending on your own lifestyle.



That is hardly a news flash.


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## Ayamas (Oct 29, 2016)

colchar said:


> For many things listed they are not even remotely accurate guesstimates.
> 
> That is hardly a news flash.



Well after all their data is a crowdsourced data, provided by thousands of people from all over the world ...

If its range can't give you the best guesstimate, I'm afraid answers from a few people from this forum is much worse.

I agree with you...all answers won't be accurate. If you ask 10 people the price of a house in your own neighborhood, i believe , no one will be give you exactly the same price.. 

After all in a free market there is no absolute price...

So I hope you dig more deep for the accurate answer, meaning find a person who have a the same 100% lifestyle and married status , age, job rank, kids, nationality etc...same as yours. 

Answers from just a few strangers won't help you..


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Ayamas said:


> Well after all their data is a crowdsourced data, provided by thousands of people from all over the world ...


No kidding.

But people from all over the world are hardly experts on the cost of living in the Toronto area are they? As someone else here has said, they can enter data for places they have never been. Based on that, the site is hardly an accurate barometer is it?




> I agree with you...all answers won't be accurate. If you ask 10 people the price of a house in your own neighborhood, i believe , no one will be give you exactly the same price..


Since every house has a different price how could they give the same price? What my house is worth and what my neighbor's house is worth is not the same.





> So I hope you dig more deep for the accurate answer, meaning find a person who have a the same 100% lifestyle and married status , age, job rank, kids, nationality etc...same as yours.



That information isn't necessary to find prices as listed on that website. For example, their price for a bottle of water is ridiculous as you can buy a case of 24 bottles any day of the week for $1.99 - and that price isn't dependent upon lifestyle, marital status, or any of the other factors you keep listing.

Thhe fact of the matter is that that website doesn't give an accurate indication of what prices are like in a given area.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

O.k., this is getting off topic and argumentative, so I'm closing the thread.


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