Average monthly budget for family of 4 (2 adults 2 babies)

QuintinBotes wrote:

Hi all

We are moving from South Africa to Canada in July 2015. I just want to make sure that our budget will work. We have received a good offer (well that's what we think    we will have about 5000 a month after tax)

As mentioned in the subject, we are a family of 4 (2nd child will be born after we arrive in Canada so technically we are still 3). I have a job offer and the company is located in Mississauga. We are looking to live in the suburbs close to work. We require at least 1 car.

If possible could anyone share their monthly expenses with us?

Rent, food costs per month (we are not fussy eaters), car and insurance costs (looking at SUV's or similar), other travel costs, heating, water, hydro, cable, internet, medical costs etc.

How much annually before taxes in Toronto will be enough to live comfortably? We do not want luxuries just a bit of comfort and a bit to save?

The site numbeo.com which stumpy shared earlier gives a good gauge of what is to be expected.

I will have to say though, 5000 after tax is still a good chunk of cash to have in Canada. Your biggest cost will be childcare if you are sending your kid over there.

As for getting a car, I would say its better to go for a second hand than a new one as you'd save more. But also be careful with what you buy. Make sure you check it first. There's lots of snow in winter in Canada and the roads salted so the base of the car maybe very corroded if the owner didn't treat the car properly. You probably could get a Subaru or a Jeep for roughly around 14K (maybe 3 years). If you have the cash, I'd say pay it cash in full. Insurance could be higher for a second hand car but I would say something like at least 1000 per year. Gas (Petrol) should be reasonable. If you get a car that takes on diesel, you'd spend less on maintenance as diesel gives you more mileage per litre.

As for rentals, go for an apartment / condo so that you won't have to worry about shovelling (during winter). I am not sure about rental in Toronto, so check with numbeo.com. Depending on the building and what type of heat they are on you may not need to pay much for heat. I used to live in new apartment building where the heat was based on the hot water and therefore, I'd only pay for electricity which is cheap. Even during winter months, I'd only spend about $70 / mth for electricity of an apartment with 3 ppl. Internet should average about 60 -70 for a high speed connection. But I wouldn't worry about Toronto area as you'd have a lot of competition - so shop around. Medical should be free! If you're resident (doesn't need to be a PR) - valid home address and a work permit and have a SIN (social insurance number), then you can apply for a health card. In Ontario it is called OHIP.

Unfortunately your spouse or you wouldn't have work here before your 2nd child is before yet right? If you did, you'd qualify for EI (employment insurance) for the mother / father. Meaning you can go for a year with government pay assistance (but only 1 person, either the father or the mother). To qualify, you would have had to accumulate certain amount of hours of work.

Ok for now, I'd write back if I have anything else to add. But hope that helps.

I am also going to add a few things. Just so you know if you didn't get an apartment that has heat by hot water like in my example and relies entirely on electricity, then winter months can be very expensive. For me, staying in a 3 bedroom semi detached home cost me an average 550 per months. If you get a apartment the size of 1200 sq feet, maybe you'll about 400. It also depends on your usage. Water isn't too expensive though so I usually neglect mentioning it.

For drug plan, check with your company and see what kind of coverage they have for the employee. You usually have to co-pay for drugs. And when you go to any pharmacy, dispensing fee is different. I typically go to Costco because its the cheapest. But you'd have to pay for a Costco membership. Wouldn't be a big deal if you only shop at Costco. For me Costco is just 2 minutes drive from my house so it make sense.

I wouldn't worry much about food cost. Most important is you get a good fridge with a huge freezer space or otherwise buy an additional freezer. When you buy in bulk, you wanna keep those things frozen. Its cheaper to buy in bulk plus its also healthier to have frozen veggies than so called "fresh" ones flown in from Mexico or California that's already over a week old - which really means it no longer contains the nutrition its suppose to have.

There's 2 types of taxes:
1) Your sales tax that you have to pay for almost everything you buy. The sales tax has 2 components. Its called Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) but is made of the provincial and federal sales tax. Each province will have their own HST rate. Nova Scotia (NS) where I live has the highest HST. Ontario is also quite high but not as high as NS. Alberta has one of the lowest!
2) Then its your income tax which is made of 2 parts also - the federal and provincial. The brackets differs between provinces. Ontario is also one of the highest but not as high as NS. This site gives you an idea what the brackets are for the different provinces. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html

So when you land don't forget to get your SIN number. You can do that by visiting any Service Canada office. Also call CRA and check if you qualify for the UCCB (Universal Child Care Benefit) for not just your 2nd child when she/he is born but also your 1st child too. With your pay you may not qualify for the HST/GST rebate because you are already in the higher bracket. If you did its definitely nice money to have per quarter. And check to find out more.

Hi,

Just to add, I would say one of your biggest costs will actually be car insurance.  We arrived last year and my husband has his car through work, so insurance is done through them.  We had two young kids when we arrived and our third was born here.  We hot a Toyota Sienna Van as a family car and if you have not previously lived here your driving record does not count.  It's like starting over again, so our insurance is around $2,600 per year.  Of course if you have two cars, you need to double that.

Also you can not claim OHIP until you have been in Ontario for 3 months, good to consider if your baby is arriving within that time.  Either make sure you have insurance to cover you or you will have to pay.  I was pregnant when we arrived last year and for the first three months I had to pay $75 per visit to the doctor.  Fortunately we had insurance through my husbands work so I was able to claim this back, but still I had to pay out first.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Hello Everyone

Is there any South African moving to Canada still waiting to get a feedback from Pretoria office after submitting Medical?. when did you applied and how long did it took to finalized your papers? We submit our medical since April 3rd 2014. Still have not heard from Pretoria office.

Please share your experience with me. I am so stressed not hearing from CIC.

Your input will be highly appreciated.
Regards,
Pat

Hi All,

I too am a South African living in Johannesburg. My family and I are also trying to Immigrate to Canada. There are 4 of us myself, my husband and our 2 children.
I would like to just find out;
What is the best way to apply?
How long does it usually take?
Is there a specific amount of money that you need before applying for immigration?