leaving canada us

Toronto resident 'giving up on Canada' for U.S. sparks heated conversation

A 27-year-old who told Reddit he was going to move from Canada to the US resonated with folks on that social media platform, leading to thousands of comments in response and support.

Redditor MA96 told Reddit they were born in the US but moved to Toronto when they were four years old, spending most of their life in the GTA.

MA96 said he "cannot deal with living in this environment anymore," reflecting attitudes many Canadians feel today.

"It seems as though everything keeps increasing except wages. Buying a home is out of the question; moving out of my parent's house is out of the question."

One Redditor quipped, "Good luck!"

Adding, "I am working on escaping the new feudal kingdom of Canada as I'm running out of time to start a family and have a life."

"Bro is living the Canadian dream," another user said.

Luckily for MA96, they do have US citizenship. They're also lucky to have family in the States that they can live with, but overall, the cost of living between Canada and the US is almost incomparable.

Many expressed jealousy.

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byu/MA96 from discussion
inCanadaHousing2

We've also reported on a record number of Canadians travelling to Mexico, and some of the reasons include the cost of living.

One user sadly reflected, "It's sad to see what Canada has become."

Others were a little more daring in their reflection, with one user saying, "This country is f**ked," after revealing that he is buying a home in Colombia for C$140,000.

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byu/MA96 from discussion
inCanadaHousing2

Cost of living comparison

How much cheaper is it actually to live in the US than in Canada?

Many of these stats vary depending on which platform you're looking at, and when looking at the housing prices below, there are varying factors like property type.

Looking strictly at home prices, as of November 2023, bankrate.com says that according to the National Association of Realtors, the median home price in the US was US$387,600.

In comparison, let's look at Toronto, where the 27-year-old Redditor is from.

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), "the median sale price for single detached homes edged up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis to C$1,225,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023."

Zillow says the average home value in Maryland, where the Redditor plans to move, is US$400,707 (C$539,411.73).

On a national level, rent prices in the US will have you choking on your coffee.

Forbes says the national average rent in the US as of August 2023 was US$1,372 (C$1,846.92).

Rentals.ca says that as of December 2023, the average rent for all residential property types across Canada was C$2,178.

What about wages?

Forbes said last year that the average salary across the US was US$59,428 (C$79,999).

According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, for people in the Redditor's age group, 25 to 34, the average income is $53,500.

The one area where Canada has an advantage, of course, is the cost of healthcare.

Would any of these stats lead you to ponder a move to the US from Canada?

Lead photo by

Alex Meoko


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