Hi we are from uk and live in new zealand we are thinking of moving to canada is the cost of living high.?

Question

do you pay for schooling and health care we have 3 children aged 6, 9 and 12 the price of living in nz is getting quite high with no affordable housing the mortgage rate is 10.75 and rising.My hubby is a plasterer is there plenty of work and how do wages compare with the price of housing and food. Is Canada a safer place for bringing up children and can people go out at night without a worry of being burgled or mugged.We are trying to do as much research on Canada as possible as we have already uprooted the children once and really want to find a place where we can settle for good without any regrets so any information would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Answer 1

From my understanding, Canada is somewhat cheaper than New Zealand but perhaps not by much, in terms of what you're left with after paying what you need to pay. It's safe, though of course some places are safer than others, same as everywhere. School is free up to the end of high school. Health care is a provincial responsibilty so what you pay depends on your province and your income but is definitely affordable for the average working person, and most things are paid for with health care plans but not dental care. Mortgage rates currently are around 5% or so, but house prices can vary tremendously from place to place. Go to mls.ca and you can search any part of the country. We don't have plasterers here, at least not many since only the wealthy would have a real plaster wall put in, but that might be the same trade by a different name. The guys who put up wall finishes here are called drywallers, and I would think there's no shortage of work at the moment, especially in BC and Alberta.You might like BC, lots of transplanted down under folks and Brits here and many visit too. Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada right now and probably will be for the foreseeable future, but there are other towns in BC. You might look at Vancouver Island where house prices are cheaper, it's small cities and towns or rural areas, people are very friendly, and the range of outdoor and cultural activities can't be beat anywhere else in BC.

Answer 2

Canada is really safe, yah, sometimes you see crimes in the news, but those are isolated cases, overall is very safe, life is great here, but be careful it may get very cold in the winter

There are public and private schools, so you can get schooling for free or paid, health care is always free and it is good

I don't know about jobs for plasterers, you may check the government websites to look for occupations on demand

I always go out at night, walk at 1 am in the street and nothing happens, and sometimes I dress quite fancy

I haven't been to New Zealand but I know it is a very good country to live

Mortgage rate is lower in Canada, it may be 5, 6 or 4% probably, I don't find it expensive compared to what you earn, the price of housing is not that bad and I'm sure food is cheaper than in NZ since it is cheaper to ship it here.

Answer 3

The overall cost of living, I think Canada is a bit more affordable when compared to the NZ and definitely cheaper than the UK.  

Of course some cities are more expensive than others such as Vancouver and/or Calgary.

Elem and High School education is universal....so is health care.

Mortgages are about 5-6%.

Answer 4

I live in Vancouver, it's one of the most expensive places to live world wide, not THE most expensive but one of. The part time job pay, averges between $8.50-15 here. I don't know about regular pay. But $8-50-15 is like working at mcdonalds, a local petshop or some sort of store. My house originally cost $435,000, back in 2002, and now it's worth a little over $800,000. It's 4 bathroom, 1 garage, back yard, balcony, 6 bedroom, and 2 kitchens, averged out on two floors. You do not need to pay for school here, school is free, though you need to pay for fieldtrips or books, and school supplies/ lunches, but education is free (elementary and highschool, college is not free). Health care i'm not sure of. Where I live, is a pretty safe place to live, with nice friendly people. Although it's a safe community to live in, i'm not saying there are no bugulars or bad people, because there is but our police handles it extremly well. It's a multi-cultural city, nice views and everything. As concering your children about their safety in school let's just say, I can garuntee you don't have to worry about your kid's safety at school. I watch news daily, and it's extremly rare you'd see violence on TV at a school. Elementary, highschool, and college

And if your wondering about gas prices, well the gas price here is just as expensive as any other place, and goes up by the minute too (not literally). Right now the gas price is over a $1 a litre, forgot the exact price, but it's over a $1/ L. Airplane fair has gone up too since last week in Vancouver. A family 4 would have to pay around $425 Extra to fly from Vancouver, BC to Toronto. This is due to fuel.

Transportation is pretty cheap here, we have no subway, but we have a skytrain (basically same thing as a subway, but on air - very safe) $30 a month to travel anywhere by bus or skytrain, or seabus, TO ANYWHERE in BC. Taxi however, is very expensive, hardly anyone takes the taxi unless your going to the airport or if it's a major emergency

And just a warning about the weather in Canada. If your planning to live in East of Canada, you will find yourself living in a cold cold place, with winters longer than others (another words, snows frequently) if your planning to live West in Canada, you will find yourself living in a more warmer climate. Here in Vancouver, it's a mix of both, it rains frequently, but when the sun is out, it will last for a long time. I consider the wether here bit bizzare, because it's so different from other cities. It's not bad, we don't have tornados, or floods or anything. Our summer's aren't boiling hot like California, but it's hot and our winters are extremly harsh, you just  don't see us complain because we're use to it

Answer 5

First of all in Canada Schooling is free unless one chooses to go to a private school. (In Alberta for example there are 3 publicly funded school systems Public, Catholic and Francophone, this ensures competition and in turn a great education.)

Health care is also free but pharmacare is NOT if you use pricey pharmaceuticals, you will have to pay for them.

Affordable housing is available in certain places. Even in Edmonton (where the vacancy rate is around 2%) a determined buyer can find safe, affordable, housing. I would suggest though, working out at least a temporary place to stay before you come to Canada.

I think that Canada is fairly safe, though there is some crime some people leave there doors unlocked when they leave. I haven't heard of anyone being burgled or mugged on a personal level.

The prime mortgage rate in canada is 4.75 % according to Toronto Dominion Bank (TD).

Here are a few links for a employment site, a job search sites and a grocery site (to compare for cost of living) respectively:

www.workopolis.com

www.mls.ca

http://www.superstore.ca/west/

Good luck

Answer 6

well where do u want to live? come to Vancouver

yes its cheaper and you get free health care!

and its safe

move around

kerr street vancouver

Answer 7

It completely depends on where you are moving in terms of cost of living! Education (except private schools and post-secondary) is free, as is health care, although you will pay for some meds if you do not have a plan through work. Basically, Canada is a HUGE country with varying weather, job prospects and affordability. Living in Vancouver or Toronto will cost you more in terms of housing, but food tends to be cheaper. Nova Scotia or Newfoundland has cheap housing, but gas and groceries are more expensive. In Quebec you'll be speaking French, but rent is still fairly cheap! I have lived in Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, and I am going to settle in Nova Scotia. People are very friendly, the weather is moderate (not as bad as some other posters are stating!) and there is very affordable land and housing just outside the city. There are many housing developments, so there would be work for tradespeople. As in any city, there is some crime, some drugs, but it's not that bad. I've never been afraid while walking alone even late at night. If you are smart and avoid known areas, you should be fine.

Answer 8

i am from Michigan and i had experience in British Columbia and Ontario i love both places. British Columbia is more expensive than Toronto but both places are very lovely to be