Moving from Europe to Toronto

Moving from Europe to Toronto can be a long and stressful process. But if have the right information and good plan, it can be fun and exciting. It does not matter if you are moving for the better job position, or you simply want a fresh start. Toronto is a perfect choice.
Being the 5th largest city in North America, with a population of 6 million, Toronto is the greatest city in Canada. Numerous attractions, such as more than 8000 restaurants, 300 sunshine days, 1500 parks and Ontario Lakeshore are attracting more 40 million visitors every year. And it’s the second most business-friendly city in the world!
But before you pack your things and book your flight ticket, you should get familiar with some information regarding your new home city.

Check your papers with the immigration requirements

Getting the right visas and permits should be your first task. Firstly, you need to find out if you need a visa to enter Canada. You should keep up-to-date with latest immigration developments. There are regular changes happening that can affect your move to Canada.
If you are relocating to Toronto for work, you will need the work visa. In this case, you should constantly be in communication with your company’s legal department. There are four work visas types that can be applied for:

• high-skilled
• low-skilled
• live-in caregiving
• seasonal agricultural work

In any event, I would advise contacting the Canadian embassy for your moving papers double-check.

Relocation costs

Being on the Quebec-Windsor shipping corridor, Toronto is well positioned when it comes to transport. As there are good cargo shipping and rail accesses, relocating from Europe to Toronto will not cost you a fortune. For instance, moving costs for an average family moving from the UK to Toronto are around 1000 CAD. Similarly, same costs for relocation from France to Toronto are between 900 and 1100 CAD. If you are planning to move all your belongings using 20-foot container, you should add around 3000 CAD on the previous amounts.

Know your living costs before moving from Europe to Toronto

Living in Toronto can be really expensive. Commodities such as transportation, entertainment, and monthly household bills in Toronto are among most expensive ones in Canada. While movers from the USA are familiar with it, Europeans are often surprised when the extra charges such as gratuity and sales tax are added to their bill. On the other hand, healthcare can be relatively inexpensive if you meet the requirements for coverage by OHIP.
If you are used to having your meals at the restaurant, prices do not differ that much from the ones in big Europian cities. But if you are a cooking enthusiast, you will be surprised at the prices of groceries. As a matter of fact, shopping in local stores and markets can cost you more than it does now.
On the other side, the price of petrol is way lower than in Europe, as Canada is a major oil producer.
Regardless of this, if you compare average earnings and prices in Toronto, you will probably have a much better standard. In all honesty, living in Paris, London or Amsterdam is way more expensive than living in Toronto.

Toronto’s real estate market

Toronto’s real estate is one of the most expensive in the entire country of Canada. You can purchase or you can rent. Depending on the neighborhood in Toronto, it may not be cheap. If you do not plan to live outside of the city and commute in for work, you will need to face upward trending house prices.
If you are moving from Europe to Toronto, I would suggest renting a place for the first couple of years. Even though renting a place in Toronto is more expensive than in the rest of Canada, it’s a better option than purchasing at sky-high prices.
In case you are determined to buy your own place, you should consider suburbs, as the condo in the downtown is hard to find under 1 million dollars.
Therefore, the smartest option after you move would be to rent a place and wait for the market to become more reasonable.
Here are average Toronto apartment renting prices (in CAD):

• One bedroom apartment – 1,100$/month
• Two bedroom apartment – 1,500$/month
• Three bedroom apartment – 1,700$/month
• Two bedroom condo – 2500$/month

Finding a job in Toronto

If you are moving from Europe to Toronto to have a fresh start, you will need to find a job. Good education, English, and French skills, and a fair experience will get you to the one of more than 100,000 business in Toronto.
Good education, English, and French skills, and a fair experience will get you to the one of more than 100,000 business in Toronto.
Being the largest financial center in Canada, most important industries in Toronto are financial and banking sectors.  And in the heart of it lies one of the largest stock exchanges in the world – Toronto Stock Exchange.
However, if the financial sector is not your niche there are numerous IT opportunities for you to find. The melting pot, known as Toronto, isn’t special when it comes to the IT needs of the market – it’s like that globally. Still, if you have any experience, even at a junior level, you will be able to seek your destiny here.

Toronto VS rest of the World

Toronto was the winner of the Economist’s “best place in the world to live” list in 2015. In addition to this, it is among safest and most influential cities in the world. Toronto also has a high sustainable index.
Moving from Europe to Toronto will make you a citizen of one of the most multicultural cities worldwide. On the streets of Toronto, you can hear more than 180 different languages and dialects. And you can easily find jewels of your local culture, as there are European ethnic neighborhoods, like Little Italy, Little Portugal and Greektown.

“I love Toronto. It’s a real melting pot in every sense of the word. There’s all sorts of different people everywhere you go. There’s all sorts of great music, great restaurants and great night spots.” – Prince