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The job market is abysmal by American standards. A situation that would make a Californian feel like there are no jobs is the run of the mill situation in Quebec. Everything is more expensive in Quebec. Whatever you paid for that car or that computer or (insert goods) it is more there for no good reason. What you consider a rip off is what a Canadian routinely pays for pretty much everything. Im talking about 30%-50% more expensive is to be expected. So that 60k in LA looks alot better when things are 30% cheaper.
Basically all the economic stuff that Americans complain about is worse in Canada, with the exception of particular instances. The standard of living ishands down better in California. Californians (and Americans) easily have more money in their pockets to spend on what they wish. Trust me, Quebec is the 'cheap' part if Canada and I am from one of the most expensive parts of the US and even still Canada felt like ripoff with 3/4 things I was buying.
Montreal used to be a lot cheaper but it seems like the high Canadian dollars evens it out quite a bit. The real estate is still cheap though I think when compared to most major cities in the continents, especially in some of the nicer area in the centre.
^ I prefer Montreal to LA, and I have no "sheer resentment" for LA at all. I just think its culture and vibe are more to my liking. The French presense in Montreal makes it quite unique in North America, and there's a high level of support for the arts for the love of art that gets muddied up in an entertainment capital like LA. And I'm not a fan of year-round heat and sunshine, I prefer seasons. Some of you need to understand that people have different tastes and just because they disagree with you, it doesn't mean they are "pretending" to disagree with you. Montreal is one of my top 5 cities on the continent, numerous friends have settled in Montreal from Wisconsin because they love it so much, gotten married, jobs they like, etc. I loved it on every visit as well.
That's sort of how I feel as well. And I've lived through Candian winters and in mild California weather in my lifetime. I have friends who live in Los Angeles now and a lot of friends who used to live there and moved away and some love it some while others find it's not for them. The economy in Montreal isn't the greatest, but it's not like the LA area hasn't had issues as well--and real estate prices in LA have been skyrocketing lately. I said earlier that the reality of living in Montreal might not be the same as my visits to the city, but at the same time I know that LA wouldn't neccesarily be the place I'd want to move(and I like the City of LA generally).
Though there's always just some people on CityData believe that for an opinion based question--"Which city do you prefer"--bigger is always supposed to be better for everyone.
I love Montreal, but if I am going to be a regular Joe I'd go with LA. If I was wealthier and had my financial situation guaranteed I would live in Montreal over LA.
The weather is quite bad in Montreal. I do prefer the neighbourhoods and centre are of Montreal to Los Angeles. But if I am to live away from the city centre I would probably choose LA as well, to have a big house and big pool, if I have that kind of money
I like Montreal too. A very charming city indeed. I have even thought about moving there. However, there are many concerns
economy is bad in Quebec in general. Jobs are hard to find and salary is low even by Canadian standard. Even in Toronto, an annual income of 100K is considered very high, and Montreal is probably 20% lower than Toronto.
high taxes. Don't know if you would like that on top of lower income. Housing price is low only by Canadian city standards.
Simply can't deal with the winter. Toronto is bearly bearable (similar to Chicago's temperature plus Boston's snow), Montreal is snowy and cold on a whole different level.
It is largely bilingual but without speaking French somewhat fluently, it is still hard. It is like only speaking Spanish in LA.
LA on the other hand, is a pretty all-around city. Except for the huge sprawl and car dependence, there is not much I particularly dislike about it. Plus, transit is rapidly improving. LA actually has a larger subway/LRT system than Montreal.
Does it really? I am guessing that is by route-miles - LA does well with this measurement because its such a huge area with loooong lines (Blue and Gold). Dollars to donuts Montreal's is more heavily-used.
Judging purely by Google Maps transit overlay, it seems like Montreal has some large areas with a lack of rail transit. But maybe they are served with BRT or trams that don't show up on that overlay.
What kind of commuter rail does Montreal have? Los Angeles has a pretty extensive Metrolink commuter rail, though it is not used much mainly due to frequency. The big news is the through-routing is finally coming true - after years of scratching my head when Oycrumbler mentioned this upgrade at Union Station, it is finally happening. Basically now instead of having to back into Union Station and pull back out (leaving trains SD-bound from the Valley and beyong with excruciatingly long waits at Union Station) the trains can just stop at Union Station like a normal station, and apparently some are going to even skip the hub. Next big step will be double-tracking and fully grade separating.
On paper the Canadian middle class is the richest in the world right now. On paper. Housing prices are grossly inflated. This means that a regular home in rural northern Montana is going to be worth much less than an equally rural home across the border in Alberta. The homes can be exactly the same in all their offerings but the owner of the home in Alberta will be 'richer' from their inflated housing prices. Add on to this the fact that everything is much more expensive and your richer Canadian middle class walks away feeling poorer. Canada is sitting on one of the worlds greatest a housing bubbles and wages unfortunately have not kept up with prices.
You do realize the worlds richest middle class designation was based on Median Incomes after tax and has nothing to do with housing right? So it has A LOT more to do with just paper value of rising real estate values. Fact of the matter is the Canadian Middle Class has been gaining on the American Middle Class for over a decade.
While I agree general day to day things are more expensive in Canada but am I hearing you right that they are 50 percent more.. Nonsensical! Where did you shop in Canada - Inuvik? Generally speaking on average Canadians pay about 20 percent more for retail goods than Americans. Does that add up well sure but don't forget Canadians pay less for things like Healthcare, Education and get things like paid maternal/paternal leave for a year etc. In addition to what I said before, we make slightly more than Americans in after tax income for the median middle class earner so the difference is minimal at best on the whole. Plus I can always strategically shop for things across the border easier than you can come up and enjoy cheaper healthcare and education. Right now my Ibuprofen, hair spray, gel, shampoo, body wash and most other household goods were purchased in Buffalo and quite frankly - McD's isn't that much cheaper in the U.S than here anymore....
Last edited by fusion2; 06-06-2014 at 05:39 PM..
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