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I spend a lot of time in the US and I live right on the border in Niagara Falls Ontario. I'm a very careful shopper and no matter what it is that I buy I'm looking for a bargain. First off I would like to say that right now things are very unexpensive on both sides of the border. For some reason that escapes me, food is definitely less expensive here in On than in the USA, if you are a specials shopper. I find the USA food stores don't have the big sales the Canadian stores do. Clothing is slightly less in the USA but in my opinion people have way too many clothes because of the low price of them. My kids, who are all grown up now have to take big bags of stuff to the thrift store about once a year to make room for the new stuff. When I was growing up in the 50's and 60's when we were finished with our clothing it was ready for the rag bag. Electronics are at an all time low and seem to be getting less all the time. Car insurance is more generally in Canada but RE insurance is less here than in the USA. University education costs are way lower in Canada than the USA. Mortgage and loans are way less here in Canada than the USA. Fuel costs for cars is more in Canada but gas and electric costs for the house are generally less here. Media costs are WAY higher in Canada. All in all except for housing costs I think the 2 countries are fairly even. Now, housing costs??? In the USA heartland RE is way way cheaper than Canada. In the last couple of years I have been in all 48 lower states and since I'm intersted in RE I always read the local RE guide where ever I am. There is no comparison at all. There are entire states where you can get a fairly nice house for $50,000. Someone earlier on in the thread was talking like houses in Saskatchewan are cheap. Well they aren't. My daughter is looking for a house right now in Saskatoon and they are a lot more than here in Niagara. A semi goes for around $250K or so.
Toronto's real estate prices are still most likely cheaper than comperable world class cities in the US but most likely much higher than a small town in the US.
Sorry... Anyone who considers Toronto a "world class city" has never been to one. Toronto is an overpriced dump of a city that is overrun with homeless beggars and devoid of any culture whatsoever (unless you consider the Toronto Maple Leafs your sole reason for existing). Because of my chosen field of employment, I am forced to commute here and absolutely hate it. Torontonians constantly try to compare Toronto to NYC, which is like trying to compare a Rolls Royce to a Lada. Seriously.
Watching "House Hunters" on HGTV with the GF has shown me that housing prices vary dramatically from city to city, region to region and even borough to borough across both Canada and the U.S. Prices really depend on a number of factors specific to each individual location.
Is EVERYTHING likely more expensive in Canada than in the US.
My friends visiting from the US were shocked in finding the price tags on stuff here ranging from grocery to electronics to designer clothes.
Let's not get into healthcare. For one, it is a different system and eventually is paid by my own income tax, for two, it is better only for those who can't afford good insurance (low income/unemployed), so it is hard to compare $ to $ in a general sense.
Housing is not cheaper either if we compare apple to apple. So what's cheaper here, and if not, why?
Funny how nothing has changed even though our dollar is once again worth more than the US buck.
It isn't the lack of competition, in Canada we have fairly high "sin" taxes to discourage the use of non-healthy products like alcohol and tobacco.
I don't fully agree that alcohol is to be considered a non-healthy product. What about red wine etc - it was proven scientifically that in moderate quantities does you good. Not to mention in general, the fact that for men at least, it helps in getting a bit away from the day to day life worries, relieving the stress from the workplace etc. It's almost the only "elixir" allowed and they "regulate it"....I call that communism and bigotry, perhaps even a bit of religion (but interpreted in a bad/fanatical sense). There are some in the center of power in Canada and US - a sort of "intelligentsia" if you want - who tries to make the decisions instead of us, and "they" decided that it's not good to us. And to them I'm saying - *********! Let the market be open and also allow us to buy liquor from grocery stores. Nowadays, we still have prohibition, but in a hidden form. COMMUNISM - but even in the communist Bloc the alcoholic beverages weren't regulated (except for Russia to a certain degree, for spirits).
Do you have any idea what communism is? Regulation of alcohol has nothing to do with communism, which is a system of controlling the inputs and outputs of production. Now if the alcohol were being produced by government employees all making equal wages and were rationed out in finite amounts to individuals with vouchers, perhaps we could argue it is communist.
Not all the goods produced in communist societies were rationed, nor voucher systems were put in place for them. I lived in the communist Bloc, rest assured that I know very well what's it like. What you said about only non-private/Government companies producing goods stands true. Wages were not equal though, there was some merit system/ job category put in place. And people, at home (in the country or the city), were able to produce their own own or even distilling their own spirits. They are continuing nowadays to a certain degree (if the EU directive will still allow them, for how long??) to produce it on their own.
I was expressing myself in a rather more symbolical manner. Let's call it socialism then :-)
I've been away from the agriculture business for several years, but in the 80's, a lot of ag equipment and steel buildings were cheaper in Canada. I don't know if that's still the case. I know herbicides and pesticides were/are cheaper in Canada, but of course it's illegal for US farmers to bring those chemicals across the border (North American free-trade agreement anyone? What free-trade agreement?).
If booze is expensive because the government is trying to prevent people from drinking, this country is more F'd up than I thought. Though I can see it.
Look at that A**hat, Mcguinty. Trying to impose his personal beliefs on citizens by creating an endless string of moronic laws. He's the type of douche that would tax booze to get people to stop drinking.
Sorry... Anyone who considers Toronto a "world class city" has never been to one. Toronto is an overpriced dump of a city that is overrun with homeless beggars and devoid of any culture whatsoever (unless you consider the Toronto Maple Leafs your sole reason for existing). Because of my chosen field of employment, I am forced to commute here and absolutely hate it. Torontonians constantly try to compare Toronto to NYC, which is like trying to compare a Rolls Royce to a Lada. Seriously.
Watching "House Hunters" on HGTV with the GF has shown me that housing prices vary dramatically from city to city, region to region and even borough to borough across both Canada and the U.S. Prices really depend on a number of factors specific to each individual location.
I've been to plenty of "World class cities". I'll take Toronto ahead of most of them including NY city and Chicago.
Personally I prefer non world class cities like Portland and The twin cities.
If booze is expensive because the government is trying to prevent people from drinking, this country is more F'd up than I thought. Though I can see it.
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It's not advertised in these terms nowadays but that was most certainly the original intent. They don't call them "sin taxes" for nothing. And LCBO stands for Liquor CONTROL Board of Ontario, remember.
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