So long story short, I have an opportunity to take a job that I would really enjoy, the only problem is, its in centre of the universe, Vaughan to be exact.
So I'm a western boy, I've actually never even been to the GTA. What do I need to know about living in Ontario compared to Alberta? Taxes, cost of living, housing? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Here are some things that I learned the hard way moving to Toronto:
-live as close to work as possible. Unless you want to spend 2-3 hours a day commuting.
-13% HST on most things you buy (8% pst + 5% gst)
-Land transfer tax. If you buy a average house ($450k) prepare to pay $10k+ in land transfer fees, unless you are a first time home buyer in Canada
-LCBO and Beer stores are the only places that sell booze. They close up shop early, and literally have bankers hours. So frustrating.
-if you are bringing your car, it can be a real pain. I shipped mine via train. But you need to do drive clean inspections (emissions), out of province inspection, and probably an insurance inspection. My windshield had a small crack and wouldn't pass OOP inspection. I also got pulled over several times for not having a front plate (when I still had my AB plates). Silly cops. You have 3 months to get ON plates and license.
-banks and insurance companies. I was with RBC and Meloche Monnex. Both have West/Central/East Canada branches. So I had to transfer everything, just another pain in the butt to deal with.
Other than that, Toronto can be an awesome place to live. I never went away for Uni so I jumped on the chance to work in TO for a couple years and live it up. Living/working downtown is sooooo much fun. I go to Buffalo to see hockey games (cheap and easy to get tix), go to the occasional Jays/Raps games, and seem to have acquired a love of soccer, and go to most TFC games.
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How so? Fifteen percent is fifteen percent regardless of how much the sales tax is.
Also, if you tip on the post tax amount of the bill then you are tipping them for collecting the gst/hst. I don't tip on tax.
Just take the total bill and add 15-20% (as long as they did their job well) and don't worry about it. This is what I tell myself because I suck at math.
Just take the total bill and add 15-20% (as long as they did their job well) and don't worry about it. This is what I tell myself because I suck at math.
Hahaha, you tip on tax! Get a calculator or stop being so lazy that you can't do the math.
I grew up and lived in Ontario, spent some time in Toronto for work terms when I was in university. I personally dislike Toronto, and actually like Calgary because its not too big perhaps. Vaughn is basically a huge suburb in the north part of Toronto. Personally I enjoyed commuting versus living in the big city, but I also have an affinity for the rural life and water and there is plenty of that. If you are working in downtown Toronto then yeah honestly it would be best to live in the city and keep the commute minimal, if you are working on the fringe of the downtown or in one the big city suburbs (Etobicoke, Vaughn, Missisauga, Brampton etc) then there is nothing wrong with a commute in but it has been awhile and Toronto is always growing too fast so maybe it has gone down the crapper.
My whole family is in Toronto. For what it's worth, I would never take a job in Toronto if I had to drive to it (unless you can live within a few minutes) - otherwise, look for something on the subway line. Knock about 5% off your income when comparing to Calgary due to higher taxes (maybe as much as 7%). Going out to eat is actually quite a bit cheaper, but the PST eats into that. Food in general is cheaper.
My whole family is in Toronto. For what it's worth, I would never take a job in Toronto if I had to drive to it (unless you can live within a few minutes) - otherwise, look for something on the subway line. Knock about 5% off your income when comparing to Calgary due to higher taxes (maybe as much as 7%). Going out to eat is actually quite a bit cheaper, but the PST eats into that. Food in general is cheaper.
Food is a lot cheaper, IMO...especially if you are shopping for a family as opposed to an individual.
If you are up in Vaughn working, I still suggest living downtown. Vaughn is a brutal, boring suburb. My gf had to commute up, and it sucks in winter, but at least you are then able to capitalize on the best stuff that Toronto has to offer. Also have a buddy that does it.
Public transit here is actually very good. Even if it is not that easy for you, I would look into it for those brutal winter days. Also, your commute will be against traffic for most days, so it won't be as bad as vice versa. You can also live in some cool areas that are closer to main access points to help shave off driving time if you need. Toronto gets a bum rap, ... also the ratios (girl-boy) are better than Calgary.
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Toronto is a great city. I can see why some people aren't a fan of it, but I personally love it myself. Ton of energy, highest ratio of restaurants to people, a lot of culture, and you get the NBA, MLB, MLS and a Bills game is only a bus ride away.
Changes I noticed are the PST, the sheer size and speed the city runs at, much more Liberal then Alberta, and there's still sports on at midnight.
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Toronto is an awesome place to live if you like city-life. Far and away better than Calgary for that stuff.
I'd still live downtown if you had to commute to Vaughan. Vaughan is a big suburb. But, that being said, the commute to downtown is still pretty easy from up there. Public transportation is great in the GTA.
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