cost of living in Toronto - help please !

Last activity 26 January 2015 by najhla

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dougie_019Member11 July 2013 13:29:06

Hi I am a British expat moving with my wife and 2 month old daughter from Singapore to Toronto, well we are still deciding but unsure.

I hear Toronto is very expensive ? To get straight to the point - I will be earning CAN $115,00 per year...after doing some calculations on tax etc and looking at rent ( a 2 bed place 1000 sq ft , nothing fancy ) - it would seem that after tax we will be left with CAN$930 per week.

We dont have an extravagant life style, and rarely eat out - so this money would go on basic living, food, bills, and perhaps saving a bit....is this enough ? I hear groceries are expensive, and travel on public transport also....the last thing we want to do is move there and realise that we are tight on money.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as we need to make a decision soon and we are a bit confused - internet research is helpful but actually getting help from you guys who live there is invaluable.

Thanks in advance for any help ....

karenViP12 July 2013 05:52:21

4030

Hello dougie_019.

Welcome to Expat.com

You may browse the discussions of the Toronto Forum, in order to get better insights.

Hope you'll get some prompt feedbacks soon.

Thanks and Good luck

Karen

beverleywilsonMember22 July 2013 13:11:46

Hi there, Toronto is wonderful, we've been here since 1994 and Canada in general has been very kind to us.

Based on where you're coming from you'll find Toronto an easy life. Your salary is way above average and having over $900 per week will allow you to live very very comfortably.

We live in midtown, close to the downtown, subway, shops, schools etc. and we walk almost everywhere. We have a doctor, lawyer, pharmacy, vet etc. all within walking distance.

Groceries are "normal" from a price perspective, we lived in Switzerland for 6 years and found that Toronto is actually quite cheap in comparison.

Anyway, good luck with your decision, you will have more than enough money to survive really comfortably. My advice would be to live as close to work as possible because the traffic is absolutely horrible !!!!!

All the best

Bev

serbuangMember08 September 2013 04:29:44

I am a Singaporean and my family moved to Toronto in 2002.
I want to share with you some of my experience on the cost of living in Toronto.
Cost of housing and cars are cheaper as compared to Singapore.
Cost of foods are reasonable despite the fact that we have to pay 13% consumer tax (HST).
There are lots of welfare living in Canada; ie medical, children schooling, employment insurance etc.
Overall, I think the cost of living is still better as compared to Singapore.
Hope it helps.

Steve

stumpyLaos Expert09 September 2013 02:04:59

17936

For cost of living www.numbeo.com

tdesaNew member24 September 2013 16:29:13

Hi,
Some great advice here! Based on the lifestyle you've described, you should have no problems in Toronto. I have just repatriated from Zurich and have found that food and rent prices have risen.
Toronto is a city of diversity meaning that you can find a broad range of everything, including prices. Suburban rentals will be less expensive than downtown Toronto. Public transport is avg $3 CAD per trip ( I think it's comparable to Singapore or Euro cities)

If you have any questions or concerns on ways to settle in, build community and design a new life, I'm a relocation coach who can help, just drop me a line.

Best of luck in the decision process. Sounds like you're doing the research to set you and your family up for success.
Best regards,
Tania Desa

najhlaMember26 January 2015 14:51:08

Hello, am from Maurtius. Thanks for your reviews.
We are a family of four, including my Husband and my two teens.
We are planning to move to Canada by June this year, we waited almost 5 years for this moment and now we are hesitating as there are so many bad reviews from people who live there.
We want to move to Canada for a better education and living for our children.
In our country, we are both well paid and have a very good standard of living.
Can you advise us please, this is the most difficult situation for my husband and me to face.
Awaiting for your reply.
NAJ

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