Why compare cost of living in Canada vs UK? The UK and Canada are both popular destinations for study, work and immigration. But is Canada better than UK? If you want to make a decision, you should compare living cost UK vs Canada. Living expenses determine the quality of your life. Only by keeping living costs within your budget can you enjoy the exoticism better. Generally speaking, cost of living including rent in the US is about 2.2% lower than that in Canada.
Where to live in Canada and the UK?
According to the latest data from Numbeo, Canada is the 12th most expensive country in the world to live in, compared with the UK as the 22nd most expensive country. Of course, the cost of living in Canada varies depending on where you live. Here are the top 10 most expensive cities to live in Canada.
Living cost UK vs Canada: accommodation
When you move to a new country, the first thing you have to deal with is accommodation. The accommodation cost includes many aspects, such as utilities, rental and so on. In general, the cost of living in Canada is higher than that in the UK, but is this also true in terms of accommodation? Details will be introduced below.
Monthly rent
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Rent per month: apartment (1 bedroom) outside of centre | $1,217.76 | $1,110.31 |
| Rent per month: apartment (1 bedroom) in city centre | $1,375.34 | $1,367.63 |
| Rent per month: apartment (3 bedrooms) outside of centre | $1,866.46 | $1,739.06 |
| Rent per month: apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre | $2,207.59 | $2,261.24 |
Buying a house
If you intend to invest or settle down, you might want to buy properties in the place you are living in. So which is more expensive to buy a house in the UK or Canada?
The price of a house in Canada outside the city centre is about the same as the price of a house outside the city centre in the UK, just slightly less than that in the UK. However, houses in Canadian urban centres are significantly more expensive than houses in British urban centres.
Why are Canadian house prices so high? The reasons are varied, the most immediate being that demand for housing exceeds supply. Canada is a famous immigrant country in the world, and many people come to settle there every year. However, Canada’s land use is not very efficient, and the number of houses that can be inhabited is far from enough. That’s why Canadian house prices are so high. Another important reason is taxes. Since 2004, real estate development costs in Canada have increased by 878%. There are also some land transfer taxes. On average, the land transfer tax added an average of $54,000 to the price of a detached home in Toronto.
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Buy partment price: price for square meter to buy apartment outside the centre | $4,838.50 | $4,869.05 |
| Buy partment price: price for square meter to buy apartment in city centre | $7,074.06 | $6,433.92 |
Monthly Utilities
After you rent or buy a house, you still have to pay some expenses to live here. Most of these expenses can be included in utility bills. As can be seen from the table below, the cost of basic utilities is much more expensive in the UK than in Canada. But Internet and mobile phone charges are more expensive in Canada. If you want to save money, consult uhomes.com. We can provide you with a wonderful apartment that will cover utility bills.
There are several reasons why electricity and gas bills are so high in the UK. First of all, affected by the epidemic, energy production capacity has been reduced, resulting in insufficient supply. And Britain has long relied on imports for most of its energy. Under the influence of the international situation, Russia, formerly an important energy supplier, has reduced its energy exports, resulting in a shortage of energy use in the UK and a rise in prices.
Mobile phone and Internet costs in Canada are high, even among developed countries. There are certainly many reasons for this. For example, Canada has a vast territory with a sparse population, and the user density covered by the base station is low.
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Basic for 85m² apartment (electricity, heating, cooling, water, garbage) | $149.57 | $317.93 |
| Internet (60 mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) | $61.47 | $39.44 |
| Mobile phone monthly plan with calls and 10 GB+ data) | $49.70 | $15.92 |
Living cost UK vs Canada: transportation
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| One-way ticket (local transport) | $2.53 | $2.95 |
| Monthly pass (regular price) | $75.77 | $89.92 |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.25 | $3.85 |
| Taxi 1 hour waiting (normal tariff) | $28.17 | $22.35 |
| Taxi 1km (normal tariff) | $1.57 | $1.59 |
| Gasoline (1 litre) | $1.16 | $1.91 |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6L 97kW Comfort (or equivalent new car) | $20,092.51 | $32,556.64 |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4L 90kW Trendline (or equivalent new car) | $24,543.47 | $36,334.98 |
It is easy to see from the table that transportation costs in Canada are generally lower than those in the UK, especially gasoline prices and car-purchase prices.
According to the latest research, Canada’s oil reserves rank 3rd in the world. Canada’s abundant oil reserves have kept the gasoline price well below that of Britain. And Canada’s auto industry chain is more complete, coupled with a number of other factors, which together lead to car prices in Canada being lower than those in the United Kingdom.
Living cost UK vs Canada: food & groceries
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Apples (1kg) | $4.15 | $2.73 |
| Banana (1kg) | $1.42 | $1.48 |
| Beef round (1kg) (or equivalent back leg red meat) | $14.42 | $13.42 |
| Bottle of wine (mid-range) | $13.00 | $10.28 |
| Chicken fillets (1kg) | $12.18 | $8.44 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 litre bottle) | $2.88 | $2.51 |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | $3.44 | $3.77 |
| Imported beer (0.33 litre bottle) | $3.17 | $3.07 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | $2.55 | $1.00 |
| Loaf of fresh white bread (500g) | $2.63 | $1.57 |
| Local cheese (1kg) | $11.33 | $9.07 |
| Milk (regular) (1 litre) | $2.14 | $1.59 |
| Onion (1kg) | $2.62 | $1.37 |
| Oranges (1kg) | $3.80 | $2.73 |
| Potato (1kg) | $2.61 | $1.44 |
| Rice (white) (1kg) | $3.66 | $2.04 |
| Tomato (1kg) | $4.09 | $3.43 |
| Water (1.5 litre bottle) | $1.80 | $1.38 |
Overall, food and grocery prices are comparable in Canada and the UK, with some items slightly more expensive than in the UK, such as lettuce, onion.
Some similarities exist between the food customs of Canada and the UK, so the food and groceries we buy are also very similar.
Although Canada is large and sparsely populated, it has a large area of land with a high latitude and cold climate that is not suitable for growing crops. In Canada, most vegetable production is carried out by small family farms, which means that the production scale is small, expensive and inefficient. Various factors have led to the fact that the price of food and groceries in Canada is not low, and the price is similar to that in the United Kingdom, where the land area is small and the planting capacity is poor.
Living cost UK vs Canada: healthcare
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| healthcare (per capita/year) | $7,507 | $6,464 |
Among 38 countries in the OECD, both Canada and Britain are above the OECD average in terms of healthcare expenditure per capita. And Canadians spend more on healthcare than British people.
In general, a country’s health spending grows at a similar rate to the overall economy, sometimes even faster. However, despite the negative impact of COVID-19 on the economies of both Canada and the UK, people are becoming more health-conscious and spending more on healthcare. As a result, healthcare spending has risen in Canada and Britain in recent years.
Living cost UK vs Canada: education
If you decide to choose a country to settle in, you need to consider what kind of education your children can receive in the future and how much it will cost. Comparing cost of living England vs Canada, education is an item that cannot be ignored. In fact, if you plan to settle here, it is an extremely crucial expense you need to consider.
Childcare
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool (or kindergarten), full day, private, monthly for 1 child | $813.44 | $1623.25 |
| International primary school, yearly for 1 child | $12981.78 | $19015.67 |
The above table clearly shows that the cost of basic education and preschool education in the UK is significantly higher than the cost in Canada.
The British education system is known for its high quality and strict standards, and parents may be willing to pay more to attend private schools in order to get a better education for their children. Although the quality of education in Canada is also high, some parents may think that public education is sufficient, so the additional costs are lower.
In addition, the higher fees charged by British universities for international students may indirectly affect the market for preschool and primary education, as some domestic and foreign families may choose to start investing in their children’s education at an early age.
Moreover, some schools in the UK may offer more specialized courses and facilities, especially in private schools, such as equestrianism, golf and so on. These require additional financial support, which drives up the cost of education.
Higher education
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate tuition fees per year | $9,560-28,680 | $9,560-17,925 |
| Postgraduate tuition fees per year | $14,340-34,655 | $11,950-23,900 |
| Duration | Undergraduate: 3-4 years Postgraduate: 1-2 years |
Undergraduate: 3-4 years Postgraduate: 1-2 years |
It is obvious that you need to spend a bit more on higher education in Canada than in the UK.
The Canadian government prioritizes education, but the government’s education budget is limited and may not be sufficient to fully cover all educational needs. Therefore, universities need to raise funds through multiple sources, such as tuition fees, endowments, and research grants, so as to maintain operations and provide high-quality education.
There is also a large difference in tuition fees between different types of universities (e.g., research universities, applied universities) and geographical locations (e.g., metropolitan cities, small cities). In general, universities located in metropolitan areas (e.g. Toronto, Vancouver) may have higher tuition fees due to their higher operating costs and wider resource needs.
Living cost UK vs Canada: leisure and activities
Life is not only about study and work, but also about recreation and leisure. So how much does it cost to spend on these activities in the UK vs Canada? Let’s take a look.
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Cinema, international release, 1 seat | $11.40 | $12.58 |
| Fitness club, monthly fee for 1 adult | $41.09 | $41.95 |
| Tennis court rent (1 hour on weekend) | $17.74 | $14.39 |
Overall, the spending on leisure and activities in Canada is on par with the United Kingdom.
Although Canada and the United Kingdom are located on two different continents, separated by the vast Atlantic Ocean, the cultures of the two countries are similar in many ways. As a result, the people from these two countries have similar pastimes. These commonalities keep their spending on entertainment about the same. Whether you want to move from the UK to Canada or from Canada to the UK, there is no need to worry too much about entertainment, and you should be able to adapt quickly.
Tips on saving money in Canada and UK
If you decide to move, please learn how to save money. Moving can bring a lot of uncertainty, such as salary, cost of living, and so on. These uncertainties force you to save money and have some money set aside for emergencies. So how can you save money? Here are a few tips.
- Set a budget.
- Cut unnecessary spending.
- Look for opportunities to earn money.
If you are an international student, try to look on the Internet to see if anyone has experience in finding a part-time job.
- Switch to a better savings account.
Please check your savings account to see if there is a higher interest rate. If not, please switch accounts.
- Switch to the cheapest energy supplier.
Please check to see if you’ve applied for the cheapest energy supplier in your area to reduce your utility bills.
Overall cost of living in Canada vs UK
Generally, when comparing cost of living in Canada vs UK, the cost in Canada is higher than in the UK. But Canada is so large that the cost of living specifically depends on which city you choose to move to. If you are considering moving to Canada from the UK, in addition to the cost of living, other factors are also needed to consider, such as climate, culture, neighbours, education, etc. After all things are considered, and you decide to move to Canada, then welcome to the beautiful land of maple leaves. If you don’t know what to do first, consult uhomes.com to find a cosy home. We will help you start a new journey in your life.
FAQ
Generally speaking, comparing Canada cost of living vs UK, it is more expensive to live in Canada than in the UK.
Overall, it is worth moving to Canada from UK. However, you have to consider many factors comparing living in Canada vs UK, and here are some pros and cons.
Pros:
- Vast territory with beautiful scenery
- High-quality healthcare system
- Lower cost of transportation
- Great education system
- Safe country to live
- Multicultural society
Cons:
- Weather is more extreme compared to the UK, and can be particularly cold in the winter
- House prices and rental markets are more expensive
- The Canadian dollar is lower than the pound
| Items | Canada | the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Average monthly net salary (after tax) | $2855.43 | $3099.76 |
On average, salaries in Canada are slightly lower than those in the UK. However, there are large differences between regions in Canada, and you can consider salaries based on the city you want to settle in.
Generally, it is better to work in Canada than in the UK. There are more companies and industries in Canada, so you can apply for various jobs there. In particular fields, such as energy exploitation, salaries in Canada are higher than those in Britain.
It is better for international students to study in the UK, especially for those who are one-year postgraduate students.
The tuition fees and cost of living in Canada are generally higher than those in Britain, but the expenses depend on where you live in.
Some of the major universities in Canada and the United Kingdom are listed below for your reference.
Canada:
The UK:
