Costs In Living In Canada
Costs In Living In Canada
Regardless of what city you choose to live in, the biggest monthly expense you will have is your housing. In the larger cities like Vancouver, the monthly rent is usually more than C$1,000 for an apartment downtown or a small house. This cost varies widely, but it's hard to find anything much cheaper than C$1,000 unless you rent in a rough part of the city.
In addition to rent, there are monthly utilities to pay from your residence. Most people have to pay electricity, water and gas. These utilities are fairly priced in Canada, and shouldn't cost more than C$150 for an average family.
Other typical expenses include internet, cable TV and phone service. These days, it's common to have all three of these services bundled together from one company with one monthly bill. The internet and cable TV come through the same cable, which can also include a landline phone for little extra effort. Most bundled packages like this cost around C$100 a month.
Food is another important component of the cost of living. In Canada, food is affordable and readily available throughout the country. The monthly outlay for food is totally based on how much you buy and the quality of the food, but most families average C$500 a month on groceries.
Transportation has to be figured into the monthly expenses as well. If you drive your own car, you need to account for petrol, which is currently around C$1.40 a litre. There is also car insurance that is mandatory in Canada. This can cost anywhere from C$50 and up per month depending on your driving record, accidents, tickets and age.
Entertainment is an inevitable part of enjoying life, and in Canada some of our most common vices are actually quite expensive. The government heavily taxes tobacco and alcohol, which means prices for beer and smokes are twice as much as most other countries. A ticket to a movie costs C$7 on average, and most towns have free public facilities like parks and recreation centres to use.
Education is free in Canada's public schools, as is health insurance if you are a permanent resident. But many people buy extra health insurance to cover the things that aren't provided by the government health program. Health cover can run from C$50 and up a month based on your needs. Naturally, there are taxes on everything in Canada but this is always factored into the cost of the product or service so it's not something to factor into the monthly budget.
