It makes lots of sense, thanks for sharing. Yes, Canada has become too expensive, and the worst part is we don't get much in return. It's most of the time too cold, or too hot 😞
That's my issue with it as well. I feel like 10-15 years ago I felt like Canada was a much easier place to live in and social services were maintained much better. If I'm going to pay such high prices I expect being able to get in to see a doctor whenever I want, clean streets and low crime levels.
I was leaving in Toronto from Sept/01' until now19' when I moved to Chicago ,I visit Canada /Toronto month ago and I was stunned what's happened with county.Thks for vlogging explain a lot.@@AlinaMcleod
Canada is the most expensive country in America and among the most expensive in the world. Something really bad is happening here and I’m afraid people will start leaving it massively.
@@Jacob-Sent. Canadians are leaving en masse for the US. Not because the US is better but Canadians can make more doing the same job, some big ticket items are cheaper, and is generally much warmer. Similar to American escaping the north and heading south 🥲
I got my Canadian PR 20+ years ago and stayed in Toronto for a while and made my mind and decided to come back to Malaysia reason as what you have said .
I’m a homebody and while I love travelling I also love having a home base. I understand the difficulty with high rents all over Canada. I’m in Vancouver and although I own my home in Kitsilano I know how outrageous rents are. When I bought in the mid 90s it was manageable with a good job. I’m glad you enjoy travelling so much and won’t find this a hardship! Cheers!
Alina, You are spot on about monthly expenses both Canada and The U.S. Alina, you have given this a lot of thought. It all makes a lot of sense. I only wish our politicians would understand the implications of their actions or non-actions with the cost of living in our respective countries. Thank you Alina for addressing it. A very important issue. Sending you lots of love❤ from Harriet, Jim and Yuki
Love this and how you broke everything down, we have noticed the same thing living abroad and for two people spend less than what one person would spend in Canada
Alina, it is remarkable how you kept track of your expenses. For the amount of travelling you have been doing, I think that balance is quite amazing. As a Canadian, Torontoian, I feel that life in Canada is more expensive than most places. It seems travelling full time is less expensive, plus you get to choose where you like to go, and can leave at anytime. I don't assume it is easy as staying in one place. I appreciate the time you put in to make this Expenses list. Thank you.
this is no joke! i live in vancouver and would save so much working out of south east asia. really enjoyed trying out the digital nomad life for 5 weeks last year in Vietnam 🇻🇳
This is a brilliant video with a ton of great tips, advice, experience. Really valuable information for those of us dreaming of a nomadic retirement. Love your videos, first time commenter. Brava.
Thanks for this video Alina. It's so nice that you are doing something you so enjoy and able to turn it into a work situation. For those of us who will never get to see the places you travel it's a fun treat to watch your videos of these different locations and countries. Stay safe and healthy and I'll look forward to watching another video. :)
Hello Alina, hello from snowy/rainy Toronto. Yup, agreed, costs have gone up big time here. Living standards have gone down over here. Property taxes are about to take a serious jump.. sigh... Really enjoy your content and you look so relaxed ! Wishing you all the best !
I'm 40 years old from Brazil. 2 years ago took the decision to be a startupper and digital Nomand. Since I'm not based in one place for more than 180 days/year, it gave me the possibility to avoid the most terrible, brutal and senseless thing mankind ever invented: TAXES! Now I'm studying a way to avoid paying for Health Assurance too. ( Please let us know if you find one! ) It requires giving up many things in life. But also give many others you could never get into an ordinary life. Welcome on board lady!
I clicked like because I also hate taxes.....but good luck with that. January 1st 2024 signalled in the new international tax agreement that 276 countries signed. The days of tax free living are ending my friend and I am just as sad as you 😢
Yeah, she put up equivalent of $2500 for a one bedroom in Toronto. But my wife and I are renting a 2 bedroom furnished apartment, all bills included in Montreal for $1350 lol.
Thank you, Alina, for breaking it down and giving us a picture of how a balanced life can look like as a nomad traveler. You’ve got it under control. I just retired and your videos inspire me and it definitely is too expensive to retire in USA. Maybe I can follow your happy trails as well, stay safe and live life to the max! Regrettably my biggest concern will be healthcare insurance globally. Cheers!🥂😻
Thank you so much! There’s a lot of great insurance options abroad while you’re under 75. After that it gets tricker and is better if you get a long term visa in one place and use their national package.
To be fair, life for most locals in SE Asia who aren't importing money from abroad is also very expensive. My favourite series was from a "Tom from TX" TH-cam channel where he tried to live a day on a local's salary in a large number of SE Asian countries, and struggled every time. I rent a bachelor apartment in Poland, in one of the least expensive metropolitan areas (Upper Silesia), and it costs about 38% of a minimum-wage salary. My last job in Canada (2020-2021), I was paying about 35% of my salary on rent on a 1-bedroom apartment. The lack of SMALL apartments and houses in Canada is a further problem so often overlooked.
Switzerland is crazy expensive for tourists. I think a cable car ride to a mountain there is $100 USD, or train ride between towns also around $100, not to mention eating out in restaurants.
I am sure if you're gorgeous as Alina and make $30 million per year making youtube videos you can definitely afford to travel indefinitely. Not all of us are beautiful and make money so easily.
@@Macky1101 wining genetic lottery definitely helps, both in beauty and location . When it comes to just applying for jobs, having Swiss or Canadian nationality will yield you a much higher success rate to securing a job abroad
I moved to Toronto abut 15 years ago from London because I thought it was very affordable in Canada compared to the UK. Ten years later Toronto became crazy expensive as well so I followed the same strategy as yours. Although I mainly stay in the Philippines as I have the benefit of being born here so I can stay longer without getting a special visa, travelling (staying in one country 2 to 3 months at a time) has definitely saved me money over the past five years compared to just staying in Toronto. Very useful video, Alina.
Thank you for this video. I would be interested in more details about your apartment. Looking forward to you including that info in a future video after you leave..
thank you for sharing your travel life living expenses, especially the break down details for each category. It seems most peoples stay silent on the subject when it comes to personal budgeting. as long as you stay within your budget, you should be fine and don't spend like there is no tomorrow. Sounds like you really enjoy your life style that is all it counts. life is an adventure, enjoy the journey!
My pleasure! Absolutely staying within a budget is important when doing this kind of work and I strongly recommend people having good emergency funds before starting out on a lifestyle like this because you don’t want to be stranded abroad with limited options.
Welcome to Finland. My 5 G phonecosts is 34 euro per month with limitless use of internet and calls homeland. For example, I share my web into TV and dont use outside antennas at all.
Thanks for breaking it down so well, Alina! Canada has indeed become quite expensive to live in, however there are ways expenses can be cut down in Canada - Accommodation: Consider sharing a place with a friend/partner/family ; if you own a place, consider renting out a part of it e.g. basement etc. - Food: Consider meal prep services, buy groceries in bulk, limit eating out to 1-2 times a week, consider ethnic restaurants (middle eastern, south asian etc) instead of traditional bars/pubs - Transportation: use public transport wherever possible. if you need a car, buy a used one - Phone: there are actually 100GB+ plans available now lol but yes they are still quite expensive, however consider the smaller carriers and you can get 30-50GB plans in the $30-$40 range Obviously individual circumstances and preferences will come into play but my point is there are ways you can play the game differently :)
For sure those are great ways to cut down expenses. Personally though I don’t want to have to have a room mate at 32 years old and I like eating out too much lol. Since I’d want to do this job either way it doesn’t make sense for me to pinch pennies in Canada when I save so much money and have a better lifestyle abroad.
@@AlinaMcleod haha yes - totally makes sense. It is admirable that you have built a career that allows such flexibility. For a person in your situation, totally makes sense live abroad. I was speaking more from the perspective of those who are less fortunate lol
I left the Toronto area two years ago, I now live in another country, with pretty much the same amenities I had in Canada. Except now I live about a ten minute walk from a beautiful tropical beach with nice sunny, warm weather all year round. With all expenses accounted for, I would say I pay about 60% of what I paid in Canada for a similar, if not better life. Sorry, I am not going to disclose where I am living now because if I did then more and more people would move here and cause prices to jump here as well. However, if you do your research you can find a few of these places without much effort.
Congrats for so good calculation. There are probably some other kind of expenses ,for example birthdays in family and friends, weddings maybe in family or friends, meetings with friends for various reasons......all these are not cheap , but also not used as nomad life.
Hi Alina ! A more reasonable cost of living leads to a better quality & more satisfying life which is something we should all seek. I'm glad your travels are not only a great source of joy but also a fiscal benefit. You definitely deserve to be rewarded for the excellent video presentations you deliver. Have a great day 😊 !
Well at least here in New Zealand is it most off the time warm. One can grow a garden and havest vegetables and fruits mostly all year around. And then there is fishing, which is fun. And if one had to, there is hunting. So here at least we won't go hungry
As much as I love Toronto, it gets harder to live here every coming year. Some people are lucky to be locked into old leases and are in a much better position than those renting at the current market. I recently posted a video where I analyzed housing options for newcomers. $2000 a month for a small bachelor studio with no parking spot, it's a crazy tag! Sad but true - people are leaving Canada...My closest friends left and a few more are on the way 😢
Yes, that is very sad. I honestly don't know how people just coming to Toronto can look at the prices and think it's going to be sustainable to live there and purchase real estate unless they have are certain they can get a very high paying job.
@@debuthunter5389 The problem is that there are not too many places to choose from aside from Toronto. Calgary, for example, is following the housing crisis slowly but surely. Montreal is a very specific place to live. Vancouver is even more unaffordable than Toronto. Ottawa is boring as hell. There are no places left, lol.
@@AlinaMcleod Yeah, the medium income probably should be 150-180k for a duo to avoid struggling. Alina, it would be great if you shared in a future video a few tricks on how to manage money flow. My friends had some very unpleasant experiences dealing with Canadian bank being abroad. I don't like to carry too much cash while traveling and at the same time, it's scary to be dependent on cards that could fail at one moment. It's interesting how you're dealing with this staying out of Canada for so long.
@@alexsorokinca - Everywhere is pros and cons. But you can make yourself a good life in many of these places. What do you really do most of the time? Go to work, come home, chill a bit, maybe play some sports or go for a hike around or grab a beer with some friends? Is there really a HUGE difference place to place? And even if there is, is that $1000-2000 per month difference worth it?
I lived and visited Thailand every year when I worked in Asia for over 10 years, I love it there, I only returned to Canada 2 years ago and I would relocate out of Canada again in a heartbeat, but my biggest barrier is sending the kids to international schools, not having kids is really convenient and saves alot of money..
Don't know if we have something similar; but, there is an American family currently living in Manila and their kids attend a US based on-line private academy that they love.
Watching from Dubai, I’ve been your subscriber for almost 6 months now and I find your vlogs very entertaining and informative, thanks for all your honest and non-biased opinions about the countries that you visited. I have also travelled to more than 10 countries and I wouldn’t have done it if I l’m not working and earning in a quite average company here. Years back I dreamed of living and working in Canada but I changed my mind because it seems like life there is more challenging than living in Dubai. Although there’s no citizenship here and one day we all go back to our home country but I can say that I can buy whatever I want with some luxury and at the same time I can also save money for future. I’m not ready to leave my comfort zone because life is too short for sufferings and I don’t know if I can still all do that if I’m there in Canada. Peace and love to you and your followers!
Very helpful video Alina, especially comparing the cost of living in Canada, specifically Toronto, to other places in the world. And I'm really happy to see your growth that now you're able to live your best life like you said :)
@AlinaMcleod Elon musk star link will change all that . The main problem is food price, and it's not only Canada. In Europe, they are closing farms to protect the environment from climate change, and this has an effect on food prices for fresh vegetables.
I live in Regina, Saskatchewan. I just get a 30 dollar for 30G byte per month before tax plan from Virgin. I think Sasktel also offer 35 dollar a month for similar plan . Canada does become more and more expensive. We spend nearly $4000 a month not include my house. Consider similar house is renting for $2600 a month on market, I am actually spend $6600 a month for a family of two@@AlinaMcleod.
These numbers are WHACK! My wife and I are renting a 2 bedroom full-furnished apartment in Montreal, with all bills included, for $1,350/month, in a good area, close to metro stations, centrally located. Prior to this I was paying similar for a place in Calgary, in a great area, centrally located. Maybe Calgary has gone up a little since then, but still not "that" much. Toronto/Vancouver DOES NOT represent the rest of the country of Canada. It's like using NYC to represent the cost of living for the US. I just got a new phone plan... I get 75GB of data, including unlimited calls and text, and full roaming and calls both in Canada and the US. And it costs me $45/month. So I get 2.5x the data, and all of North America roaming, for half the price she mentioned. Her totals were: Travel ($3,216), Canada ($4,560).... When I adjust to my non-Toronto Canada living costs, adjusting my rent, phone and transit etc, I get to $2,975. And that's assuming my wife isn't even paying half of the rent.
@@AlinaMcleod - Not specifically a dig at you. But there is a massive influx in general of people complaining about Canada. About cost of living for immigrants. People talking about how it got expensive and they left Canada. But all of these people were living in Toronto! Lol. Everyone else uses those same metrics to explain Canada, but it's not representative. So I wanted to share my comment on here, to give some people a more well rounded understanding of the opportunities that DO still exist here.
It's no news that costs in a second- or third-world country are less than in a developed country. You could make the same comparison to the U.S. or most European countries (though prices in Canada have certainly gone crazy since the pandemic). The question is whether that's where you really want to be. I've travelled for long periods, and sooner or later I wanted to come home. If you're happy travelling indefinitely, good for you. But I think most people want to have a home in a country they like, despite the costs.
Travelling full time or living in Canada are not the only two options. If you have an online business there is a plethora of other countries where you could get residence and build a new home. I’m in the process of that and if I can continue having my business be successful, I will save substantially more money on living costs and taxes.
In that case, you're talking about becoming an expat. And that can be great, if you find a country you like better than Canada. Certainly, there are other countries that are cheaper and have better weather -- if that's where you want live. I'd only repeat what many expats have said: living in a country full-time is a lot different than spending a few weeks there, so give it six months before you decide for good. @@AlinaMcleod
For sure. It can take a while to find the right place for you but at the end of the day, you can also always come back to Canada/wherever home is. Ideally with lots of savings from your time living in a lower cost country and with job experience that is in demand of course.
Hello Alina, thank You for sorting out all of the figures! The quality of the sit down video is amazing. I like the slight glow up, You added to Your hair in Bangkok 😉 Best regards, Ralf
What Alina said is 100% true, in Indonesia workers' salaries are around $200-$700 a month. And the salary for foreign workers in Indonesia is around $2000-$10000 dollars a month with the cost of living in Indonesia around $300-$700 dollars a month,And for business entrepreneurs, sports athletes, artists, foreign TH-camrs in Indonesia earn a salary of around $2000-$100,000,000 dollars a month,In Indonesia there are millions of foreigners living in Indonesia, the largest of whom are from the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, South Korea, Japan, perhaps 100 thousand people or millions of people and other countries.
In Montreal I pay CDN $865/m for a studio and my total monthly expenses are around CDN $2,000/m (and that includes eating out a lot). I am living "extravagant" life style because I learn French and practice it every day. I feel like I am living my best life on that budget because my dream of becoming a polyglot is coming true :-)
@@debuthunter5389 It depends on the person. In nearby Subway restaurant all employees are talking about moving to Toronto because ... they don't speak French! And they also say that they can't get citizenship in Québec without French knowledge. Oh, and it's also depends on the season :-)
@@alphabravo0 - Low skilled persons without knowledge of French will of course find it hard. Just like anyone in the rest of the country if they can't speak much English. Lol. If someone's moving for the English, they have a whole country that isn't Toronto or Vancouver to move to :) If they work at Subway, Toronto is a horrible move lol.
I’m 69. I came back to Canada in 2020 because of Covid. I had enough $ to buy a van, not enough to buy a house , and most apartments are out of my budget. So, I’m doing the van life the 6 months of summer , and for the 6 months of winter I fly to a warm and cheap country. To get my full pension I must be in Canada 6 months/year. Even counting the plane ticket, the health insurance, hostel (dormitory), food, etc, my bank account is a bit higher when I come back to Canada in April.
That’s fantastic, glad you found what works for you! Don’t completely take my word for it, but I’m pretty sure I read on the government website that as long as you worked at least 20 years in Canada, you can receive your full pension (40 years of work) even while you are abroad. It’s the health insurance that you would lose if you are out of Canada for years at a time and don’t have a permanent address.
@@AlinaMcleod My pension is too low, so I get a supplement which is 3 times my pension. For that supplement I must be in Canada 6 months/year. If you live in Québec, to remain eligible for health insurance, you must not be absent from Québec 183 days or more per calendar year. When you come back there is a 3 month delay to be covered again.
@@AlinaMcleod It may be different for Quebec resident for the federal pension. The base pension if you have been at least 20 years (after 18), is related to the number of years you have been resident.
Thanks for the stream and I am confident that NO ONE in the US living in a major city by themselves and living a "nice" life can budget only $3200 a month for all one's living expenses. It just can't be done.
Good break down. You could live a little cheaper in Canada outside of the "center of the universe" of course, as there's plenty of medium sized places that could probably make the monthly total pretty close to a toss up. Of course, you'd also have to deal with all that comes with that and you wouldn't be enjoying your best life quite the way you seem to be, so you've absolutely found a great balance. I chuckled when you pointed out that the "free" health care here isn't really free at all, and in fact regularly gets evaluated to be some of the most expensive in the world, and depending on where one lives here in Canada, is extremely variable in both quality and availability. When travelling, you can just go to where it is reasonable, high quality, and most importantly: available when you actually need it. Take Care and thanks for sharing your travels.
You're right that rent would be less in smaller centers, but then you almost always have to buy a car to get around so that adds a huge expense. For example in Saskatoon the average 1 bedroom seems to be around $1400, so add at least another $500 at least for gas, maintenance, insurance, parking and even more to actually buy the car or lease. I'd rather pay the extra to live in Toronto with everything it has to offer, but its main downside is long term potential: purchasing real estate is even more ridiculously expensive. So yeah, finding a new place to call home with a remote job seems to be the better option!
Interesting numbers showing it really is better in Thailand I lived in Toronto most my life and remember when it was one of the greatest cities to live . I moved to Saigon 10 years ago and love living in Vietnam but check the news and the prices in Toronto are off the charts . Frankly speaking if I wanted to move back to Toronto I would not be able to afford I would just be surviving. Not even going to get into the scary crime going on there now . Living in Saigon I go regularly to Bangkok flights are so cheap and so much choices of where to stay and eat . I feel lucky to be in a part of the world where it’s still cheap to travel and enjoy life .
Good for you. I love seeing a young person with a plan having a go and living life on their own terms. I have lived in Thailand for a long time and have a very different life to you and a very different budget. I watched my two daughters be born here and now one is at uni and the younger is in year 10. Our family gets by on around CAD 2K a month including all uni and dorm fees. Not a luxurious lifestyle but not a horrible one too. No rent to pay though, so that helps :) Thx for your take on it all :)
traveling full time can be exhausting.. I did it.. It's best to divide your time up in a few places.. If they are the right places you could probably save even more
Hi Alina, when i was living in Bangkok, i would always go to Sizzler's at Siam Centre and Central World. They have a very reasonably priced all you can eat salad bar. It's delicious and there are a lot of options. I would just order a drink to go with it. Thats how i saved some money and still get my daily dose of fruits and veggies.
Very interesting video, thanks for sharing your comparisons. I currently pay $96 per month for 90GB of internet. When I lived in the UK I paid around $20 per month for unlimited internet. I still can’t get over how expensive it is in Canada!
I live in Thailand with retired visa. I rent 2 beds room house on an orchard( mangos, bananas,dragons etc. 15 minutes from Pattaya. Rent, electricity,cable, water , 12 000 TB and 30 000 TB / month for food etc. So my girl friend and me are spending 1700$ Can/ month. No cold, no boots ,no tuque. I must say if someone falls in the pitfalls easy living it could cost him a lot. More than in Canada.
I spend a lot of time living in hotels in Southeast Asia and my budget is different from Alina’s but it is still substantially cheaper than living fulltime in my base of Sydney
Hi Alina, it was great bumping into you in Bangkok! I can attest to what you're saying. After a week here I have more money in my wallet than I expected to lol. Safe travels and thanks for your kindness.
Found the video very interesting and very informative Alina! You have definitely made the right decision for you and I am so glad that you are sharing your adventures with the rest of us. Thanks so much 😊
I traveled full-time from 2014-2018 and spent less living in Asia and Europe vs. US. But now I have a cheaper apartment that I love, take public transportation and own a work from home business in Chicago. My monthly expenses are under $2000 which is the same as what I spent traveling. So my new plan is to keep Chicago as the home base and take 3-4 months off to travel abroad. I have all the conveniences of home and can still explore new places for a good part of the year.
@@synaestesia-bg3ew You didn't see the horrible fires ravaging Canada this past summer? Or tornadoes, flooding or -40C winters? Every place has it's pros and cons, nowhere is a utopia.
Great video, thanks for sharing. As a fellow traveler, I love the insight you provide into the financial aspect and how one can travel and love what they do. I too live in Canada and concur it can be cheaper to travel to various countries then live in Canada!
What you have presented in your budget appears reasonable with what I have observed from what a couple from Ireland ( ones German & one is Irish but they met in Ireland & both were living in Ireland) presented as their budget from Thailand & other destinations. They don't visit the larger cities such as Bangkok and their budget was even lower than yours, but their accommodations were far less extravigant. You did forget two major expenses; car insurance and house or apartment insurance. ( car insurance in the USA is often $500 to $600 per car) It took me awhile to realize that living temporarily and/or traveling over seas could cost less than living in the North American but it finally dawned on me about 4 to 5 months ago. Two things that occurred to me about living abroad; to really reduce expenses you often need to reduce your standard of living ( not to be confused with your quality of living) and often your better standard of living comes at the expense of low wages to the local citizens of that country. I like my car & the convenience it provides but my wife & I could get along with one car rather than two. In a warmer climate I am sure that a scooter or less extravagant 4 wheeled vehicle would do fine. ( tut-tut or Chinese or Central European manufactured car, etc) Perhaps we in the USA and Canada have grown attached to and expect more than we actually need to have comfortable yet quality life.
@@AlinaMcleod But if you lived in Canada on a regular basis you would need a vehicle and preferably a small 500 to 900 foot something to live in. This should have been noted as an extra expense for living in Canada with a foot note that it could be optional if you lived in the right place.
You are paying 1300 CAD rent a month for one bedroom apartment in a major city in Thailand in a building with amenities such as gym and swimming pool. What kind of accommodation could you rent in Canada for the same amount in a major city? Or, how much would you pay monthly in Canada for one bedroom apartment in a building with amenities such as gym and swimming pool?
In Toronto a similar apartment in a luxury building in one of the best neighborhoods in the city would easily cost $3500 CAD. Rooms for long term rent are on average $1500+ which is insane.
Enjoy living abroad, but hopefully not alone. Life experiences are always best when shared with someone. A new country can and will get old and lonely.
Of course. Ideally I’d like to meet someone on the same wavelength and travel together, but I do have a lot of international friends and travel with them or my parents. You can be lonely in your own country and also in the wrong relationship.
I pay 64 Canadian dollars including tax for 100 GB of unlimited data in Toronto for my phone. I got a deal last year and if you wait, you can get a deal like that.
Hi Alina! I’m glad that you’re well & happy living such a fun, adventurous lifestyle in South East Asia. As someone that used to live in Toronto myself, I’ve seen just how expensive it has gotten & how little you get for your money. I would definitely love to see a tour of your place in Bangkok…always interested in comparing how living accommodations/budgets differ around the world. Cheers!
@@AlinaMcleod Most Canadians specially the young ones in my circle wants to live your life just they cannot manage a remote job or online income which pays them 3k after taxes otherwise almost all of them will leave canada in a jiff
Hi: Alina Enjoy your dream journey.❤ I left Canada last year and enjoy here in BKK Happy and Enjoy food here that cheap and good nutrition if you know how to pick from the Street Markets. The cost of my food here is about $300 a month (buy the takeout from the Flea & Street Markets) Will back to Toronto next month for my tax purpose. Lets see how expensive had increase from the last years.🤞🥰
I heartily agree with your assessment. Your lifestyle is compatible to the working travel vlogger conflagration. Canada is becoming a land of living to work as opposed to working to live. The costs of the basic necessities has risen so much it in Canada that activities that were considered normal luxuries are being curtailed to cover basic costs. This was an interesting look at how your business funds your life. I think a lot of viewers don't realize that although you're in exotic locals enjoying what they have to offer. You are not holidaying, and a lot of planing, effort, and work goes into a day at the beach. We see the 10% fun at the beach and not the 90% of setup work behind the scenes and editing to create that illusion. I for one am glad that you put the effort to provide viewers like me the chance to share your experiences.
Aw thank you very much, Jim! It is an incredible lifestyle for sure, but 100% it is not a full time vacation. Most of it is spent working behind the scenes, but at least it is on my own terms. I really appreciate all of your support and hope you have some awesome travels ahead!
@@AlinaMcleod Well at least I'm lost in Tokyo now. So that is an improvement. No better way to learn where you're at, than getting lost till you find yourself knowing you been here before and have a new direction to travel.
Hoi, Alina, pretty interesting to follow. Really detailed. CDN, but not only CDN, is pretty expensive. Most of the people around us cannot understand things like this. Back from biz in Turkey. Check how they be prepared for the upcoming busy season. Well done work, as usual, you know. Greetings, Markus
Well...one can easily rent a pretty descent 1 BD apprtment for 1300 CAD per month in Montreal. Moreover, if one began renting like 5 years ago and has stayed in the same place, 1300 CAD gives you an entire 2 floor house with a garden in many parts of Montreal. Conclusion: just avoid Toronto and move to Montreal ;) Traveling is great but I rather prefer to live a developed country like Canada where my kids can get a top notch and affordable education rather than in a any developing country in Asia dealing with typical issues of developig contries.
I’ve been subbed for a few years. It’s cool to see how you’ve grown over the past few years. Leaving the US in March and hope to stay gone indefinitely. :)
Hi beautiful Alina! I have been regular to your channel since I got access to the first device, I liked you since then, you are an amazing content creator, Touchwood! ❤️❤️❤️
Woo 2500$ I am over Quebec and the rent went up but one bedroovm is 1000.$..still...when I travel my rent is the same or more just the food and phone is cheaper ....so for me itis the same I do not save and I do not lose ...😅
You could not pay me to travel year round to save money. I like investing in my home community. I think overall life would be better if more people did that.
….only if folks have those “stable jobs” with comfortable wages….then maybe, it’s possible to do so. At the moment, it’s like an uphill battle for working-class poor to band-together and invest in the communities when everything is sooo expensive along with minimum (or above minimum) wage jobs are everywhere.
one important thing you forgot to point out is you do youtube as a full time gig. I know youtubers that live in america, they can write off alot of taxes for their flight, hotel, food and other travel related expenses. i'm not sure if it works that same way for Canadians? but this is a game changer. so whatever you earn from youtube, you can write off your travel related expenses on your taxes
I think most people who watch my channel know it's my full time job but yeah I guess for new people tuning in maybe they didn't understand that. And yes, I luckily can write off all my travel related expenses.
for rental you forgot very important thing. in Canada you have to pay water, gas and electricity and maybe even paring and maintenance on top of that 2500 rent
Not for every rental actually. Most rentals in Toronto have utilities inclusive of the price. Maintenance and condo fees are only directly paid by the owner.
I ll go n visit the country where there are cheap in everything.i hd been in europe for the past 5 yrs n couldnt enjoy much as their currencies are high, but with that amount of money i can enjoy for same standard of services in my country.
Excellent content, Alina -- thank you for sharing!! Also, I just found your channel from your trip to the Philippines 🇵🇭 💕 last year! I hope you get to visit again soon. I can't wait to visit again, myself! It's more fun 🎉 in the Philippines as the saying goes. Stay blessed 🙏 ❤
Your mobile info is pretty out of date for Canada as thanks to the federal government forcing the mobile companies to lower their prices phones plans are much cheaper now in Canada. your 30GB plan is now half the price at $40 and most of the $80 plans come with 200GB of 5G data
Fascinating video, Alina. I would never have guessed that one could save money by being a full-time traveler. Canada is so expensive these days! For someone looking to retire in the next few years, where in your opinion would be the most economical place to reside and live the good life?
Thank you! You got lots of different options but my general favorite areas of the world are South East Asia and Eastern Europe. Thailand, Vietnam, Laos would be my top picks in SEA and Bulgaria, Albania and Ukraine (if there wasn't a war going on) in Eastern Europe.
It makes lots of sense, thanks for sharing. Yes, Canada has become too expensive, and the worst part is we don't get much in return. It's most of the time too cold, or too hot 😞
That's my issue with it as well. I feel like 10-15 years ago I felt like Canada was a much easier place to live in and social services were maintained much better. If I'm going to pay such high prices I expect being able to get in to see a doctor whenever I want, clean streets and low crime levels.
I was leaving in Toronto from Sept/01' until now19' when I moved to Chicago ,I visit Canada /Toronto month ago and I was stunned what's happened with county.Thks for vlogging explain a lot.@@AlinaMcleod
Canada is the most expensive country in America and among the most expensive in the world. Something really bad is happening here and I’m afraid people will start leaving it massively.
@@Jacob-Sent. Canadians are leaving en masse for the US. Not because the US is better but Canadians can make more doing the same job, some big ticket items are cheaper, and is generally much warmer. Similar to American escaping the north and heading south 🥲
Thank you for sharing you are awesome lots of love from Montreal
I got my Canadian PR 20+ years ago and stayed in Toronto for a while and made my mind and decided to come back to Malaysia reason as what you have said .
That makes sense. Malaysia is a really cool country!
@@AlinaMcleod do make a visit to Malaysia since you are in Bangkok
@@PLFoon I was in KL last summer, really enjoyed it. Would love to see more of Malaysia in the future.
Toronto does not represent the majority of Canada.
I’m a homebody and while I love travelling I also love having a home base. I understand the difficulty with high rents all over Canada. I’m in Vancouver and although I own my home in Kitsilano I know how outrageous rents are. When I bought in the mid 90s it was manageable with a good job. I’m glad you enjoy travelling so much and won’t find this a hardship! Cheers!
I will share this with Trudeau.
Make sure Ford gets a copy.
Do you think he cares?
@f.s.monster3765 No, but nonetheless, someone should make him looking at reality.
Please send Mrs Chow a copy of that too.
Alina, You are spot on about monthly expenses both Canada and The U.S. Alina, you have given this a lot of thought. It all makes a lot of sense. I only wish our politicians would understand
the implications of their actions or non-actions with the cost of living in our respective countries. Thank you Alina for addressing it. A very important issue. Sending you lots of love❤
from Harriet, Jim and Yuki
My pleasure! It is sad that both Canada and US do not make it particularly easy for self employed people to thrive.
Love this and how you broke everything down, we have noticed the same thing living abroad and for two people spend less than what one person would spend in Canada
Absolutely. With two people sharing one place you're also saving so much!
Alina, it is remarkable how you kept track of your expenses. For the amount of travelling you have been doing, I think that balance is quite amazing. As a Canadian, Torontoian, I feel that life in Canada is more expensive than most places. It seems travelling full time is less expensive, plus you get to choose where you like to go, and can leave at anytime. I don't assume it is easy as staying in one place. I appreciate the time you put in to make this Expenses list. Thank you.
Thank you so much for recognizing how much work it takes :) it certainly isn’t easy but overall I find it very much worth the effort.
You set your goals, have a plan, and are so good at what you do, Alina! As we say in the States, keep up the excellent work!
Thank you, will do!
this is no joke! i live in vancouver and would save so much working out of south east asia. really enjoyed trying out the digital nomad life for 5 weeks last year in Vietnam 🇻🇳
Thank you for always sharing wonderful videos. I’ll be cheering for your challenges all along.
Thank you so much :)
This is a brilliant video with a ton of great tips, advice, experience. Really valuable information for those of us dreaming of a nomadic retirement. Love your videos, first time commenter. Brava.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for this video Alina. It's so nice that you are doing something you so enjoy and able to turn it into a work situation. For those of us who will never get to see the places you travel it's a fun treat to watch your videos of these different locations and countries. Stay safe and healthy and I'll look forward to watching another video. :)
Thank you very much!
Hello Alina, hello from snowy/rainy Toronto. Yup, agreed, costs have gone up big time here. Living standards have gone down over here. Property taxes are about to take a serious jump.. sigh... Really enjoy your content and you look so relaxed ! Wishing you all the best !
Thanks, Winston! I do hope things get better in Toronto!
I'm 40 years old from Brazil. 2 years ago took the decision to be a startupper and digital Nomand. Since I'm not based in one place for more than 180 days/year, it gave me the possibility to avoid the most terrible, brutal and senseless thing mankind ever invented: TAXES!
Now I'm studying a way to avoid paying for Health Assurance too. ( Please let us know if you find one! )
It requires giving up many things in life. But also give many others you could never get into an ordinary life.
Welcome on board lady!
I clicked like because I also hate taxes.....but good luck with that. January 1st 2024 signalled in the new international tax agreement that 276 countries signed. The days of tax free living are ending my friend and I am just as sad as you 😢
@Ulbre any sources please. I can't find anything on that subject with extensive research
@@exclusivenote indeed!
@DrewMcFederiesCEO lol "bro" good luck with your tax avoidance
Hi you see the different , Toronto and Montreal the cost of living especially rent .$620 in montreal you $1700 twice you paid
Yeah, she put up equivalent of $2500 for a one bedroom in Toronto. But my wife and I are renting a 2 bedroom furnished apartment, all bills included in Montreal for $1350 lol.
Thank you, Alina, for breaking it down and giving us a picture of how a balanced life can look like as a nomad traveler. You’ve got it under control. I just retired and your videos inspire me and it definitely is too expensive to retire in USA. Maybe I can follow your happy trails as well, stay safe and live life to the max! Regrettably my biggest concern will be healthcare insurance globally. Cheers!🥂😻
Thank you so much! There’s a lot of great insurance options abroad while you’re under 75. After that it gets tricker and is better if you get a long term visa in one place and use their national package.
To be fair, life for most locals in SE Asia who aren't importing money from abroad is also very expensive. My favourite series was from a "Tom from TX" TH-cam channel where he tried to live a day on a local's salary in a large number of SE Asian countries, and struggled every time. I rent a bachelor apartment in Poland, in one of the least expensive metropolitan areas (Upper Silesia), and it costs about 38% of a minimum-wage salary. My last job in Canada (2020-2021), I was paying about 35% of my salary on rent on a 1-bedroom apartment. The lack of SMALL apartments and houses in Canada is a further problem so often overlooked.
A friend from Switzerland travels indefinitely, she said it saves her money 😂
Absolutely it would 😅
Sound about right especially if u earn money from switzerland u know 7k average
Switzerland is crazy expensive for tourists. I think a cable car ride to a mountain there is $100 USD, or train ride between towns also around $100, not to mention eating out in restaurants.
I am sure if you're gorgeous as Alina and make $30 million per year making youtube videos you can definitely afford to travel indefinitely. Not all of us are beautiful and make money so easily.
@@Macky1101 wining genetic lottery definitely helps, both in beauty and location . When it comes to just applying for jobs, having Swiss or Canadian nationality will yield you a much higher success rate to securing a job abroad
I moved to Toronto abut 15 years ago from London because I thought it was very affordable in Canada compared to the UK. Ten years later Toronto became crazy expensive as well so I followed the same strategy as yours. Although I mainly stay in the Philippines as I have the benefit of being born here so I can stay longer without getting a special visa, travelling (staying in one country 2 to 3 months at a time) has definitely saved me money over the past five years compared to just staying in Toronto. Very useful video, Alina.
That’s wonderful, good for you!
Thank you for this video. I would be interested in more details about your apartment. Looking forward to you including that info in a future video after you leave..
Absolutely, thank you
I love this video. It's so interesting! I'm watching it for the 3rd time.
thank you for sharing your travel life living expenses, especially the break down details for each category. It seems most peoples stay silent on the subject when it comes to personal budgeting. as long as you stay within your budget, you should be fine and don't spend like there is no tomorrow. Sounds like you really enjoy your life style that is all it counts. life is an adventure, enjoy the journey!
My pleasure! Absolutely staying within a budget is important when doing this kind of work and I strongly recommend people having good emergency funds before starting out on a lifestyle like this because you don’t want to be stranded abroad with limited options.
Great vlog, cost comparison is very detailed, enjoyed from Toronto Canada, keep smiling !
Welcome to Finland. My 5 G phonecosts is 34 euro per month with limitless use of internet and calls homeland. For example, I share my web into TV and dont use outside antennas at all.
Thanks for breaking it down so well, Alina! Canada has indeed become quite expensive to live in, however there are ways expenses can be cut down in Canada
- Accommodation: Consider sharing a place with a friend/partner/family ; if you own a place, consider renting out a part of it e.g. basement etc.
- Food: Consider meal prep services, buy groceries in bulk, limit eating out to 1-2 times a week, consider ethnic restaurants (middle eastern, south asian etc) instead of traditional bars/pubs
- Transportation: use public transport wherever possible. if you need a car, buy a used one
- Phone: there are actually 100GB+ plans available now lol but yes they are still quite expensive, however consider the smaller carriers and you can get 30-50GB plans in the $30-$40 range
Obviously individual circumstances and preferences will come into play but my point is there are ways you can play the game differently :)
For sure those are great ways to cut down expenses. Personally though I don’t want to have to have a room mate at 32 years old and I like eating out too much lol. Since I’d want to do this job either way it doesn’t make sense for me to pinch pennies in Canada when I save so much money and have a better lifestyle abroad.
@@AlinaMcleod haha yes - totally makes sense. It is admirable that you have built a career that allows such flexibility. For a person in your situation, totally makes sense live abroad. I was speaking more from the perspective of those who are less fortunate lol
or just don't live in Toronto lol.
I left the Toronto area two years ago, I now live in another country, with pretty much the same amenities I had in Canada. Except now I live about a ten minute walk from a beautiful tropical beach with nice sunny, warm weather all year round.
With all expenses accounted for, I would say I pay about 60% of what I paid in Canada for a similar, if not better life.
Sorry, I am not going to disclose where I am living now because if I did then more and more people would move here and cause prices to jump here as well.
However, if you do your research you can find a few of these places without much effort.
That’s awesome, good for you!
Congrats for so good calculation. There are probably some other kind of expenses ,for example birthdays in family and friends, weddings maybe in family or friends, meetings with friends for various reasons......all these are not cheap , but also not used as nomad life.
Hi Alina ! A more reasonable cost of living leads to a better quality & more satisfying life which is something we should all seek. I'm glad your travels are not only a great source of joy but also a fiscal benefit. You definitely deserve to be rewarded for the excellent video presentations you deliver. Have a great day 😊 !
Thank you very much, David!
@user-vc9go7zx5q It's a minor point. I would say it was ..pointless .. Thanks , I guess ! ✌️
Well at least here in New Zealand is it most off the time warm. One can grow a garden and havest vegetables and fruits mostly all year around. And then there is fishing, which is fun. And if one had to, there is hunting. So here at least we won't go hungry
As much as I love Toronto, it gets harder to live here every coming year. Some people are lucky to be locked into old leases and are in a much better position than those renting at the current market. I recently posted a video where I analyzed housing options for newcomers. $2000 a month for a small bachelor studio with no parking spot, it's a crazy tag! Sad but true - people are leaving Canada...My closest friends left and a few more are on the way 😢
Yes, that is very sad. I honestly don't know how people just coming to Toronto can look at the prices and think it's going to be sustainable to live there and purchase real estate unless they have are certain they can get a very high paying job.
Toronto doesn't make sense. Canada still can.
@@debuthunter5389 The problem is that there are not too many places to choose from aside from Toronto. Calgary, for example, is following the housing crisis slowly but surely. Montreal is a very specific place to live. Vancouver is even more unaffordable than Toronto. Ottawa is boring as hell. There are no places left, lol.
@@AlinaMcleod Yeah, the medium income probably should be 150-180k for a duo to avoid struggling. Alina, it would be great if you shared in a future video a few tricks on how to manage money flow. My friends had some very unpleasant experiences dealing with Canadian bank being abroad. I don't like to carry too much cash while traveling and at the same time, it's scary to be dependent on cards that could fail at one moment. It's interesting how you're dealing with this staying out of Canada for so long.
@@alexsorokinca - Everywhere is pros and cons. But you can make yourself a good life in many of these places. What do you really do most of the time? Go to work, come home, chill a bit, maybe play some sports or go for a hike around or grab a beer with some friends? Is there really a HUGE difference place to place? And even if there is, is that $1000-2000 per month difference worth it?
I lived and visited Thailand every year when I worked in Asia for over 10 years, I love it there, I only returned to Canada 2 years ago and I would relocate out of Canada again in a heartbeat, but my biggest barrier is sending the kids to international schools, not having kids is really convenient and saves alot of money..
It sure does :) But kids are great in other ways so enjoy their company while they're still young!
Don't know if we have something similar; but, there is an American family currently living in Manila and their kids attend a US based on-line private academy that they love.
Ya i forget this couple in PH also.. does anyone kmow their channel name ?
@@joshchilibean9523 There are 2 families. Live the Philippines (and Always Be Changing) and MomDuty.
Watching from Dubai, I’ve been your subscriber for almost 6 months now and I find your vlogs very entertaining and informative, thanks for all your honest and non-biased opinions about the countries that you visited. I have also travelled to more than 10 countries and I wouldn’t have done it if I l’m not working and earning in a quite average company here. Years back I dreamed of living and working in Canada but I changed my mind because it seems like life there is more challenging than living in Dubai. Although there’s no citizenship here and one day we all go back to our home country but I can say that I can buy whatever I want with some luxury and at the same time I can also save money for future. I’m not ready to leave my comfort zone because life is too short for sufferings and I don’t know if I can still all do that if I’m there in Canada. Peace and love to you and your followers!
That's fair and thank you!
Very helpful video Alina, especially comparing the cost of living in Canada, specifically Toronto, to other places in the world.
And I'm really happy to see your growth that now you're able to live your best life like you said :)
Mobile plans prices are a bit cheaper now in Canada, for 30Gb you can easily find $30/$40.
True, if you’re in Toronto with Freedom Mobile, but SK and Maritimes don’t have that option yet I don’t think.
@AlinaMcleod Elon musk star link will change all that . The main problem is food price, and it's not only Canada.
In Europe, they are closing farms to protect the environment from climate change, and this has an effect on food prices for fresh vegetables.
I have 100 gb for $50. There's also us/Canada ones now for $30 30 gb
I live in Regina, Saskatchewan. I just get a 30 dollar for 30G byte per month before tax plan from Virgin. I think Sasktel also offer 35 dollar a month for similar plan . Canada does become more and more expensive. We spend nearly $4000 a month not include my house. Consider similar house is renting for $2600 a month on market, I am actually spend $6600 a month for a family of two@@AlinaMcleod.
Think about this. 30-40 a month for 30 gigs of data. She spends 16/month for 100....
Great vlog 🎉 watching fr Jamaica 🏖️
It’s so refreshing to see someone on TH-cam pronouncing Toronto properly 🇨🇦😍
These numbers are WHACK!
My wife and I are renting a 2 bedroom full-furnished apartment in Montreal, with all bills included, for $1,350/month, in a good area, close to metro stations, centrally located.
Prior to this I was paying similar for a place in Calgary, in a great area, centrally located. Maybe Calgary has gone up a little since then, but still not "that" much.
Toronto/Vancouver DOES NOT represent the rest of the country of Canada. It's like using NYC to represent the cost of living for the US.
I just got a new phone plan... I get 75GB of data, including unlimited calls and text, and full roaming and calls both in Canada and the US. And it costs me $45/month. So I get 2.5x the data, and all of North America roaming, for half the price she mentioned.
Her totals were: Travel ($3,216), Canada ($4,560).... When I adjust to my non-Toronto Canada living costs, adjusting my rent, phone and transit etc, I get to $2,975. And that's assuming my wife isn't even paying half of the rent.
I didn’t say it did, I was just saying that is where I would want to live in Canada.
@@AlinaMcleod - Not specifically a dig at you. But there is a massive influx in general of people complaining about Canada. About cost of living for immigrants. People talking about how it got expensive and they left Canada. But all of these people were living in Toronto! Lol. Everyone else uses those same metrics to explain Canada, but it's not representative. So I wanted to share my comment on here, to give some people a more well rounded understanding of the opportunities that DO still exist here.
It's no news that costs in a second- or third-world country are less than in a developed country. You could make the same comparison to the U.S. or most European countries (though prices in Canada have certainly gone crazy since the pandemic). The question is whether that's where you really want to be. I've travelled for long periods, and sooner or later I wanted to come home. If you're happy travelling indefinitely, good for you. But I think most people want to have a home in a country they like, despite the costs.
Travelling full time or living in Canada are not the only two options. If you have an online business there is a plethora of other countries where you could get residence and build a new home. I’m in the process of that and if I can continue having my business be successful, I will save substantially more money on living costs and taxes.
In that case, you're talking about becoming an expat. And that can be great, if you find a country you like better than Canada. Certainly, there are other countries that are cheaper and have better weather -- if that's where you want live. I'd only repeat what many expats have said: living in a country full-time is a lot different than spending a few weeks there, so give it six months before you decide for good. @@AlinaMcleod
For sure. It can take a while to find the right place for you but at the end of the day, you can also always come back to Canada/wherever home is. Ideally with lots of savings from your time living in a lower cost country and with job experience that is in demand of course.
Hello Alina,
thank You for sorting out all of the figures!
The quality of the sit down video is amazing.
I like the slight glow up, You added to Your hair in Bangkok 😉
Best regards, Ralf
What Alina said is 100% true, in Indonesia workers' salaries are around $200-$700 a month. And the salary for foreign workers in Indonesia is around $2000-$10000 dollars a month with the cost of living in Indonesia around $300-$700 dollars a month,And for business entrepreneurs, sports athletes, artists, foreign TH-camrs in Indonesia earn a salary of around $2000-$100,000,000 dollars a month,In Indonesia there are millions of foreigners living in Indonesia, the largest of whom are from the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, South Korea, Japan, perhaps 100 thousand people or millions of people and other countries.
It is kind of ironic that people from SEA are going to Canada for a better life and many Canadians are going to SEA for a better life lol.
@@AlinaMcleod In my country people are selling there house to move to the uk while the other one's in UK are working hard to build house back home.
In Montreal I pay CDN $865/m for a studio and my total monthly expenses are around CDN $2,000/m (and that includes eating out a lot). I am living "extravagant" life style because I learn French and practice it every day. I feel like I am living my best life on that budget because my dream of becoming a polyglot is coming true :-)
That's fantastic, good for you!
Hey fellow Montrealer! How good is it here!
@@debuthunter5389 It depends on the person. In nearby Subway restaurant all employees are talking about moving to Toronto because ... they don't speak French! And they also say that they can't get citizenship in Québec without French knowledge.
Oh, and it's also depends on the season :-)
@@alphabravo0 - Low skilled persons without knowledge of French will of course find it hard. Just like anyone in the rest of the country if they can't speak much English. Lol. If someone's moving for the English, they have a whole country that isn't Toronto or Vancouver to move to :) If they work at Subway, Toronto is a horrible move lol.
I agree with you, us and Canada are very expensive for living, furthermore the food it's not so healthy 😅.
I know! It’s so sad how bad a lot of the produce is for the price.
@AlinaMcleod ❤️
I’m 69. I came back to Canada in 2020 because of Covid. I had enough $ to buy a van, not enough to buy a house , and most apartments are out of my budget. So, I’m doing the van life the 6 months of summer , and for the 6 months of winter I fly to a warm and cheap country. To get my full pension I must be in Canada 6 months/year. Even counting the plane ticket, the health insurance, hostel (dormitory), food, etc, my bank account is a bit higher when I come back to Canada in April.
That’s fantastic, glad you found what works for you! Don’t completely take my word for it, but I’m pretty sure I read on the government website that as long as you worked at least 20 years in Canada, you can receive your full pension (40 years of work) even while you are abroad. It’s the health insurance that you would lose if you are out of Canada for years at a time and don’t have a permanent address.
@@AlinaMcleod My pension is too low, so I get a supplement which is 3 times my pension. For that supplement I must be in Canada 6 months/year. If you live in Québec, to remain eligible for health insurance, you must not be absent from Québec 183 days or more per calendar year. When you come back there is a 3 month delay to be covered again.
@@AlinaMcleod It may be different for Quebec resident for the federal pension. The base pension if you have been at least 20 years (after 18), is related to the number of years you have been resident.
Ah yes in that case then you’re bound to Canada for the supplement. Great you’re making it work either way!
Thanks
Aw thank you so much Svetlana! Hope you are doing great :)
Thanks for the stream and I am confident that NO ONE in the US living in a major city by themselves and living a "nice" life can budget only $3200 a month for all one's living expenses. It just can't be done.
Good break down. You could live a little cheaper in Canada outside of the "center of the universe" of course, as there's plenty of medium sized places that could probably make the monthly total pretty close to a toss up.
Of course, you'd also have to deal with all that comes with that and you wouldn't be enjoying your best life quite the way you seem to be, so you've absolutely found a great balance.
I chuckled when you pointed out that the "free" health care here isn't really free at all, and in fact regularly gets evaluated to be some of the most expensive in the world, and depending on where one lives here in Canada, is extremely variable in both quality and availability. When travelling, you can just go to where it is reasonable, high quality, and most importantly: available when you actually need it. Take Care and thanks for sharing your travels.
You're right that rent would be less in smaller centers, but then you almost always have to buy a car to get around so that adds a huge expense. For example in Saskatoon the average 1 bedroom seems to be around $1400, so add at least another $500 at least for gas, maintenance, insurance, parking and even more to actually buy the car or lease. I'd rather pay the extra to live in Toronto with everything it has to offer, but its main downside is long term potential: purchasing real estate is even more ridiculously expensive. So yeah, finding a new place to call home with a remote job seems to be the better option!
Interesting numbers showing it really is better in Thailand
I lived in Toronto most my life and remember when it was one of the greatest cities to live .
I moved to Saigon 10 years ago and love living in Vietnam but check the news and the prices in Toronto are off the charts .
Frankly speaking if I wanted to move back to Toronto I would not be able to afford I would just be surviving.
Not even going to get into the scary crime going on there now .
Living in Saigon I go regularly to Bangkok flights are so cheap and so much choices of where to stay and eat .
I feel lucky to be in a part of the world where it’s still cheap to travel and enjoy life .
That's awesome! Saigon is a great city as well.
Good for you.
I love seeing a young person with a plan having a go and living life on their own terms.
I have lived in Thailand for a long time and have a very different life to you and a very different budget. I watched my two daughters be born here and now one is at uni and the younger is in year 10. Our family gets by on around CAD 2K a month including all uni and dorm fees. Not a luxurious lifestyle but not a horrible one too.
No rent to pay though, so that helps :)
Thx for your take on it all :)
That's wonderful!
I'm always watched your vlogs. I'll support you. Tz.
Great budget planning ,best wishes for your future plan.
Thank you!
traveling full time can be exhausting.. I did it.. It's best to divide your time up in a few places.. If they are the right places you could probably save even more
Hi Alina, when i was living in Bangkok, i would always go to Sizzler's at Siam Centre and Central World. They have a very reasonably priced all you can eat salad bar. It's delicious and there are a lot of options. I would just order a drink to go with it. Thats how i saved some money and still get my daily dose of fruits and veggies.
Ooo good suggestion, thank you!
It's actually 30-35$ cad for 50-60gb in Canada, with referrals it can go down a lot cheaper.
Not in Saskatchewan, Maritimes or up north.
@@AlinaMcleod Oh, was not aware that you calculate everything else in Toronto except for phone connection. My bad.
@@AlinaMcleod aren't you comparing Toronto to Bangkok though??? Phones plans in Toronto are much cheaper than what you posted.
@@KumarReloaded - Lol yeah if Sask was now being considered as the phone plan metric, then you can deduct $1200 from the rent cost too :)
Hey your ability to do videos your getting experience doing content for all kinds of industries.The internet is not going away
I have checked on indeed for (content production) So many well paid jobs like 100 $ an hour for a cosmetic company in LA
Very interesting video, thanks for sharing your comparisons. I currently pay $96 per month for 90GB of internet. When I lived in the UK I paid around $20 per month for unlimited internet. I still can’t get over how expensive it is in Canada!
I live in Thailand with retired visa. I rent 2 beds room house on an orchard( mangos, bananas,dragons etc. 15 minutes from Pattaya. Rent, electricity,cable, water , 12 000 TB and 30 000 TB / month for food etc. So my girl friend and me are spending 1700$ Can/ month. No cold, no boots ,no tuque. I must say if someone falls in the pitfalls easy living it could cost him a lot. More than in Canada.
Hi 🇺🇦 girl! I don’t go to Canada anymore but also travelling on a monthly basis!! I’ve saved so much money in 🇨🇳 & 🇹🇭 though
A very nice video, Alina!❤
I spend a lot of time living in hotels in Southeast Asia and my budget is different from Alina’s but it is still substantially cheaper than living fulltime in my base of Sydney
Rents in Toronto are high, I pay $1200 for a pretty nice 1bd in a nice suburb of Dallas, my place even has an attached garage.
Hi Alina, it was great bumping into you in Bangkok! I can attest to what you're saying. After a week here I have more money in my wallet than I expected to lol. Safe travels and thanks for your kindness.
Hey, great meeting you as well and thank you so much!
Found the video very interesting and very informative Alina! You have definitely made the right decision for you and I am so glad that you are sharing your adventures with the rest of us. Thanks so much 😊
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!
I traveled full-time from 2014-2018 and spent less living in Asia and Europe vs. US. But now I have a cheaper apartment that I love, take public transportation and own a work from home business in Chicago. My monthly expenses are under $2000 which is the same as what I spent traveling. So my new plan is to keep Chicago as the home base and take 3-4 months off to travel abroad. I have all the conveniences of home and can still explore new places for a good part of the year.
That's a fantastic plan! Glad you found your perfect balance :)
Good luck with earthquakes and typhoons. Don't rush to Canadians' ambassy when you are in trouble
@@synaestesia-bg3ew You didn't see the horrible fires ravaging Canada this past summer? Or tornadoes, flooding or -40C winters? Every place has it's pros and cons, nowhere is a utopia.
Great video, thanks for sharing. As a fellow traveler, I love the insight you provide into the financial aspect and how one can travel and love what they do. I too live in Canada and concur it can be cheaper to travel to various countries then live in Canada!
My pleasure!
excellent video
Lovely way to break down the costs at home vs on the move. 🍀☘💕💕
What you have presented in your budget appears reasonable with what I have observed from what a couple from Ireland ( ones German & one is Irish but they met in Ireland & both were living in Ireland) presented as their budget from Thailand & other destinations. They don't visit the larger cities such as Bangkok and their budget was even lower than yours, but their accommodations were far less extravigant. You did forget two major expenses; car insurance and house or apartment insurance. ( car insurance in the USA is often $500 to $600 per car) It took me awhile to realize that living temporarily and/or traveling over seas could cost less than living in the North American but it finally dawned on me about 4 to 5 months ago. Two things that occurred to me about living abroad; to really reduce expenses you often need to reduce your standard of living ( not to be confused with your quality of living) and often your better standard of living comes at the expense of low wages to the local citizens of that country. I like my car & the convenience it provides but my wife & I could get along with one car rather than two. In a warmer climate I am sure that a scooter or less extravagant 4 wheeled vehicle would do fine. ( tut-tut or Chinese or Central European manufactured car, etc) Perhaps we in the USA and Canada have grown attached to and expect more than we actually need to have comfortable yet quality life.
Thanks! I don’t have a car, nor a home I pay for in Canada so I wouldn’t really list that on my budget.
@@AlinaMcleod But if you lived in Canada on a regular basis you would need a vehicle and preferably a small 500 to 900 foot something to live in. This should have been noted as an extra expense for living in Canada with a foot note that it could be optional if you lived in the right place.
Very informative video, thanks for posting. And great lighting on this one!! 😀
Thank you!
You are paying 1300 CAD rent a month for one bedroom apartment in a major city in Thailand in a building with amenities such as gym and swimming pool.
What kind of accommodation could you rent in Canada for the same amount in a major city?
Or, how much would you pay monthly in Canada for one bedroom apartment in a building with amenities such as gym and swimming pool?
In Toronto a similar apartment in a luxury building in one of the best neighborhoods in the city would easily cost $3500 CAD. Rooms for long term rent are on average $1500+ which is insane.
In other major cities, like Montreal, you could get something similar in a building like that for about $1500
Hola Alina, thanks for your honesty.
Totally agree. I end up saving money travelling to certain countries rather than staying at home
Enjoy living abroad, but hopefully not alone. Life experiences are always best when shared with someone.
A new country can and will get old and lonely.
Of course. Ideally I’d like to meet someone on the same wavelength and travel together, but I do have a lot of international friends and travel with them or my parents. You can be lonely in your own country and also in the wrong relationship.
so true. def spend less when travelling than when at home 🇨🇦
I pay 64 Canadian dollars including tax for 100 GB of unlimited data in Toronto for my phone. I got a deal last year and if you wait, you can get a deal like that.
That’s awesome!
Interesting comparison for those who are willing to move Canada
Hi Alina! I’m glad that you’re well & happy living such a fun, adventurous lifestyle in South East Asia. As someone that used to live in Toronto myself, I’ve seen just how expensive it has gotten & how little you get for your money. I would definitely love to see a tour of your place in Bangkok…always interested in comparing how living accommodations/budgets differ around the world. Cheers!
Thank you! Will definitely do a tour before I leave :)
Totally agree with the comparison. I would say the costs could be approximately half less in most SEA countries for a buggeted traveler
Enjoy life and travel since you are still very young keep doing the good job
Thank you!
@@AlinaMcleod Most Canadians specially the young ones in my circle wants to live your life just they cannot manage a remote job or online income which pays them 3k after taxes otherwise almost all of them will leave canada in a jiff
Merci beaucoup pour le joli partage 😊🙏 bon week-end chez vous à venir 😅
Hi: Alina Enjoy your dream journey.❤ I left Canada last year and enjoy here in BKK Happy and Enjoy food here that cheap and good nutrition if you know how to pick from the Street Markets. The cost of my food here is about $300 a month (buy the takeout from the Flea & Street Markets) Will back to Toronto next month for my tax purpose. Lets see how expensive had increase from the last years.🤞🥰
Thank you and hope you have a great time in TO!
@@AlinaMcleod I will be back to BKK. I live here permanently 😁😁
I heartily agree with your assessment. Your lifestyle is compatible to the working travel vlogger conflagration. Canada is becoming a land of living to work as opposed to working to live. The costs of the basic necessities has risen so much it in Canada that activities that were considered normal luxuries are being curtailed to cover basic costs. This was an interesting look at how your business funds your life. I think a lot of viewers don't realize that although you're in exotic locals enjoying what they have to offer. You are not holidaying, and a lot of planing, effort, and work goes into a day at the beach. We see the 10% fun at the beach and not the 90% of setup work behind the scenes and editing to create that illusion.
I for one am glad that you put the effort to provide viewers like me the chance to share your experiences.
Aw thank you very much, Jim! It is an incredible lifestyle for sure, but 100% it is not a full time vacation. Most of it is spent working behind the scenes, but at least it is on my own terms. I really appreciate all of your support and hope you have some awesome travels ahead!
@@AlinaMcleod Well at least I'm lost in Tokyo now. So that is an improvement. No better way to learn where you're at, than getting lost till you find yourself knowing you been here before and have a new direction to travel.
Hoi, Alina, pretty interesting to follow. Really detailed. CDN, but not only CDN, is pretty expensive. Most of the people around us cannot understand things like this. Back from biz in Turkey. Check how they be prepared for the upcoming busy season. Well done work, as usual, you know. Greetings, Markus
Hoi, Alina, Merci, looks like I´am busy. Lots of disruptions. Industrial action all around!.
Alina is so analytical 😆👍
That I am!
Well...one can easily rent a pretty descent 1 BD apprtment for 1300 CAD per month in Montreal. Moreover, if one began renting like 5 years ago and has stayed in the same place, 1300 CAD gives you an entire 2 floor house with a garden in many parts of Montreal.
Conclusion: just avoid Toronto and move to Montreal ;)
Traveling is great but I rather prefer to live a developed country like Canada where my kids can get a top notch and affordable education rather than in a any developing country in Asia dealing with typical issues of developig contries.
Just moved to Montreal. I love it already. And wayyyy more affordable.
I’ve been subbed for a few years. It’s cool to see how you’ve grown over the past few years. Leaving the US in March and hope to stay gone indefinitely. :)
Thank you so much!
Hi beautiful Alina!
I have been regular to your channel since I got access to the first device, I liked you since then, you are an amazing content creator, Touchwood!
❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much! :)
@@AlinaMcleod you are welcome, dear!
Woo 2500$ I am over Quebec and the rent went up but one bedroovm is 1000.$..still...when I travel my rent is the same or more just the food and phone is cheaper ....so for me itis the same I do not save and I do not lose ...😅
That’s awesome!
Quebec FTW!
So insightful. Thanks voor sharing :)
My pleasure!
You could not pay me to travel year round to save money. I like investing in my home community. I think overall life would be better if more people did that.
….only if folks have those “stable jobs” with comfortable wages….then maybe, it’s possible to do so. At the moment, it’s like an uphill battle for working-class poor to band-together and invest in the communities when everything is sooo expensive along with minimum (or above minimum) wage jobs are everywhere.
one important thing you forgot to point out is you do youtube as a full time gig. I know youtubers that live in america, they can write off alot of taxes for their flight, hotel, food and other travel related expenses. i'm not sure if it works that same way for Canadians? but this is a game changer. so whatever you earn from youtube, you can write off your travel related expenses on your taxes
I think most people who watch my channel know it's my full time job but yeah I guess for new people tuning in maybe they didn't understand that. And yes, I luckily can write off all my travel related expenses.
@@AlinaMcleod I meant the tax deduction part. Most ppl don’t know about.
for rental you forgot very important thing. in Canada you have to pay water, gas and electricity and maybe even paring and maintenance on top of that 2500 rent
Not for every rental actually. Most rentals in Toronto have utilities inclusive of the price. Maintenance and condo fees are only directly paid by the owner.
Thanks - Interesting indeed!
Hello to Gordon!
Im living the high life between turkey and georgia since may 2023, my savings account made an incredible come back, not stopping anytime soon
That’s fantastic!
@@AlinaMcleod I'm following 3 youtube accounts including yours for 2 years now, you guys motivated me to get away for the better, thankful
Nerede Turkiyede oturuyorsun, genelde?
Great video. Thank you for sharing
It’s a good thing you’ve not listened to some people, listen to your intuition it’s often right.
Happy birthday I hope I got the day right🎂.
Absolutely, intuition is our guiding light. Yes, my birthday is in February but the 17th! Thank you so much!
I ll go n visit the country where there are cheap in everything.i hd been in europe for the past 5 yrs n couldnt enjoy much as their currencies are high, but with that amount of money i can enjoy for same standard of services in my country.
Excellent content, Alina -- thank you for sharing!! Also, I just found your channel from your trip to the Philippines 🇵🇭 💕 last year! I hope you get to visit again soon. I can't wait to visit again, myself! It's more fun 🎉 in the Philippines as the saying goes. Stay blessed 🙏 ❤
Very enlightening.
Your mobile info is pretty out of date for Canada as thanks to the federal government forcing the mobile companies to lower their prices phones plans are much cheaper now in Canada. your 30GB plan is now half the price at $40 and most of the $80 plans come with 200GB of 5G data
Fascinating video, Alina. I would never have guessed that one could save money by being a full-time traveler. Canada is so expensive these days! For someone looking to retire in the next few years, where in your opinion would be the most economical place to reside and live the good life?
Thank you! You got lots of different options but my general favorite areas of the world are South East Asia and Eastern Europe. Thailand, Vietnam, Laos would be my top picks in SEA and Bulgaria, Albania and Ukraine (if there wasn't a war going on) in Eastern Europe.
@@AlinaMcleod Wonderful. Thank you for the reply. Your video truly opened my eyes to an alternate retirement plan. Cheers!