The Cost of Living In Canada

Most people from the UK and Europe find the cost of living in Canada is significantly lower than their home country.

Canadian housing is particularly cheap compared with other developed nations - the average house price in Canada is around seven times the average annual wage. Prices are highest in Ontario and Alberta (seven to eight times average wage) and Vancouver (eleven times average wage).

People moving to Canada with the proceeds of house sales from countries with more expensive housing can often buy a house in Canada with a considerably reduced mortgage. This leaves more of their income for other activities and lowers their cost of living in Canada significantly. Compared with many other western countries:

• Food is cheaper in Canada.
• Dining out and most forms of recreation are cheaper in Canada.
• Petrol / Gasoline and cars are cheaper in Canada.
• Power is cheaper, but you use more power to heat your house in a typical Canadian winter.
• Car insurance is very expensive in Canada.

Mercer carried out an extensive cost of living survey for overseas workers in 2008.

The survey revealed that Toronto has the highest cost of living in Canada, followed by Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Ottawa.

The survey found that Canadian cities have lower living costs than many other locations in the developed world. In 2008, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary are at lower positions in the table than they were in 2006, showing they have become less expensive compared with other locations. On the other hand, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa had a relatively lower cost of living in 2006 than in 2008.

More detailed figures from the survey show that

• The cost of living in Toronto is 30 percent lower than in London, UK.
• The cost of living in Vancouver is 12 percent lower than in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• The cost of living in Canada's capital, Ottawa, is 5 percent lower than in Glasgow, UK.

The survey is reproduced below.

Look out for the Canadian cities. Their cost of living is relatively low so you will need to scroll to find them - Toronto is in 54th place.

Cost of Living in Selected Cities
(Most Expensive = Moscow)