Toronto - Worth the move?

[Porky]

I don't live in Toronto, but have lived in Canada for 54 years, I cannot believe the cost of living in the UK, so that is probably one of the bigest pluses for the move. With regards to crime while I have no facts at hand, I would bet it is no worse than Brighton, if not better. At least there are no gangs of yobs terrorizing neighbohoods, and then being given that stupid ASBO as practiced in the UK.
It used to amuse me when a guy would say to me,"I miss the pubs" If pubs are your be all and end all, don't move too far from the town centre of Brighton, or whereever you live.

 

[B.M.F]

I love driving up to Toronto from my little town in the US. The area around Toronto is great and the city is so much nicer than London. Yes, Historically London is a beautiful place but I love the vibe in Toronto. Apart from the vibe in Sydney I can not see it being beaten as a cool place to live. Yes our winters are really bad but like mentioned the summers are usually better than England and when you get used to the snow it is actually great fun shooting around on snowmobiles etc.
I would say go for it as you have nothing to lose.

 

[Vankleek Hill Seagull]

I suppose I ought to add my $0.02 worth.

I’ve been living in Toronto for four years, and love the place. It’s a richly diverse, multi-cultural cosmopolitan city. Areas include Chinatown, Little Italy, Little India, Portuguese quarter, Greek area on the Danforth, etc as well as other places to venture to within Toronto and even more within Ontario and beyond. I won’t be coming back to the UK as Canadian citizenship beckons early next year (I’ll still have my UK passport as Canada allows dual-citizenship).

Cost of living will depend on where you live and work. Living downtown is more expensive than the rest of Toronto, but with a fairly decent public transport system the convenience outweighs the cost (at least for me as I walk to work). There are plenty of supermarkets and stores to buy food and clothes and they’re reasonably priced, but savings can be made by going to various markets and buying fresh meat and produce. Overall though the cost of living is cheaper than the UK and your Canadian dollar does go further than the pound.

I don’t have a car but if you do get one, beware car insurance. Even if you transfer your UK driving licence for an Ontario one (which if I remember is mandatory within 60 days of arriving in Canada), the insurance companies treat you as a new driver. Driving on the wrong side of the road is easy once you get used to it.

If you do decide to come over, you’ll need to build up a credit rating which will probably mean getting a secured credit card where you have to deposit an amount (normally 125% of the card limit) in a savings / investment account that you can’t touch until the credit card company allow you. However should you bank with HSBC, I understand that you may be able to transfer credit limits, cards, etc without any problems.

Three weeks holiday is a pain (I came over with five as part of the transfer package), but I found that the Canadian work ethic is quite relaxed and you’re not working your arse off all the time. People are a lot more sociable and quite willing to go and have a beer or two after work. There is a british expat meetup group every month in case you feel the need to keep the accent in shape.

There are plenty of bars, pubs, patios, restaurants and other entertainment sources to keep you occupied. Canadian beer is way better than the piss weak stuff they produce south of the border. Some of the micro-brewery produced stuff is really good and it’s competitively priced.

Genuine Heinz Baked Beans (UK style) are expensive when you can find them, but much better than the local versions with maple syrup.

Toronto weather is a discussion point that people like to talk about. Toronto has four seasons, but spring and fall(autumn) only seem to last 3-4 weeks whereas winter and summer last approx. five months each. Winters can be bloody cold but not like UK winters. It’ll be freezing, but the sky will be clear and the sun will be shining instead of being damp and miserable. Personally I like the Toronto winters and enjoy the cold weather. As a previous poster mentioned you just get out and do winter activities. Summers can be hot and humid, although the last couple of summers have been quite a bit wetter than normal.

Should you want to get out further, then Montreal is a five hours away by train, city centre to city centre. Much better than flying and hanging around in airports. Quebec City is definitely worth visiting if your into olde worlde and want some history. New York is an hour and a half away from the Toronto city airport if you want to get away for a weekend. Algonquin park and cottage country north of Toronto is very popular as a holiday destination. Blue mountains and Mont Tremblant are good skiing and snowboarding areas in the Winter. The Niagara region is not only famous for the falls, but it has an excellent wine region which is worth visiting.

Here are some websites that might provide you with some more info about Toronto.

Canada : British Expat Discussion Forum
toronto.com - Toronto Restaurants, Events, Hotels, Attractions, Shopping, Movies, Bars, Clubs, Nightlife, City Guides
Toronto, ON Meetup Groups - Meetup.com