Cost of Living - Toronto vs Chicago (insurance, quality of life)

[darrensmooth]

Originally Posted by edwardsyzzurphands

This is pretty much exactly how I see it as well. You can make an argument that DC is should be ranked higher than Toronto as well though. The top 7 though is where Toronto should fit on a global scale.

you think that Toronto belongs in the Top 7 cities globally?..that must be a typo

[darrensmooth]

Originally Posted by johnathanc

Thanks. There is an element of subjectivity but most reasonable people will agree with the general buckets. There are valid reasons to put DC above Toronto. But I personally give Toronto a higher ranking because it is more well balanced overall as a city. I can even understand how someone can rank Toronto above Boston and claim 5th in N.America, but since I know Boston well, I understand how it punches well above its weight with its world class institutions and amenitities. I wouldn't expect the Average Joe on the street to understand.

In my opinion Toronto is on the same level as Boston but Boston seemed more charming to me (hard to explain)...not even close to NYC/LA or Chicago

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by darrensmooth

you think that Toronto belongs in the Top 7 cities globally?..that must be a typo

Top 7 in English Speaking North America, if we were to submit a top 7 to compete globally. So definitely not global scale, not even close.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by johnathanc

I agree with you on some level. Being a first city is a huge advantage for Toronto. But the reason I personally can't put Toronto up with Chicago on this basis is because it is a first city in a country of 34m. It is also a city focused on Ontario/Canada with little inflence in any category on a worldwide basis. There are no true global companies or world institutions or unique city structures/landscapes situated in Toronto that I can think of to make it competitives with Chicago, SF or LA in my mind. Doesn't mean it is not a great city to live and I "hate" it but IMO it punches below its weight, especially for being a first city. This should be a competitive advantage to exploit but it hasn't been. Even anyone outside of the GTA (i.e the Rest of Canada) doesn't support the city. I think the city can do so much better although many may disagree with me. Depends on who you are and what your perspectives and values are I guess.

Yeah, I have said many times that Toronto punches below its weight in a few key "metropolis" categories. It's a good and successful city but in some ways its impact is not what you'd expect for a city of 5-6 million in a medium-sized (talking population here), prosperous country.

[darrensmooth]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Yeah, I have said many times that Toronto punches below its weight in a few key "metropolis" categories. It's a good and successful city but in some ways its impact is not what you'd expect for a city of 5-6 million in a medium-sized (talking population here), prosperous country.

I would agree, there is no real 'Toronto is on my bucket list of places to go' for tourists on the other side of the world (to immigrate too perhaps but just visit?..hardly)...where as Rome/Paris/NYC/London are on many people's to do list and people tend to be somewhat familiar with the cities and what to see and do even having never been there (Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, Colliesuem etc). What exactly is there to do/see in Toronto that is unique? The CN Tower??...to me this is one of the reasons why Toronto is not a world class city, nothing unique about the place in an international context IMO

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by darrensmooth

In my opinion Toronto is on the same level as Boston but Boston seemed more charming to me (hard to explain)...

Boston has a much more unique feel and personality. Of course, it's also a lot older than Toronto but that's not the only factor in this.

[callmemaybe]

Thing is, cheap goods isn't everything. If that was the case, I'd wanna live in Texas instead of Oregon, or hell why not just move to Vietnam.

America is cheaper than Canada but you get what you pay for frankly.

[travis3000]

GDP isn't the the only measure for a good city. America excels in all things business, if that's the case then all the worlds best cities are all in the US. There are many other factors which make up a great city. I just spent the last 6 days in NYC, of course it's not even close to Toronto. NYC has dozens of landmarks which people from all around the world flock to visit. The streets are jam packed 24/7, it's a huge business city, beautiful landmarks and parks, etc. NYC is by far the biggest most world class city in all of North America. I totally agree with that. Toronto is a totally different type of city, it didn't really start growing until the 1960's when Montreal started to mature and wane due to language issues. Toronto is still growing (the GTA is growing about 2% per year in population). I would never compare Toronto to NYC or even LA, London, Paris, Rome, etc. Toronto is still Canada's largest city by a long shot and has the most opportunity in the business sector.

Chicago has more big buildings and big business compared to Toronto so if your comparing cities on GDP only then Chicago wins hands down. Toronto however is safer (10 times safer if you look at recent years murder rates for both cities), is more diverse in terms of languages spoken everyday, and does have a lot to offer. When I was in NYC, and told people I was from Toronto the response was always positive. People said they loved Toronto and that it was a great city. Coincidentally however, more people I ran into were familiar with Montreal and Quebec City and visited those areas more than Toronto. It's probably due to Quebec being closer to the NYC area. That's my guess anyway.

[botticelli]

Originally Posted by travis3000

When I was in NYC, and told people I was from Toronto the response was always positive. People said they loved Toronto and that it was a great city.

They would say the same thing if you were from Edmonton, or Halifax. When was the last time when someone told you where he was from, and you said "crap, that city sucks"? I would think no more than 5% of NYers have ever been to Toronto.

many NYers went to Montreal not exactly because it is closer, but because Montreal is different. What's in Toronto you can't find something similar or better in New York City? probably nothing.

[botticelli]

Originally Posted by darrensmooth

I would agree, there is no real 'Toronto is on my bucket list of places to go' for tourists on the other side of the world (to immigrate too perhaps but just visit?..hardly)...where as Rome/Paris/NYC/London are on many people's to do list and people tend to be somewhat familiar with the cities and what to see and do even having never been there (Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, Colliesuem etc). What exactly is there to do/see in Toronto that is unique? The CN Tower??...to me this is one of the reasons why Toronto is not a world class city, nothing unique about the place in an international context IMO

Agree.

I did a survey to world forum asking people from other continents to select the cities you want to visit among 12 US/Canadian cities. Two put Toronto at 12, one at 11, and one at 6. Another person provided a longer list and put it at 19. Others didn't chose Toronto at all, just some other cities, especially south American cities.

No, when it comes to travel, Toronto is nowhere near being one of must-see cities in US/Canada, not to mention in the world.

Life is Toronto is comfortable with a good balance. But let's face the reality, it is pretty boring as a tourist city. It is NOT an attractive city with either stunning nature or rich culture/architecture to see. Only those who think Chinatown or Kensington Market are a big deal may find it interesting.