The Canada Thread • Page 4

I loved Calgary. Didn't care for Edmonton lol.

 

Never been to Calgary, but my parents met there. My dad swears on it.

 

Hamilton is like Hiroshima if Hiroshima got hit with both bombs instead of just the one. You should pass.

 

LOL that was great

 

Most of my family members consider Toronto to be akin to East Berlin so I don't know what to do with all this hyperbole. I just want out of Berta and don't want to spend too much. Hiroshima doesn't have waterfalls.

 

My city (winnipeg) is probably worst than hamilton

 

If you're set on Ontario, you're better placing yourself in Toronto centre or Ottawa. Personally wouldn't recommend anywhere else I've lived/visited here, unless you want to be away from big city life.

 

It's less a matter of wanting to be away from big city life and more 'Jesus Christ big city life is so expensive and i don't have the necessary qualifications to find a decent enough job God rent is so expensive'. I'm just trying to find some sort of middle ground.

 

Yeah, fair enough. If you're single, city rent is expensive. Most apartments are at least a grand a month. Not so bad to split with someone, but if it's not a significant other you're kinda screwed cause they are mostly 1 bedroom. I grew up in Oshawa/Courtice/Bowmanville area which doesn't have much to offer other than being cheaper than the city and easily accessible by train.

 

it all depends on what you can afford. Toronto is considered expensive. But my 1bedroom in seattle cost me 1900usd, in canadian dollars that would be almost 2500cad. That would get you a pretty proper 2bed apt in the Entertainment district, or yonge/bloor. If i was early 20s id just get a roommate and live in the city.

 

the city does have cheaper pockets. Yonge/Eglinton would be cheaper than Yonge/Bloor and further south. Cheaper still would be Yonge/Finch. All of which are on the subway line--but that's another expense.

Hamilton is a wasteland like White described in a more polished way. If driving isn't an issue, kitchener is cheaper and not as deserted. Mississauga is also cheaper than toronto proper. I'd look into a roommate.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep this post in mind. I think I'm going to travel east and visit when I get my car and weigh all the options. I might be looking into college so that's another thing to consider.

 

Winnipeg is the most affordable here in Canada. Only downside is you get taxed more. The cost of living makes up for it though.

 

I'm in upper beaches with a tiny basement apartment and pay just under a grand. You can find reasonable on the main transit line, the only bummer is sometimes taking 45 minutes to get into the centre via tram or something. But it's also nice to live so close to the beach and the city.

 

my rent is staggeringly affordable right now. i live with 3 other people in a house though. I've never actually had an apartment, or have to pay over 500 for rent. these numbers are kind of blowing my mind right now haha.

 

I really don't think Hamilton is that bad. Especially if they're looking for something near the city that's affordable. It's definitely not perfect but it's had a lot going on lately. Big shows coming through, decent local culture etc. Would be 100% more fun than Mississauga....

Kitchener/Waterloo are great too though.

 

Consider Montreal. I'm paying $1050 split between two of us, for a 4.5 in pretty much the "hottest" area in town, close to bars, restraunts, and both main metro lines within a 5 minute Walk.

Of course there's the French thing, but if you have any sort of qualification/degree, or if you're a student, you can survive as a unilingual Anglo. my fluency is French is actually a "perk" in my field, because a lot of professionals are straight up anglophone.

I have a pretty heavy bias against Toronto, but Montreal is basically where it's at in Canada for cheap rent in a big city with a lot to do.

 

Montreal rules. Great city.

 

Never been to Montreal, but they say it's even colder than Toronto. I haven't experienced a Canadian winter in over a decade, but I experienced NY winter after living in a warm city for years and almost froze to death. I mean, the air was so cold that my lungs refused to take it in and I almost collapsed and died...I think.

 

Montreal seems to have more of an effortless cool to it, where Toronto is trying really hard. Toronto is more of a melting pot, so it's destined to be all over the place. It's got so much to offer on basically any day of the week. I loved visiting Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, but I'm happy to live in Toronto over any of them for now.

 

I've always been enamoured with the idea of Montreal but I'm an Anglophone with no real skills so I'd have to apply to school to live there which is an option for sure, but due to some shenanigans my transcript is... Poor. God. So many choices.

 

MTL is definitely colder than Toronto, but I mean, whether it's -25 in Toronto or -35 in Montreal, does it really matter? We were lucky and had a very mild winter, but that's definitely a key reason I'd consider moving at one point in the future.

I think that I need to "do" Toronto with a friend. Whenever I go there, I either go to play shows, or visit family, so I only see the main stretches (bloor, queen, etc) and that's a lot of really expensive stuff, or "cool" spots that kinda feel manufactured. I'm sure there's so much to check out in TO.

Also, you should check out the schools here. A few schools accept pretty much anyone, so you might have a shot. But yeah, Ottawa is another city I like. Not sure if it's "Exciting" enough for me, but the downtown core is cool enough, and I like the calm/chill vibe they have going.

Speaking of that, anyone from NS? I've been wanting to go to Halifax for a few years now. Everyone I know who's been talks about how it's one of the best cities in Canada. Only been to Nova Scotia once, and it was a great trip.

 

Hmu next time you're in Toronto because I'm settled now and would totally be down to chill/explore.

 

Definitely will, like I said before, we're trying to get a date booked in TO in august, but other than that, it would be cool to take a personal trip up there at one point soon.

 

Not from but I'm doing my MA in Halifax. It's a neat spot for sure. As an American, the price of alcohol and groceries was a rude awakening, but it's a good quality of life if you're on the peninsula. Right next to the ocean, everywhere is fairly within a reasonable distance, the bus system isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be, and as is well publicized, there's a ton of bars lol. Rent is fucking dirt cheap though compared to what I'm used to in Chicago. I have friends that live just, and I mean "just" outside of the downtown and split a solid 2bedroom for $1000-1100 with basically all utilities included.

Can't believe the prices of alcohol in Calgary though. Median price of a craft beer 6 pack is like $15 at Liquor Depot. Good lord. Didn't think it got more expensive than NS except up North.