Hi! Last year I moved to New Zealand and I wasn't sure if I wanted to live in Christchurch or Wellington, and someone recommended me to move to Wellington and honestly it was a good decision and had a lovely experience. Now I moved to Canada, currently staying in Montréal with a friend, but since I don't speak French it's best to move to a English-speaking city. 

Is there any Canadian here that could recommend me where to live? I think Ottawa might be a good idea, people say it's boring but I need somewhere cheap to live and try to save up some money. As long as there as jobs in Hospitality and a library/gym/parks it should be good.

Any tips? 

Enjoy Montreal 🌈

Thought it was another case of atrlers asking for money to get out of their countries 

 

congrats 🎈 

If it's Vancouver, make sure you are earning enough to pay minimum $1,500 for a room and upwards of $2,000 for a studio apartment, and that you can afford a short-term rental for a couple months because finding a place in the first place is very difficult. And be prepared for high (I mean HIGH) food costs as well.

Edited June 19, 20242 yr by MatiRod

11 minutes ago, MatiRod said:

If it's Vancouver, make sure you are earning enough to pay minimum $1,500 for a room and upwards of $2,000 for a studio apartment, and that you can afford a short-term rental for a couple months because finding a place in the first place is very difficult. And be prepared for high (I mean HIGH) food costs as well.

Oh yeah I wouldn't want to move there tbh Same with Toronto. Too overcrowded and expensive. 

33 minutes ago, MatiRod said:

If it's Vancouver, make sure you are earning enough to pay minimum $1,500 for a room and upwards of $2,000 for a studio apartment, and that you can afford a short-term rental for a couple months because finding a place in the first place is very difficult. And be prepared for high (I mean HIGH) food costs as well.

This... but at least the weather's nice (compared to the rest of Canada).

 Montreal is probably the best cost of living for quality of life tbh, i read an article about it recently.

 

I lived in Toronto and Vancouver and they're both nice in their own ways - ofc living downtown in both cities is $$$

 

@Reverse Warholian @Pikachoo do yall love the east coast 

3 minutes ago, Smarticle said:

@Reverse Warholian @Pikachoo do yall love the east coast 

we need their thoughts !

Ottawa is pretty good compared to other cities of its size in Canada. It's a noticeable step down from Montreal though especially if you care about nightlife or rely on public transit 

I live in Toronto and I love it here. It has everything you want and need in a city and it's only an hour flight to get to New York! It is expensive but lots of people make it work. For concerts, you can usually guarantee that every major act will do a date in Toronto, and there are always tons of smaller acts doing shows all over the city. The theater scene is amazing if you're into that and the food here is the best. 

Edited June 20, 20242 yr by SleepNoMore

welcome!

 

I will try to give as objective of an opinion as possible, because right now I ain't happy with Canada. As you've probably figured out, it's expensive!

 

First, what kinda person are you? are you more introverted or extroverted? Do you enjoy going out?

 

Ottawa is more affordable than Toronto or Vancouver, but it's still pretty expensive, more expensive than Montreal. If you want to live 'downtown' or centretown, a decent place will be at least $2500. PERSONALLY, I'm introverted, so I don't mind the suburbs (Nepean), nor do I need a condo building with a pool and a gym, but it dpeends on you. But Ottawa is 1.4 million people. you won't get the big city experience, but you'll have all the amenities you need and then some. Ottawa has great hiking trails, bike paths. it's an outdoorsy city for sure.

 

 You can definitely get by in Montreal speaking only English. especially if you live on the west side of the city (anything west of downtown montreal) where most english speakers live. but if you want to be a waiter or work with the public in any capacity, yeah, you'll need some basic french.

 

Toronto is a big city. it has everything. but it is expensive as hell and very hard to get by.

 

east of Quebec, Atlantic Canada, a lot less multiculturalism compared to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa. It's basically affordable, but it's slower paced.

 

Alberta has Calgary and Edmonton but tbh I've never been so i can't tell you much.

Edited June 20, 20242 yr by Pikachoo

19 minutes ago, tellem said:

Ottawa is pretty good compared to other cities of its size in Canada. It's a noticeable step down from Montreal though especially if you care about nightlife or rely on public transit 

I don't care much about nightlife tbh I tend to stay at home or go to friends' houses and have a party/get-together there rather than going out  but yeah I do need good public transit (which Montréal has!) to go everywhere, since I don't drive. I checked Ottawa's public transit and it's not too bad and there's plenty of buses so as long as they come frequently (more than they do in NZ) I should be fine 

11 minutes ago, Pikachoo said:

welcome!

 

I will try to give as objective of an opinion as possible, because right now I ain't happy with Canada. As you've probably figured out, it's expensive!

 

First, what kinda person are you? are you more introverted or extroverted? Do you enjoy going out?

 

Ottawa is more affordable than Toronto or Vancouver, but it's still pretty expensive, more expensive than Montreal. If you want to live 'downtown' or centretown, a decent place will be at least $2500. PERSONALLY, I'm introverted, so I don't mind the suburbs (Nepean), nor do I need a condo building with a pool and a gym, but it dpeends on you. But Ottawa is 1.4 million people. you won't get the big city experience, but you'll have all the amenities you need and then some. Ottawa has great hiking trails, bike paths. it's an outdoorsy city for sure.

 

 You can definitely get by in Montreal speaking only English. especially if you live on the west side of the city (anything west of downtown montreal) where most english speakers live. but if you want to be a waiter or work with the public in any capacity, yeah, you'll need some basic french.

 

Toronto is a big city. it has everything. but it is expensive as hell and very hard to get by.

 

east of Quebec, Atlantic Canada, a lot less multiculturalism compared to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa. It's basically affordable, but it's slower paced.

 

Alberta has Calgary and Edmonton but tbh I've never been so i can't tell you much.

I'm more of an introvert and I really like exploring the outdoors! My hometown has 7m people, and I lived in a small town in upstate New York of 2k, and Wellington (NZ) has a pop. of 400k ish. I think Ottawa and 1m would do me good. 

 

I usually work in hospitality so I'm afraid I'd suck with my French. I know I can always learn but I need a job and place to live ASAP and language takes time, so I'd rather move somewhere I can communicate easily. 

I wanted to get into summer jobs in hotels/resorts in tourists areas around BC/Alberta but I'm a bit late to that and I think living in a city will be better long-term if I want to stay in Canada.

 

I think I'll give Ottawa a shot! Thank you guys 

OP I will be joining you in this endeavor depending on how the upcoming 2024 election goes 

Steer clear of Vancouver and the surrounding areas, they are expensive as hell. It is nice over there, and I would go back to visit. However, I will never live in Vancouver ever again. 

If you want to make money and be able to live comfortably Alberta is a good option. Edmonton and Calgary are the two major cities. Also, both very close to Alberta National Parks Jasper and Banff, insanely beautiful parks with lots of hiking, and outdoor activities.

Saskatoon in Saskatchewan is also really nice, it's a small artsy city with lots of historic neighborhoods. I love their downtown area, it's beautiful. It's also known as the Paris of the Prairies.

If you're looking to stay more East though Montreal is honestly a great option. Rentals a very affordable, the only weird thing is that most rentals don't come with fridges (it's either fridges or stoves I can't remember honestly it's been awhile since I looked).

But Montreal is a beautiful city and they have someone of the best restaurants in Canada (in my opinion). 

I found that most people also were able to speak both French and English, so even if you were to learn some over time I think you'd be able to manage.

I would love to recommend Halifax as being right on the ocean over there is sooooooooo beautiful, however it's a lot of service based jobs so minimum wage and while it's not as expensive as Vancouver it's still not overly affordable.

However, Saint Johns in New Brunswick is honestly equally as nice and also affordable. Also it's so close to Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland, so if that are is your vibe you can always make day trips to those other provinces.

 

Ultimately it comes down to what kind of vibes you're looking for and the area you'd like to live in because everywhere offers something different. 

I'm not Canadian, but I live in Toronto. It has that fast-paced environment of a big metropolis (which I like), but it's a very expensive city to live in. From what I've heard, I would recommend Alberta or the Atlantic islands.

Edited June 20, 20242 yr by bielneira

16 hours ago, Smarticle said:

@Reverse Warholian @Pikachoo do yall love the east coast 

Ask @bad guy!

24 minutes ago, Reverse Warholian said:

Ask @bad guy!

Move to America @Halcyon Days. Tf?