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One correction: Housing in St Catharines is 1/3 less than Hamilton... not 1/3 of the cost of Hamilton. Meaning a House that costs 300k in Hamilton would go for 200k in St Catharines. Just a rough idea.
As far as concerts, theatre, high-end restaurants, nightlife, comedy clubs, ethnic markets, etc. go, Toronto has the largest concentration of that stuff in region and probably in Canada. However Burlington is still quite a hike to Toronto and I wouldn't live any further east than Burlington if working in Hamilton anyway. Oakville is insanely expensive (700k gets you a townhouse).
I'll explain the Canadian shopping situation. Canadian stores have low selection and higher prices for almost everything. I can only think of a few things that are actually cheaper in Canada (bottled water, potatoes, onions, and certain fruits that can be imported from china but the U.S. does not allow come to mind). Beef is about the same price. Most things are at least slightly more expensive. Chicken is 2 or 3 times the price. About $4 or $5 a pound for boneless skinless chicken breast. A rotisserie chicken in a store is about $8 which would be $4 or $5 in the U.S. A dozen eggs is $3.50, in the U.S. it's $1.50. A gallon of milk is $4 to $5 vs. $2 in Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY. If you have a large family, a weekly or bi-weekly shopping trip to the U.S. will save you thousands of dollars a year.
The other issue is some products just aren't available in Canada or the Canadian versions aren't as good. Ice cream sold in Canada is awful and very expensive. We never buy it. They sell Haagen Dazs but it's anywhere from $5 to $7 a pint, so we buy that in the U.S. where it's $3 or we buy Perry's Ice Cream at Wegmans. Corn tortillas are impossible to find in Canada and the flour tortillas that we've bought have been very subpar. Also, my wife loves Fage greek yogurt and the Liberte brand in Canada isn't quite as good (though it is better than Chobhani or any of the other U.S. brands), so we stock up on Fage Yogurt in the U.S. Certain things we only buy in Canada, like the really good rye bread or the plain yogurt (several brands superior to U.S. plain yogurt). Also, produce is generally cheaper and a wider selection is available at Freshco.
The situation is worse when it comes to things like clothes shopping. Just go to Winners, the Canadian version of TJ Maxx and compare it to TJ Maxx. Way more expensive and dismal selection. Now I'm not a shop-a-holic by any means but I am a frugal shopper and I do shop around. From the looks of it, there's plenty of other Ontarians with the same idea as the shopping centers in Buffalo suburbs and Niagara Falls are full of Ontario license plates especially on the weekends. Lots of people come down from the GTA.
Ancaster is beautiful - one of my favourite areas in Ontario no question.
Generally anywhere in Hamilton west of downtown is more desirable. Westdale, Dundas, Ancaster etc are all great areas. Stoney Creek is ok.
Might want to look at Burlington as well. It may be a bit more expensive, but it's easier access to the amenities in the GTA, and Halton Region is among the safest communities in Canada with an excellent school district.
Are Ancaster and Dundas significantly cheaper than Burlington?
Burlington absolutely is the best choice for living near Hamilton, but putting you closer to all the shopping and amenities of the GTA and Mississauga. Burlington is an upper middle class area while Hamilton is more working class (outside of the "nicer" parts like Ancaster and Dundas).
Stoney Creek would be cheaper than Ancaster, Dundas, or Burlington but not nearly as nice. It's okay there but the few times I've passed through it just felt like very soulless suburban sprawl. It's not a bad location to be in. Burlington has a nice downtown area and a very nice lakefront. Stoney Creek's not nearly as nice, but costs maybe 1/2 the price for a house.
Dundas is quaint but I don't think I'd live there. It has a very cute downtown strip with lots of restaurants, but I think it'd be a pain to get in and out of Dundas everyday to get to the 403 and shopping areas. The cost is high too, might as well just live in Burlington which is more convenient to the highway and amenities.
Personally, I think you should look in West Mountain areas first. Keep the commute minimal. West Mountain is very suburban but has some very nice areas.
Now, another option would be to live in the opposite direction... Niagara region. Grimsby would be another good choice. A bit more affordable (not that much cheaper) and a bit more rural, but only 20 minutes to Hamilton. Now St Catharines would be a 35 mile commute (traffic isn't too bad between the two cities) but will really stretch the dollar. 500k will buy you a really, really nice house in an excellent neighbourhood. Housing in St Catharines costs 1/3 what it does in Hamilton for comparable neighborhoods. You'd also be close enough to the U.S. border to do most of your shopping in the U.S. For an American, honestly, Canadian stores just don't cut it. Poor selection and high prices is the norm. Living nearer the border has its perks, and there's plenty to do in Niagara Falls and Buffalo too.
A key consideration would be if both husband and wife will be working. There's more jobs in Hamilton and even more closer to Toronto. To keep employment options open, live closer to Toronto and avoid Niagara region which has a poor job market (that's why the housing is so much cheaper). If you're a stay-at-home mom household then you can really live like a king by living in Niagara region where housing is way cheaper, doing most of your weekly shopping in the U.S. (no joke, you will save hundreds each month by doing this), and just commuting 30 or 40 miles to Hamilton. You could live in a luxury home instead of a regular bungalow, and take a much nicer vacation every year to boot. The same house that sells for $300k in St. Catharines is $500k in West Mountain and $700k in Burlington... no joke.
This is going to sound stupid, but if you shop in the U.S. and cross the border all the time, don't you need to pay duty on what you bought, because there is a certain amount you are allowed but it varies by time you are "out of Canada". Niagara is a smallish border crossing isn't it? If you go for a 2 hour shopping trips frequently wouldn't the border people catch on?
Oakville is insanely expensive (700k gets you a townhouse).
Great post otherwise, but this point needs to be clarified.
The myth of Oakville being expensive and out of reach is simply not true. Prices generally get higher as you get closer to the lakefront neighbourhoods, but this is a city with over 180,000 and offers a very diverse choice of housing for every budget.
I live in a 2 year old, 1600 sq/ft townhouse in NW Oakville valued at roughly $420,000. Detached homes in our neigbourhood start at roughly $650,000. Yes, it's not as cheap as Burlington, or the Hamilton suburbs - but for s GTA suburb it's actually very reasonable. In fact, homes in our neighbourhood are cheaper than the comparable home in Mississauga or the prime York Region suburbs like Markham, Vaughan or Richmond Hill. Oddly enough, it's also shorter distance in terms of time to get to prime GTA landmarks like the Airport or Downtown Toronto.
I can't say enough good things about Oakville - and certainly it should be considered if you're willing to pay a little bit more for a prime school district and more upscale amenities. FYI I used to commute to Hamilton Mountain area and it was only 28 minutes. Also, it is a very popular community for American ex-pats, so you may meet other people in your shoes.
Very thorough responses. But perhaps you can tell me where I can get something decent (condo - opposed to a detached single family home) for about or under 300K. Oakville sounds like it's out of my league for now. And as far as American ex-pats are concerned...it's not important to us where they live. We won't go specially looking for them.
I appreciate all the information you've given... like I said earlier, we'll snoop around the territory between Grimsby and Burlington, when we have another chance to come up.
Oh, and the US doesn't have Coffee Crisp!
I'm not sure, but I think 300K actually might get you a decent condo in Burlington, if not Oakville. Beware of very high condo fees. Burlington and Oakville are both Halton Region and have the same school district. Also, the closer you get to the GTA the more inflated the house values are and I would be careful about buying right now. We may be in a housing bubble in the GTA. Hamilton is probably safer, as values didn't skyrocket as much. This is not the case in Niagara where prices never appreciated rapidly, just a slow steady yearly appreciation.
ellement, you had two questions.
1) I think Ancaster and Dundas cost about the same as Burlington. If it's cheaper, it's not by much, from what I saw when I was looking around.
2) There are four bridges in Niagara Region and it's the main border crossing on the route from Toronto to Buffalo. These are very busy border crossings. A NEXUS pass is highly recommended especially in the summer months. I cross daily for work. There is an $800 exemption from tax and duties if you're gone from Canada for at least 48 hours. Otherwise, items made in the U.S., Canada or Mexico are not subject to duty, but they are subject to tax. Items made overseas like in China are subject to taxes and duties. Duties are usually small, just a few percent of the cost.
If you crossed over and bought a $500 television, they would tax you 13% and possibly charge some duties. If you buy under $100 worth of stuff, I have NEVER been taxed. I've even been pulled aside to "verify my declaration" once and I had $70 worth of stuff (that I declared) and they didn't bother to tax it. Groceries of course are non-taxable so you can buy as much as you want. I've had $300 of groceries before and it's never a problem. There are some limits on the number of gallons of milk you can bring back, I think you're only allowed one turkey per person, etc. but the limits are pretty high and they never even ask about that stuff.
For things like clothes, of course, a lot of people wear the new clothes back and don't declare it, but if you get caught you could be in a lot of trouble. You'd still come out ahead even paying the 13% tax since Erie County only charges 4.75% tax and the clothing prices are way lower. If I were buying a new TV or something else expensive, I'd wait until I was gone for at least 48 hours on a trip before I brought it back to Canada with me, so I could use the exemption. Otherwise, if I'm just buying a new pair of sneakers, or some household items, or whatever, they never tax that. I don't buy expensive things too frequently as I'm not rich, and what little I do buy, I comparison shop on and try to find the best deal, which is usually on the U.S. side. They're not going to bother taxing me on a $30 coffee maker or a $60 submersible utility pump. They go for the carloads of GTA residents who just came back from the Walden Galleria and bought $800 worth of clothes and cosmetics.
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