Manage a living in Canada

Moving Here
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@anon25417004 Hi, I am starting to prepare for IELTS and getting transcripts arranged for ECA. But it is bothering me that I have not figured out where to live, work and what would be the living expenses etc. Can you please answer these questions or guide me as to where I can find the answers

  • What is a comfortable household income in Toronto for 2? (We live in Mississippi so have been used to low cost of living and have come to enjoy living in smaller towns.) Any alternates to Toronto we could be looking to live and work?

  • What is the income tax percentage in Toronto?

  • What is the cost of renting a 2 bedroom or a 1 bedroom apartment in a safe area in Toronto? Any websites similar to Apartments.com for Canada?

  • What job portals/websites are popular in Canada so that I can start looking for construction/civil engineering jobs?

  • I understand that need to live 2 out of 5 years in Canada to renew PR.Do i have to be working for those 2 years in Canada or just living?

Thanks.

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All great questions. I’m feeling a little under the weather will answer in the morning

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Yes please take your time, no rush.

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First off Toronto will be a big change from Mississippi. It is a major city with things to do all times of day. That said Toronto or the Greater Toronto Region (GTA) is very big and if you enjoy the feeling of smaller towns there are plenty of choices an hours drive from core Toronto. I know numerous people who have a lake front cottage in towns like Ajax and travel into Toronto for work. Living further away from the city means cheaper housing costs.

Income tax rates for the 90+ bracket will be approximately 26% (Canada) + 11% (Ontario) = 37%

You can find rental places on
https://www.realtor.ca/
https://www.kijiji.ca/
https://toronto.craigslist.ca/

For job searches I would say use
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/

To maintain PR you have to be living in Canada for 2 years working is not a requirement.

Cost of Living - I would double the numbers shown in this below articles. Hosing is the biggest of the costs and changes drastically from downtown to further away. Keep in mind prices are in CAD

https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-comfortable-mid-class-income-to-live-in-Toronto-Montreal/answer/David-Claude

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Thank you for the detailed answer. I understand it can be a big change, but since I have lived in bigger cities before I can imagine what to expect. Coming from the south I am much more anxious of the cold. I will look into the links. Thanks again.

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The cold does take getting used to. Our first winter was a mild winter (Toronto standards) this one started off with a major cold wave that hit all of the east coast. Winter in Toronto is not too different from say Chicago or New York. Also having friends and family near by helps. Its not uncommon for people to holiday in warmer places. This year we spent December in India and we plan to every year. You do have the choice of Vancouver.

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