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Old 10-05-2016, 09:36 PM
 
6 posts, read 7,390 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smihaila View Post
It's all good then. Decide on a region with your climate of preference (dry vs humid, longer and harsher winters vs. longer but possibly more arid summers) and thoroughly evaluate the cost of living (i.e I did an evaluation on California or NY and I didn't feel like my savings rate will be positive) - and you are all set.

The only thing I personally dislike here is the Oh Bummer health care (what care???) - a hidden form of communism based on which middle class has to fork tons of money for the poor. I am self-insuring now - the employer's "health care plan" ("high-deductible") is absolute CRAP. One has to pay a ton of money and getting nothing in exchange. Thanks but no thanks.

But again, you seem to dislike the healthcare topic. Oh well, what's left to talk about then? Perhaps we should close this thread.

I feel that you may be interested in something else - how the general sense is here (I feel like you also try testing the waters 'cause you are scared). Have you ever relocated to other provinces, cities in Canada, or have you even lived overseas for at least a year? Also, how attached are you to a "place"? Do you have many aca-nadian relatives, friends? Any wooden barrack "bought" also in your name, maybe? All those "things" will make your leave harder...

What I can tell you from my personal experience is this - many things that are being said about America are simply untrue:

- Public school system is on par (if not BETTER in some regions!) with aca-nada.
- Lots of secure neighborhoods.
- Contrary to what many like to believe, one can purchase and carry a gun legally also in Canada.
- U.S IS MORE DIVERSE. 10x times the population of Canada. Population also less aging.
- More businesses competing, to the benefit of lower prices and more choices to the consumer.
- Super Internet speeds and fairly priced.
- US Postal service is 10 times better than in aca-nada. Did I mention USPS workers working on Saturdays? Oh, God forbid to see that ever happening in aca-nada with the lazy unionized bastards.
- Financial system is the best. Banksters are way more crafty with the money. International money transfers and other financial services == Clockwork man! This is not U.S.A. for nothing!
- LESS COMMUNISM/ Socialism. Aca-nada (based on my personal experience, take this from someone who has lived under communism in Eastern Europe for 20 years) has a very subtle, hidden form of communism: almost everybody gets the same wage, no matter how hardworking or dedicated is s/he in his/her job. Don't even get me started with the aca-nadian bus drivers with 5+ years of experience, getting the same wage as a ... senior software engineer? Believe it or not, it is true, sadly...
- More geographic and climate diversity (many parallels to chose from).
- WARMER PEOPLE in the heart and soul. No stick-in-the-ass cold people.
- Easier to get a driver's license here. Not the two-tier G1/G2 Canadian STUPIDITY (a way for Canadian motor vehicle offices to grab for more money and keep population more domesticated).
- Insurance companies ask for waaaaay less money than the Canadian "Insurance" M-A-F-I-A!
- Alcohol is less restricted. It felt like being in some sort of religious bigotry / hypocrisy over there in Canada (both Montreal and Toronto areas). US prices are also less than half of Canadian ones.
- Gas prices are more reasonable (but we do understand that this happens for global political reasons).

On the negative side, food is crappier, well if compared to Montreal/QC. If compared to Ontario ("United States of Ontario"), it is on par. Also the imperial unit system is annoying me (since I have an European background).

If there are more particular topics you're interested in, please bring them in and I'll try to help.

BUT...if you happen to be someone who's just trying to do some master thesis or gather stats on people, for free, I will get very angry (I've sensed things like that happening a lot on other forums such as RedFlagDeals, which is now kind of commercialized, being bought by Yellow Pages Group - and some "people" paying YPG to just have access to "user polls and opinions" for their newspaper editorials or God-knows-what master theses).
Thanks for your reply! I have heard that CA and NY can be quite expensive. If a move were ever possible, given a choice, we’d probably try to avoid those areas due to the cost of living (but can’t be too picky when immigrating).

For weather, a warmer and slightly wetter climate would be nice for sure. Generally I don’t mind winter but the five months we get Calgary (at least by most people’s standards) do tend to drag on longer than I like. Almost anywhere in the lower 48 is likely to be warmer than Calgary. Even Lethbridge, being further south in Alberta, is on average 2 degrees C warmer than Calgary (at least according to Wikipedia).

I’m definitely not scared of a moving as I moved a very long distance to come to Calgary and had no friends or family when arriving.

I think the points you provided are great. Living in Canada the media sometimes portrays the US in a negative way (i.e. –a portrayal of the US as being overridden with gun violence with failing a school system). It’s great to hear from someone who lives there that this is not the case. I’ve also heard that overall prices are lower in the US, to which you have provided some backup.

Lol, just so you know I’m definitely not a student doing any type of thesis.
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Old 10-05-2016, 09:51 PM
 
6 posts, read 7,390 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToyYot View Post
I agree, more info needed.
Fair enough – I do have one specific ask. In Canada the impression is given that Americans don't take much (or any) vacation. Is it generally true that Americans tend to take very little vacation?

Also, I’ve anecdotally heard that US companies seem to be better on average at rewarding their best performers. Is there any truth to this or is it more company specific?
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Old 10-05-2016, 10:31 PM
 
6 posts, read 7,390 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyyc View Post
I understand you want knowledge of the "feel" of moving, but I'm really struggling.


The US is an incredibly large and diverse country. You can quite literally have nearly any experience you want to have for living. Desert, mountains, coast, gulf coast, huge metropolises, or tiny rural towns. Secondly, how you feel about these things is deeply personal. If it's what you want, and what you wanted to pursue, it can be satisfying on a level you didn't have. If it doesn't meet the picture in your mind's eye, it can be equally disappointing.


However... All of these things are moot until you have an actual tangible opportunity. You haven't expressed any desire about what you and your spouse actually want, or are looking for.
Lol, I guess I’m just used to Canada where the choices are either dry and cold or wet and cold. It would be nice to live somewhere even a little warmer which, given Calgary’s relative position in the north, is likely in most of the lower 48. I can definitively say however that we would not move to Alaska. If I had a choice it would probably be the North East US, given the four relatively balanced seasons the region is reputed to get. I've heard the NW is somewhat more expensive overall and somewhat crowded. Is this true?

At this point any move would be work related so that my wife could start her career where there is opportunity for work experience and growth. Hence we could not be too picky given how difficult it can be to get work visas. Are some parts of the country better for getting ones foot in the door? Her education is in statistical analysis, if that helps.

Some of the other posters hit the nail on the head for some of the “feel” portion of what I am looking for. In Canada we tend to get a version of the US that may not be entirely true. For example, there seems to be a general thought in Canada that Americans are somewhat rude. However, in my experience they just seem more open and honest, or alternatively less reserved, than Canadians in general. Do you feel this is correct? Also, most of what I‘ve read seems to suggest that real estate is less expensive on average in the US as compared to Canada (excluding of course very high cost areas such as NY City, or San Francisco). Is this correct or does the cost of living just tend to even things out?
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Old 10-06-2016, 12:59 AM
 
567 posts, read 1,461,977 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YYC_Accountant View Post
Fair enough – I do have one specific ask. In Canada the impression is given that Americans don't take much (or any) vacation. Is it generally true that Americans tend to take very little vacation?
It's not that the American employees wouldn't take more vacation, it's rather the fact that the employers had established some sort of "trend" in terms of vacation policies. For example, you rarely see a 3-week vacation as the norm here - even senior level positions tend to get only 2 weeks, and only after staying in the place for at least 5 years, the vacation time will progressively increase. This is indeed a negative for U.S. Caused by the fact that there is no official provision for vacation time in any of the labour laws. Kind of egotistical, self-interest of the capitalists, to be honest. And some sort of "work culture" inflicted via mainstream, pushed a bit too much to the extreme I think (but in terms of "work culture" it's kind of the same with Canada - IN FACT - I've noticed the Canadian employers being more picky - scarce with the compensation but in the same time demanding the pie in the sky from you. In US it's not the same. Laxer work environment, but not meaning to say that it's not fast-paced - it's just normal, as it should be!).

Quote:
Originally Posted by YYC_Accountant View Post
Also, I’ve anecdotally heard that US companies seem to be better on average at rewarding their best performers. Is there any truth to this or is it more company specific?
I guess it is more company, or sector specific. Or even region specific. But in general, my sense (and personal experience), having high-level / tertiary education degrees here creates a better edge than in Canada. In Canada, we get to see highly-skilled PhD folks driving taxi cabs, or as mentioned earlier - bus drivers or teachers almost on the same pay grade as scientists, software / STEM engineers etc. So, less SOCIALISM.

Canada has 2 big positive edges - single-payer healthcare system and more social programs (child tax benefits etc).

Last edited by smihaila; 10-06-2016 at 01:18 AM..
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Old 10-06-2016, 01:14 AM
 
567 posts, read 1,461,977 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YYC_Accountant View Post
At this point any move would be work related so that my wife could start her career where there is opportunity for work experience and growth. Hence we could not be too picky given how difficult it can be to get work visas. Are some parts of the country better for getting ones foot in the door? Her education is in statistical analysis, if that helps.
Quantitative financial analyst pays very well - especially on the East Coast - so I heard (Bloomberg LP, Susquehanna etc).

Quote:
Originally Posted by YYC_Accountant View Post
Some of the other posters hit the nail on the head for some of the “feel” portion of what I am looking for. In Canada we tend to get a version of the US that may not be entirely true. For example, there seems to be a general thought in Canada that Americans are somewhat rude. However, in my experience they just seem more open and honest, or alternatively less reserved, than Canadians in general. Do you feel this is correct?
I think your opinion about the US people is correct, in general. It is my experience, too. But it may be greatly influenced by state, city, neighborhood, racial proportion etc.

But let me tell you something very concrete - while I was a homeowner of a wooden barrack back in Canada/Waterloo/ON (and I mean true owner), I never get to experience any of that proverbial Canadian "warm welcome" - no neighbor seemed inviting, pie at the door and stuff :-) On contrary, I expect this to stand true here in US (at least in Colorado / Denver or Boulder area). I don't sense that reserved / "wait a lot of time to see the friend really revealing him/herself" attitude as in Canada. Less facade / hidden sentiments, at least that's what I have experienced.

Quote:
Originally Posted by YYC_Accountant View Post
Also, most of what I‘ve read seems to suggest that real estate is less expensive on average in the US as compared to Canada (excluding of course very high cost areas such as NY City, or San Francisco). Is this correct or does the cost of living just tend to even things out?
There is a guy living in Vancouver and haunting from time to time the RFD forum - financial section - who always insists that - overall - property taxes in Canada are much smaller than in US. I didn't get to see that - at least in Colorado - could be an exception? For properties valued of - say - 400k - 1 million US$, the property tax is quite small ($1,500 - $3,000). Compare that to the 1600 sqft (above-grade) 3-bdrm wooden barrack ("assessed" at 310k CAD$) in Waterloo, ON, for which the well-oiled city administration and propaganda machine (Waterloo the "smart city" my ass!) was robbing me for $3,000 in taxes!

The hot realestate regions like Califf or NY, who knows, maybe the prop taxes are also skyrocketting.
It's also true that those regions asking much smaller prop taxes may get distressed school districts etc.
Speaking of schools - this is the key issue in US - you see a large dispersion in terms of school quality - even between adjacent streets in a same neighborhoods. But with careful analysis (greatschools.org) and strategic choices in terms of where you decide to relocate to (exact address), you will eventually find some public school district and precise school above average (even higher than the Canadian average).

Last edited by smihaila; 10-06-2016 at 01:24 AM..
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Old 10-06-2016, 07:42 AM
 
1,726 posts, read 5,840,813 times
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Living in states like New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California, Massachusetts, etc. the property taxes are so high and health insurance costs so high that any savings you might get from lower retail prices is going to be hugely counterbalanced. An average older single family home about 1800 square feet that sells for 200k, pays about $8000 per year in NJ. Health insurance can run over $1000 per month. If you go to a low cost of living state, you may come out ahead. The cost of health care is the biggest problem in the U.S. - even if insured you have to pay deductibles and co-pays. For a serious condition it could very quickly balloon into a major unaffordable expense. Why do you think there are so many foreclosures in the U.S.? It's not just because people aren't paying their mortgage bills.
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Old 10-06-2016, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Woodfield
2,086 posts, read 4,103,597 times
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People are the same everywhere, so take that advice with a grain of salt. As for the other points, they can be true or wildly inaccurate depending on the state and city, and what part of that city you will be living in.

Case in point, our taxes on a $600k (assessed) house are $12k per year. Good schools are, for the most part, defined by race. HISD, the biggest school district here, is horrendous at almost every school and level. West U (think Altadore) is arguably the best zoning in HISD and I suspect you can't afford it.

And yes, health care is a problem. After the corporate contribution, we will spend $700 per month on health insurance for a family of four with a $3000 deductible and a $7000 out of pocket max. Additionally, we contribute $560 per month to a health savings account for uninsured qualifying costs. Most of the time we hit the out of pocket max and eat up the HSA account.

You need to research this a bit more !
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Old 10-06-2016, 09:38 AM
 
Location: Hougary, Texberta
9,019 posts, read 14,202,563 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToyYot View Post
People are the same everywhere, so take that advice with a grain of salt. As for the other points, they can be true or wildly inaccurate depending on the state and city, and what part of that city you will be living in.

Case in point, our taxes on a $600k (assessed) house are $12k per year. Good schools are, for the most part, defined by race. HISD, the biggest school district here, is horrendous at almost every school and level. West U (think Altadore) is arguably the best zoning in HISD and I suspect you can't afford it.

And yes, health care is a problem. After the corporate contribution, we will spend $700 per month on health insurance for a family of four with a $3000 deductible and a $7000 out of pocket max. Additionally, we contribute $560 per month to a health savings account for uninsured qualifying costs. Most of the time we hit the out of pocket max and eat up the HSA account.

You need to research this a bit more !
...but zero percent State income tax. That difference in tax burden more than makes up for the extra out of pocket costs.


Also interest on your mortgage is tax deductible. Sales tax, as TX has no income tax, is tax deductible off of your Federal taxes. All those health care costs, they're tax deductible too.


We won't get into the staggeringly low cost of real estate, or that fuel, vehicles, food and clothing is anywhere between 20 and 50% less than Canada as well.
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Old 10-06-2016, 10:23 AM
 
Location: Woodfield
2,086 posts, read 4,103,597 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyyc View Post
We won't get into the staggeringly low cost of real estate, or that fuel, vehicles, food and clothing is anywhere between 20 and 50% less than Canada as well.
Exaggerating a bit here. I wasn't shocked grocery shopping in Calgary last week. Went to the Chinook Centre, prices are higher but not shockingly so. It really depends on the item. Of course, in US dollars its a bargain right now! I bought a few things to bring back.

I find real estate in Calgary better as one can buy location and schools without breaking the bank. Of course, if you want a 4500 sqft McMansion then plunk your $350k down in Fulshear and yes, I guess you could call that a bargain but who really wants to live there ?
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Old 10-06-2016, 01:39 PM
 
Location: Hougary, Texberta
9,019 posts, read 14,202,563 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToyYot View Post
Exaggerating a bit here. I wasn't shocked grocery shopping in Calgary last week. Went to the Chinook Centre, prices are higher but not shockingly so. It really depends on the item. Of course, in US dollars its a bargain right now! I bought a few things to bring back.

I find real estate in Calgary better as one can buy location and schools without breaking the bank. Of course, if you want a 4500 sqft McMansion then plunk your $350k down in Fulshear and yes, I guess you could call that a bargain but who really wants to live there ?
It's fall. Produce is in and it's still overpriced. Go back in February and take a look.


https://www.safeway.ca/flyer


https://www.heb.com/category/weekly-ad-deals/110


We can do this all day, but in a nutshell, it is significantly cheaper day to day to live in the US.
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