I understand some viewers expected a definitive conclusion given the video’s title, and that’s a fair point. If you came to this video expecting a clear verdict, I can see how the lack of one might feel frustrating. I’ll keep that in mind for future videos. This video was never meant to hand out a neat, one-size-fits-all answer to a nuanced and deeply personal question. If I had said, ‘Canada is better’ or ‘the USA is better,’ I’d be oversimplifying something that depends entirely on who you are, what you value, and what your life circumstances look like. That’s why I laid out all the factors-income, cost of living, healthcare, career opportunities, social benefits, and livability-and gave you the tools to weigh them against your own priorities. Let’s be real-if I claimed that one country is definitively ‘better,’ a lot of people would have (rightfully) called me out for ignoring the nuanced and subjective nature of the topic. Instead, I made the conscious choice to present an even-handed, data-driven analysis while also sharing my own experiences and the experiences of my guests. My goal was to help you reflect on what’s “better” for you based on what you’re optimizing for. As for my honest take, I did share it. I said Canada feels safer and offers a better social safety net, while the USA provides unparalleled opportunities for career advancement, which align with my goals right now. That is my honest answer, and that’s why I’m here in the US. At the end of the day, my goal is to encourage critical thinking, deep conversation, and reflection, not to hand out easy answers. I respect that you might feel differently. Thanks for watching, and I appreciate everyone who engages thoughtfully in this conversation.
Successful people don't become that way overnight .most people you see as a glance-wealth, a great career, purpose-is the result of hard work and hustle over time. I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in life..
Well...I will advise you should stop trading on your own if you keep losing and start trading with am expert because trading with an expert is the best strategy for newbie...
Very engaging right from the beginning These are tough times and frankly I appreciate how you discuss global finances in such a delicate way. Business and investment
He talked about rent prices at the very beginning of the video. Sure, these aren't housing prices but you can make a pretty educated guess based on the results of the cost of living section.
The US has the same issue if their major cities, I don't get why Canadians act like they don't. There is cheap housing in some cities in Canada, people just don't want to live there. Windsor has great prices in Ontario, Winnipeg has great prices in Alberta
@@boredguy5805 Housing-to-income is worse in major Canadian cities where the jobs actually are, and while it's also true for American cities like in California and New York, you still have 48 other states to choose from and can live an affordable life in Dallas, Chicago, Houston, Philly, Charlotte, etc., all of which have good job prospects.
As a Canadian who has had a lot of experience with both countries - my grandfather was born in the U.S., my son is a U.S. citizen, I had five years of U.S. schooling, I lived in the U.S., my ex-wife is American, I have traveled extensively in the U.S., my childhood best friends were American - I can say what country is the best is very individual. If I wasn't a single parent raising a special needs son I would probably live in the U.S. The services my special needs son receives in Canada could not be matched in even the most progressive east coast states. In Canada he is covered for dental, ambulance, optometrist, and special needs aids. He receives a benefit income, has door to door transportation, is in a full time program and is even enrolled in a special go'vt savings / investment plan. As a child his teacher to student ratio was 1:1 to 3:1. His school funding revolved around his needs. Now if I hadn't been a single parent I would have lived in the U.S. because in general I like the company of Americans a lot more. In Canada you generally need an invite to a group to make friends whereas in the U.S. there is a general willingness to befriend complete strangers. Also Americans are risk takers that appreciate and respect that in others; not so much in Canada. In Canada as a car crasher I was mostly alone whereas in the U.S. I would have been part of a larger community. Just my two cents.
So basically everyone with HIGH needs and dependent on the system comes to Canada? This makes it more expensive for existing Canadians while we attract people who need the system and repel people who don’t really need it but would contribute. This is why none of us has a doctor or any sort of health care as a regular citizen in Canada.
@@Tyler_094 If you dont have a doctor you're probably new. Most people who have been here pre 2020 have doctors. Of course that will change if my doctor retires but until then I have one who has been with me since I was born and pretty much knows everything about my medical history. Everyone has high needs at some point in their life, I had some medical issues as a kid which didn't put my parents in debt and allowed me to get regularly checked, if my parents were in the US (which they moved from prior to me being born) and didn't have healthcare who knows what sort of unchecked complications I would've ended up with. When Im old I expect that same system to be there to take care of me so my family members aren't burdened with the cost. Its not people who are dependent, everyone's dependent, its people who think having that cushion to fall on to is worth the higher taxes; which in my opinion is. I don't care if my income is in the millions and the government is taxing me, i expect those taxes to cover more kids who are sick so they can grow into fine adults who will support the next generation after them just like me and the generations before me. People take our system for granted and it shows in your comment.
@ I’m not new lol I was born here 30 years ago. I moved out of my hometown at 18 and never got one after. I went to university clinic or walk in clinic for the last 12 years. I usually pay for naturopath and other alternatives
@@Nabee_H My doctor retired, I have a new one however it is because I live in big city. If you live in small town or village then if your doctor retires it would be very difficult for you to get a new one. Also you have to wait for a long time if you need a specialist. I had waited for more then half a year for a cancer specialist.
I'm an RN. I will never get a $85 US plus per hour in Vancouver. I rent a room in Seattle and bring my US$ income and still live in Vancouver. I work blocks and get a long days off in Seattle and drive back to Vancouver. My Healthcare benefits are paid off by my employer in Seattle and still have full free healthcare benefits in Vancouver. In life you have to reap the benefits on both worlds. Life is good!
Also the curious case of Vancouver - simple answer is that those who can afford living in Vancouver did not make their money in Vancouver. They earned them money elsewhere and park/spend their money there
It's more of a - people made money before shit hit the fan and those people are still here getting by. Immigration and lack of housing have just made this once great place to live a financial housing crisis money pit with over priced groceries. But to get back to what your were saying.. yes we made our money here. (except for the ones who bought in here anyways..)
For younger people, those enjoying life in Vancouver nowadays are the ones getting hundreds of thousands (or even millions) from their parents. Google this: "jackpot generation" and read the Maclean's article. It talks about how there's $1 trillion of inheritance moving from Canadian boomers to millennials, just from 2024 - 2026.
@@joshuamethvendepends on the generation. If you’re under 25 right now you certainly didn’t make much money in the last decade of working years under Trudeau.
Canadian citizens The average cost for a Canadian citizen to study for an undergraduate degree is CA$6,463 per year, and CA$7,056 per year for a graduate degree. CA$28,000 over four years. The cost of a university education in the United States varies by the type of institution, the student's residency, and the level of study: In-state public 4-year institutions: The average cost of attendance for the 2024-2025 school year is $27,146 per year, or $108,584 over four years. If University in Canada is subsidized by the government, then Canadian Students do not leave with the same levels of Student Debt as US Students, so they don't need to earn the same amount of income to cover their Student Debt. However, if you can get a subsidized education and then move to a country where education is not subsidized and the salaries have to be higher to cover Student Debt, then the Canadian Student moving to the US for work is the winner. The US Student with US Student Debt working in the US is 'neutral'. The Canadian Student with lesser Canadian Student Debt working in Canada is 'neutral'. The US Student with US Student Debt working in Canada would be the loser... Canada should impose two different Payback Schedules, depending on whether the student remains in Canada and returns taxes to Canada after graduation, or goes overseas, subsidizing that overseas economy...
I'm a Canadian and I will never want to live in the States. A lot of what you talked about I have feelings and knowledge of that already and that is why no thanks USA. Maybe because I'm not a go getter, not greedy to have tons of money. I'm a computer artist and have been fortunate to make good money because of my talent. A safe simple life is more important to me than the go go work atmosphere that is most prevalent in the States. While visiting Portugal I met many Americans that moved there and found out that many moved out of the States due to bad health insurance and the violence. I met 2 women who were school teachers, one from Denver and one from Seattle who were afraid to go to work at their schools due to School shootings. Canada has bad stuff also and even many cities in the world are not perfect. Give me Canada, eh! Also just my opinion, the best music education place is in the UK.
I'm a Gen-x Canadian, currently in LA, who has lived across the US during five discrete stays for a total of 15 years over the last 25 years. The difference between the two countries is the balance between quality of life versus quality of work. Quality of life is much better in Canada, but quality of work is much better in the US. Safety, work leave, cleanliness, and medical expenses, I say that as someone who has surgery a few times in both countries, are better in Canada. Yet, irrespective of income differentials, the scope, value, and quality of work I'm asked to provide in the US is commensurate with the full scope of my Canadian engineering training. While in Canada I'm asked to provide services far beneath my skill sets as Canadian industrialization beyond raw material production is nascent and lacking boldness. I moved back to Canada a few times for work but found myself reporting to people with far less competency and exposure due solely to Canadian lackluster industrialization. As someone who values developing creative work product, the US and Eurasia are far more enticing, but I often long to move back home to Canada. If only the work was there...
This is a super helpful comment. i work as an architectural designer in Canada, was involved in multiple award wining projects in Toronto but I must say, I feel what you described almost every day working in Canada. Businesses are not interested in innovative approaches or higher productivity tools (such as software in my case). The general public is not interested in developing our cities and NIMBY's are dime a dozen, they just want to live in an imaginary world of 1970s, frozen in time. US is a lot more innovative and business oriented, clearly.
I have to disagree. I lived here in Vancouver BC for the past 35 years, with relatives in Seattle which I visit often. Canada is far worse place to be. The taxes and cost of living are doubled and wages are only 2/3 of the states. Yes we got beautiful mountains but the unaffordability is taking a huge mental stress on most canadians here
@XMG3 Vancouver is not the Canadian Seattle, but San Francisco. An honest assessment would be between those two cities. Please go to San Francisco with all the junkies and human waste on the sidewalks and compare it to Vancouver.
I can't remember who I heard say it, and I'm paraphrasing loosely, but it's that the glass ceiling in America can seem astronomically high and yet the floor is also shockingly low and easy to fall through.
Also, I will say that not enough is said about the cultural, creative brain drain from Canada, which I surmise is probably even bigger than the tech brain drain we always talk about. Like, all of the biggest Canadian actors and musicians are generally based outside of Canada, predominately in the US. This isn't only about individual choice, but economic, trade and foreign relation structures that have been operating for multiple generations. Those interested in fashion, design, architecture, journalism, etc will also find better opportunities for study, employment and entrepreneurship in the US, UK, Europe or elsewhere, and thus we see those industries also quite underdeveloped here in Canada compared to other OECD countries of similar population.
Theres additional things that should be considered which is general insurance. It also dramatically varies between each province and state, but when I hear people say theyre leaving ontario to go for cheaper living in Florida, and then hear them complain about housing insurance and land taxes the difficulty to not say 'i told you so' grows. Also I suspect with their 'cheaper' healthcare policies as soon as theyre seriously ill, they'll come running straight back to Canada for almost free treatment.
Such a well thought out video! It really is up to each of us to decide what is best for us because there is no “one size fits all” answer. Thanks for sharing your perspective and all of this information!
I find it crazy that the weather was not really mentioned. I don't love the heat.. but Vancouver being known as the good weather Canadian city and Seattle is known as one of the worst in the US is interesting noting their almost identical climates.
@@NorthStarPNW Definitely worse climates than Seattle in America. But I think his point stands - an American could choose 100 more temperate places to live without leaving the lower 48. There are no such places in Canada.
very flawed logic. Many Northern cities and east coast cities have similar wheather to every metropolis in Canada, hot summers, and cold ass, snowy winters. NYC, Chicago, Detroit, and dozen of other places really are very similar to Toronto, Calgary, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Edmonton in terms of weather. People say Seattle is a bad weather city, but they really just mean it rains a lot. Seattle has much better weather than all those US cities that have harsh winters. Most people would prefer Seattle weather to NYC weather. And if not, well than that would mean Canadian cities have better weather than Seattle to the average person. It is true that people complain about seattle rain alot, but it isnt considered a bad weather city, it has a much better climate that the east coast USA or northern interior states for sure, if youre like most people and dont like freezing half the year. Vancouver rains all winter, a lot in fall and fair bit in spring, but no snow hardly, and not too cold. Summer rains very rarely, and its a dry air, mild heat which is really nice Vancouver has fantasitc weather compares to most cities in North America, and so does seattle. Texas, California etc, have a heat problem in terms of weather. The rest of Canaca is comparable to much of the USA. cold as shit in winter, fine the rest of the year, and yes winter does suck in these cities, but meh.
Wow.. this is one of the best Canada-US comparisons I've seen. I hear a lot of younger people almost focus solely on wages when deciding where to live, and don't really look deeper.
Wages is what buys us our shelter and food - the two basic necessities of life. If you can’t easily afford both on your wage, it can create a lot of anxiety and fear. I’d say it’s pretty important. Canada is also freezing cold.
@@kathyde1906 I live in the warmest city in Canada, Victoria, and it’s still fairly cold compared to many U.S. cities. I grew up in Ottawa and escaped there as soon as I could but its -30 in winter there
@@Tyler_094 Don't get into an accident, though. Or getting a serious illness. Not being able to go to work will have you lose your job, and thus, lose your healthcare coverage. And that will cost your your home, Temps don't have to go very low for you to miss your home...
No.. life is better in Canada if you actually care about the poor. If you don’t, as is made evident with the crime, poverty, incarceration rate, GOOOO US.
thats not what I got from this at all. id say the other way around. Cost of living in cities like vancouver is very high. Its hard to live there if you arent well off. But there is more opportunity in America which is good if you are poor, and there are more low cost cities to choose from.
In a nutshell. USA: Higher Risk. Higher Reward CAN: Lower Risk. Lower Reward There's also confirmation bias in this... A healthy person who didn't get sick in their life and was able to earn enough to become wealthy will have a different opinion... than someone who endures a tragedy.
The U.S. has a lot of safety nets. I grew up extremely poor and got my education via Pell grants that i did not have to pay back. We have WIC, food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, ability to access social security early if disabled.
Born and raised in Canada, worked as a blue collar worker, no house, rented a small 800 sq foot basement apartment with my 2 kids and wife and one washroom at the time $1250 a month. moved to America, moved to Las Vegas same type of job, have a 2400 square foot home for $1600 a month. I’ll never go back home.
Canadian health care system in recent years has literally started using MAID as a way to save costs even for conditions that are fully treatable(but extremely expensive to treat). Also the wait times are insanely long
I've found through talking to people on both sides that if you're creative, like to engage in new ventures, and don't mind taking a bit of risk, the USA will reward you more. But if you value stability and a predictable life, Canada might be better.
As a Canadian now living in the USA, Healthcare in Canada may be free but it’s not great and the waits are ridiculous. Ours isn’t perfect, but you can go wherever you want and not wait for treatment.
Yeah but when you go to a hospital with a bloody nose or a broken arm the broken arm is priority and the bloody nose has to wait BUT if you have the money you can go ahead of the broken arm yeah that what you want money first.. NOT priority you wait BUT Canada being open for immigration makes it a lot WORSE a LOT..
@@flyspith7686 Immigration is a scapegoat. Seriously, if you believe Poilièvre blaming immigrants for everything, and Trudeau for immigrants and the rest, you need to open your eyes. Those immigrants were let in cause Canada was in a serious worker shortage. Would you have preferred companies to close up and move to the US to find their workforce? Also, housing shortage is due in good part to Harper (last conservative prime minister) giving tax break instead of reinvesting in infrastructure's after Chrétien managed to go from serious deficits into comfy surpluses. So of course, when the economy went down, Harper's tax cuts meant we went immediately into deficits again. Yeah, it's the conservative's fault, not the immigrants'.
average care if better in the states, statistiacally. If you can afford private healthcare, the USA has the best in the world, but its very very expensive. Canadians also pay about half of what americans end up paying on average, for better quality care.
Canadian healthcare is not free. People work and pay taxes to support our FREE healtcare. Although the system seems to be mostly broken and is slowly eating itself in most provinces.
obviously. Everyone knows that. we still almost half what americans do on average, and revieve better care on average in almost every metric related to health than americans, on avaerage.
He never says it is free. He analyzes taxes and then says there is no user pay when you actually need to go to the doctor. So yes you pay taxes. But if I need an expensive surgery and a 60 day hospital stay I am not bankrupt. Dialysis costs nothing. My mother's cancer treatment which costs $30000 per month in the USA cost nothing. Hit by a car? Costs nothing Get shot? (although WAY less likely in Canada it does occasionally happen) Hospital stay costs nothing. Ask all the bankrupt Americans who are being hounded by hospitals to pay medical bills which system they would have preferred. The real story is you are gambling how long it will take to hit a medical crisis. So if you average the cost of a single medical crisis over the years of paying taxes, you are highly likely to come out ahead in Canada at some point during your lifetime. And if you have enough money for whatever treatment you require you just skip the line and go elsewhere for treatment, in other words medical tourism. Neither country is perfect and it all depends on your priorities. Just remember that your priorities can change in a heartbeat when a medical crisis hits and that is the absolute worst time to be having to worry about money. Personally I would rather pay taxes now and be stress free in the event of a debilitating illness or injury
I have been in Canada for 10 years and the government funded health care I have experienced is not good. There are no private hospitals and the public ones are overflown. It took me 6 years to get a family doctor and one month later Covid lockdown started, so I was never able to see them and then I move provinces and had to start all over again! 3 year in Quebec and I still have no doctor, but here you need a general practitioner to be refereed to a specialist, I had to go to private clinics to find help with specialists, pay out of pocket and ask for a refund via my employer insurance when available. The problem is that there is no competition or other options as far as hospital care, it's not like I can go to a private hospital like I do with clinics because there are only public ones. I once broke my pinky and went to the ER at 4am but was there until 11am just to be told that the only thing they could do was an xray and even if my foot was broken there was nothing they could give me, so we just took the x ray and confirmed and then I was sent home, no pain meds or anything. I would prefer to have the choice to go to a private hospital, I am from Brazil and there is public funded health care but there are other options as well. So I am not too sure that health care in Canada is such a big great thing, at least currently. Is there a public option in the USA? I am not sure.
You do have the choice to go to a private hospital, you can drive to one in the US and pay $$$. No one will stop you from going, and the US health service will be more than happy to relieve you of your money.
I've been living in Toronto for 35 Years now, before it was not so crowded and cost of living was nice, then these few years was havoc with too many immigrants coming into Canada. I found myself a long line just to do a annual body chek so I keep changing family doctors every month. Everything is cover via OHIP , so I don't know why you are in a bad situation. So I'm guessing you're not a Citizen and/or tourist / student visa?
Samuel was my student at a local coding school in Vancouver. So good to hear from him about his progress in Vancouver and that he is still calling Vancouver his home. Do pass on my regards to him. Wishing him the best.
I've lived in Vancouver longer than I have lived in my birthplace and I can truly attest to your Canadian facts and observation. From my age group perspective, I can add that if you're still young (20's to early 30's) and moving to the US, it is definitely a vast ocean of opportunities for you. If you're still adventurous even in your late 30's, I think there's still lots of opportunities in career growth. As for me, I moved to Canada in my late 30's and I felt the need to ground myself already as I have started a family then. All my friends who moved to the US surely made it more in dollar figures than me, but it doesn't mean that they are better off than me. I am happy and at peace here while I still get to have a taste of the US experience. So again, for me, it depends on your season in life and how you perceive success and contentment. Keep it up and shine brightly!!
I am a Canadian moved to US 3 yrs ago. So far US is treating us well. My kids Love it here due to a better weather. We can have move extra money compared to when we were in Canada. Life is so tough and we have more time to be with our family than we were in Canada.
really? how about parental leaves and healtchare? i heard you don't realllly need to spend 400-1k a month for it, is it manageable even with these costs? can you work less than 40/week and have free time? i'm super curious my gf is doing nurse school in quebec, i do security system & alarm at a trade school we are both international students, do you think it's that good for the kids there? thank you in advance !
I have never lived in Canada and am not qualified to compare them, but even in theory, I find the difference in climate to be a compelling factor. I grew up in Boston and found life quite miserable in winter. As an American, I take for granted that I can resettle in Los Angeles, Arizona, Florida, etc. The fact that the winters in Boston are milder than almost anywhere in Canada blows my mind a little bit. It's not a factor that probably would matter that much to most people, but for me it's been a major factor in quality of life.
I lived in Montreal for 15 years and visited Boston many times. I now live in Denver. I can tell you that once you head south from Montreal and get over the green mountains it is shocking how much warmer it is just a few hours south in the US. The winter in Boston is considerably milder than Montreal. Not even close.
I'm in Windsor, our weather is usually pretty great. we miss most of the worst of the storms due to where the great lakes sit don't get more then a few inches of snow every other year. we are also close enough to everything anyone could need within a 4 or 6 hour drive, both sides of the boarder. we used to be the cheapest place to live but unemployment sucks. the big difference is Canadians are too complacent politically and don't actually know what's going on in office. If they did know we wouldn't have a lib con duopoly and nether would ever hold office again.
@@TheInsaneupsdriver Agreed. Canadians are very complacent whereas Americans have a rebellious spirit to some degree. Canadians freedoms have steadily eroded over the decades but they put up no fight. Canadians overall trust in government leaves me shaking my head.
8:20 - "Free" healthcare does not exist; we pay a buttload of taxes for this "free" healthcare, it averages to $9,000 per year for every human in our country - whether they're employed or not. Since only 50% of our population works, we're looking at an average of $18,000/year in medicare costs that each working individual has to shoulder. So, while one would think we must have an amazing medical system considering how much our "free" medicare costs, the reality could not be further from the truth. Our medical system is so overloaded that I don't know ANYONE in Canada able to get treatment unless they're dying. Compare this to the USA, where unless you're working in a food truck you will get employer supplied medicare, and your $160 a month plan gets you access to literally the world's best hospitals and doctors - So, sorry, but Canada can no longer claim "medicare" as an advantage since we don't actually have services.
@@quasimodem5260me too, cancer survival with multiple health issues needing frequent inventions and follow-ups, would have lost my house and be in major debt if it wasn’t for the Canadian healthcare system. I had the best Doctors and prompt care when I needed it most. We have our problems but I won’t trade it for anything
@@quasimodem5260 What year did you get treatment? And as I stated above, you'll only get care if you're dying, correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't cancer kill people? For the record, I am sick, I'm speaking from my lived experience, on a 1.5 year waiting list for a necessary surgery after paying taxes for 30 years, but I was told it could be fatal if my condition gets worse and if I think I'm dying go into emergency and they'll do the surgery right away. In the meantime my quality of life is in the toilet. But seriously, what year did you go through this? Try and get any treatment in 2024, let me know how it works out.
I think the difference is, Working, young Canadians, pay for most of the old people who simple come (or return) to Canada to retire. Prescription meds in USA are about 1000 times more expensive than most other countries. Canadians can still pay for an insurance if needed just like US, Immigrants don't get free healthcare so they have to. Canadian healthcare can be bad, but over the last 5 years as an immigrant, my medical bills have far exceeded by insurance cost, and my insurance covered anything. In US, health care is more accessible but is really skewed by how much i pay and most affordable insurance don't cover anything expensive, and it's illegal to get medication from abroad. As a 20-sth guy, life is tough in Canada, 100%, but in a few years if i wanna have a family, if i want to have work life balance, raise my kids to have a normal childhood, US is terrible place to do that.
We all end up dying, your point is moot. Every human will go through the healthcare system at some point, allowing corporations to abuse the system and use it for profit is a horrible idea.
An in-progress answer isn't a bad thing man, holy hell was this video informative!! Was honestly thinking about a lot of this stuff lately too, so it couldn't have come at a better time 😅 Amazing video Ameer
in BC, MSP coverage is also tiered along income so you have additional coverage (such as on prescriptions etc) if you are below a certain income threshold. People on disability support, for instance, get most prescriptions covered and free dental care. I would also mention that student coverage is amazing if you're in uni here, so much free mental health care too.
I like your research levels. I will say healthcare in Canada has failed me due to the lack of qualified surgeons. I have a workplace injury that I am almost 2 years in. I have a UK leading surgeon who is willing to operate and would have had me back at work in 6 months. I will not be back at work before 2 years unless something amazing happened.
Way back in the early 2000's. The price of chicken and dairy was exorbitant in Ontario because the government controlled pricing. I can't even imagine how much it is now.
The poorest states in the US have a higher per capita compared to major provinces in Canada. Health isn’t free it comes out of our taxes. Plus no dental. The prices of things are higher in Canada with lower salaries and taxes equivalent to the highest states in the USA. In US you can escape to a lower taxed state and still earn well, In Canada where do you escape to?
In Canada we might seem to have better benefits for Old Age, but the cost of living especially in BC. A big portion can't afford rent/food. They have to choose.
My talk is that if you are entrepreneur type of person, you’ll find better opportunities in US. If you are not but Canadian with supportive parents back home in Canada, spend you first 10 or so years working in US up to mid-management level and settle your family back in Canada may give you a head start
Even though I never lived in America and live in Canada, I would prefer America because I’ve never been to Canada before moving to Canada. There are downsides and upsides to everything. I also want to move to USA because I want to be a businessperson and I find America more business friendly than Canada because of less regulation
This was very well done. Good balance. I think most people are uncomfortable with an answer somewhere in the middle, but that's reality. Also, the country that works for you may change over time as well. Nothing remains static. Looking forward to Part 2.
Very thorough and comprehensive analysis, great job! I would add 2 more reason why the gross incomes in the US are higher than in Canada in 2024: 1) at will employment which, in turn, means a much higher risk for employees; and 2) USD has appreciated 30-35% since late 2014 against all major currencies (except CHF). 10 years ago the difference in gross incomes calculated in USD was much smaller than it is today.
I think there's a big flaw in looking at the numbers purely from a percentage basis. Say you live in a Canadian city where the income to cost of living ratio allows you to save 20% of your income vs an American city where the ratio allows you to save 12% of your income if that American city. You might count that as a win for the Canadian city. But if you're earning 50k USD in the Canadian city, saving 20% means saving 10k/year while 100k in the American city at 12% means saving 12k/year. When you look at the endgame of being retired, you are going to look at your nest egg as a total amount saved and not the percentage you saved. You should look at the absolute numbers.
your logic is flawed too. The average american isnt making DOUBLE what a Canadian makes lol, and even then, that would only be 2k more in savings using your 50k, 100k example.
Keep in mind income tax is only 1 of the several taxes Canadians pay. Add the carbon tax, EI, CPP, social security, etc. and that nimber starts to look much higher
I will forever grateful to you, you changed my entire life and I will continue to preach on your behalf for the whole world to hear you saved me from huge financial debt with just a small investment, thank you Mrs Sophia
Yes! I'm celebrating $132K stock portfolio today... Started this journey with $10K.... I've invested no time and also with the right terms, now I have time for my family and life ahead of me.
I'm 60 and my wife 53 we are both retired with over $1 million in net worth and no debt currently living smart and frugal with our money. Saving and investing lifestyle in the church stock market made it possible for us this early even still now we still earning weekly
It's maybe not perfect, but whatever the angle you look at it, this always ends up with your personal priorities. Yet, one the best reviews on the subject, and in a most respectful way, which you explain clearly in your sticky, and most compelling comments also go in that direction. Well done sir!
I’m in one of Canada’s “most violent cities” and grew up in a lower class neighborhood. Even when visiting the bad areas in town now I never feel like I’m going to be drive-by ‘d. I can’t say the same thing for some of the US cities I’ve been in.
yes, instead we have out of town hoodrats going to our nice suburbs and breaking into homes, stealing cars and robbing malls every other day in broad daylight.
Health care in Canada is not free. You pay for it whether you want it or not. You have no choice about the quality. No chance to force a quicker visit. My wife and I paid 360 ( 180 each) a month for a type of health care cost sharing plan that is not insurance. My mother who has no insurance got free or nearly free eye exam. If you had to pay that emergency room visit yourself you could have probably settled for 3000. The insurance company probably paid 2000. They tell you it cost 7000 to keep you as a customer. There are doctors in the US who will charge about 100 to 200 per month and see you as often as needed for no extra charge, cheap catastrophic insurance covers the rest. There are emergency clinics that are much cheaper than the ER which is the most expensive way to get health care. Most seniors and most poor people get government paid plans and you get to select the plan. Charity hospitals and services are available. It is not at all like you make it sound.
I entered this video with the mindset that I will leave Canada and live in the United States due to it being a better overall country for my wants and needs; however this video gave me a new perspective that both countries are great in their own ways. I still plan to get a US visa to work, and live in the US to see which country I prefer, however I want to thank you for the new perspective on the two countries, and can't wait for part two of this series. This video was very well made, and I was very engaged through the entire 30 minutes!
Canadians have longer life expectancy for a reason. Much safer, and you're taken care of mentally and physically. Canadian cities are just newer and cleaner. Being more educated helps as well
yes and average healthcare quality is better in Canada, although the rich get private healthcare in America which is some of the best in the world, but very pricey. For 90% of people, healthcare is better in Canada, and works out to about half the annual cost per Canadian on average.
@@jacobrobinson2299 I mean Seattle is considered a drug dump, and Portland looks like a warzone last I saw photos. Unless there's another Pacific NW city. And People from Boston that post on the Toronto subreddit always highlight how clean Toronto is in comparison to what they're used to...
In Canada you have only so many large, mid-sized and medium-small cities along a relatively thin invisible line mostly near-ish the border, assuming you want to live in an urban/semi-urban environment. There's so many more places you can go in the states, so much variety, that you are more likely to find a place that checks all the boxes for you with less compromises, unless your career is very niche and you have ambition to thrive in something, somewhere very specific. Then there's sales tax (and other taxes), which wasn't discussed as a financial factor. In Canada, it's often 12-15% in many provinces and tax is applied on more goods/services, which you might be inclined to compare to putting the difference into a more manual emergency medical savings account in the US (assuming you can afford to), like $3000 to meet insurance deductibles and so forth, which is effectively below the average difference between yearly sales tax expenses alone. The average sales tax in US is roughly 7.25%. Sales tax varies state to state (and city/county), where you, if you have the blessing of opportunity to choose, have more say in what fits you best. Ultimately, it boils down to more freedom of choice in the US due to inherent differences and disparities of locales, again assuming you're free to chose, vs stability and homogenization of a social benefits backstop in Canada. Depends on what you want to roll the dice for. Great fair video/analysis though; just thought to add a couple things I find myself thinking about often that I have noticed after living in both countries myself. :)
Thank you for leaving such a detailed and insightful comment! You’re absolutely right about the variety in the U.S.-the sheer number of cities, each with its own character, tax policies, and cost of living, definitely gives people more flexibility to find their ideal spot. Canada’s urban density near the border does limit options in comparison, which is an important trade-off to consider. Your point about sales tax is also something I’ve been thinking about. The Numbeo data I referenced in the video should account for consumption taxes (carbon tax for gas prices in Canada, "sin" taxes for alchohol prices), but I wasn’t 100% certain, so I tried to avoid doubling up on it when factoring in costs. You’re right, though-sales tax in Canada is often much higher and covers more goods/services, which can make a big difference over time. This is definitely something I want to tighten up in future comparisons! Thanks again for sharing these points; it’s clear you’ve given this a lot of thought, and I really appreciate your perspective!
@AmeerCorro There's loads of angles so it's quite a challenge to go over them all in such detail, however, I couldn't help myself this one time to add a couple since you provided great viewpoints. The end result of your video is that it's not as black and white as many like to say, which is refreshing to see. You did a great job covering quite a few points to the calculus. That said, I do have to say thank you for giving a very balanced and fair analysis without falling into a fan bias, very rare to see! Both countries are great in their own way. Having a chance to choose is a heck of a blessing and I hope you're happy with wherever you settle with in the future!
I would say from my experience - Canada is better. The US you make more money on paper, but in reality that all goes towards living expenses and taxes. You pay a lot of money in taxes, healthcare costs etc and you don't get much back for your investment. Everyone here has a headless chicken mentality, where they work themselves into the ground, constant work, and honestly I can't even picture being able to retire. The majority of people will end up working until they die in the US, without much travel prospects, bad quality food, air, infrastructure, etc. Not to mention the politics. US is great at selling you this fantasy idea but in reality unless you're fortunate to have a decent paying job, and place to live it's a shit show.
Actually living expenses is mush higher in most Canadian metropolitan city. I live in Toronto . The average price of a house here is 1.2 million $ . The average price of a 1 bedroom apt is 2500 per month .Median gross income is 60 000 but after taxes it comes up to roughly 3600 $ a month. Average grocery price for one person is roughly 400 to 600 a month .
Interesting comparisons - to make it even more challenging, think about age. When you are younger, you may be far less concerned about health, but more concerned about opportunity. You may also be more optimistic that you will be at “the top” of your career. However, being able to establish yourself, buy a home, or start a family may be concerning. Then, as you age, health and stability may become more attractive (and you may realize that “average” is the norm (by definition) and not everyone is in the top 20% (again, by definition). It’s at that point where priorities realign and things shift.
Canada was good 15-20 yrs ago. We’re over taxed , over regulated and overwhelmed with mass migration. I agree there are pros and cons but overall usa is far better.
For expenses, should you also consider education? My sister and BIL are Canadian who have been living and working in USA for the past 25+ years. They became US citizens a few years ago. Their two sons were born in the US and have the benefit of dual citizenship. This allowed my nephew to attend the Unviersity of Waterloo's Astro Physics program as a Canadian vs an international student, which was way cheaper than any US schools offering a similar level of eductation. After graduating he went on to get his masters at York University in Toronto, but since he is an American he immediatley landed a job at NASA after completeing grad school. While I am extremely happy for my nephew, it is also somewhat hard to see someone get a great and less expensive education here in Canada, only to immediately go back to America.
This was fun and I'm not worried about little details or opinions. The journey of comparison, and the discussion that follows, is a decent one that sparks some ideas and thoughts about the similarities and differences that make up a typical North American. The amount of data and information you provide is as complex as it is is intriguing. Good work. Thanks!
I was a dual citizen living in Canada. Father was American and mom was Canadian. At 12 years old, my parents moved us to the states because of high cost of living/taxes, and terrible medical care. Also, my dad was an x-ray tech. working in the US and mom was a teacher who got a job teaching in the US. The transition was quite simple for our family. My brother tore ligaments in his knee skiing Big White and he had to wait over a month for surgery. My dad took him to the states and he had surgery the following week. The surgery was $1800 (dad's deductible) if I remember correctly. Every weekend and every time we visited family in the US we stocked up on groceries, especially dairy and filled up our van with a full tank of gas. What I liked most about BC were the outdoors as we liked to fish, hike, camp, and ski. What I like about the US is better health care, cheaper cost of living, and you still get good outdoor life. Americans are very patriotic, college football is off the hook, US has the 2nd amendment, and the US seems quite advanced compared to Canada especially the hospitals and universities. In the end, I like/dislike things about both the US and Canada but I'm happiest here in the US and wouldn't want any other country other than Canada north of us.
well Canadians recieve better care on average, statistically than Americans, unless you get private care in America which is insanely expensive. There are lots of stats you can look at like, cancer mortality rates and prognosis, life expectancy, etc. Canada averages better in nearly all of those metrics. Plus we pay a little over half of what an avg American pays for healthcare annually. American healthcare is a business based around making money. I severed 4 tendons in my forearm and got surgery in a few days. A month is insane, but I believe you. It depends on the area I suppose, the injury and the current busy-ness. A deductable even if you have coverage is still a huge amount of money for many people, without coverage it would have been probably 20k or more I assume. Maybe much more. But anyway, I digress.
@@DustinMulligan-w9b I don't believe that for 1 second. I don't think you know what you're talking about as 78% of all Americans have private/employee based health insurance, 12% personal health insurance, the remaining are covered by the taxpayer. I think your getting healthcare and health insurance mixed up. If Canada's healthcare is so great, why do your hospitals look like they're 15 years behind the US, why do so many Canadians come down to the US for treatment (over 50,000 in 2023), why does the US rank #1 in the world for best health care (not health insurance), R&D, equipment, state of the art tech, best Dr. best hospitals. Canada's healthcare system is rationed and you sit on long waiting lists, use old and outdated equipment, very few MRI units, etc. Canadians pay way more than your average American as Americans only pay their deductible when they need care. Canadians pay high taxes every day. Concerning cancer, Americans have a better survival rate. worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cancer-survival-rates-by-country
From Boston, moved to Montréal and loving it. My 2 cents: First and foremost: Thank you for this video, super interesting and well-designed flow of storytelling :-). Having said that, my observations are: 1: Vancouver is one expensive place in Canada, but multiply that by a million when you move to the states. Unless it's a very dangerous part of a declining city, or the middle of nowhere, (but then there's usually no jobs if it's cheap). 2: Gun violence is real and was the #1 reason we wanted to leave. 3: Berkelee is amazing, but good luck making a living in the arts, especially music, especially in the U.S. Moving back might help. In the U.S., unless you have an industry connection it is very hard to make a living in the performing arts (and I taught dance at MIT and BU, and at Fred Astaire, so I've been there).
I was an international student in Canada a long time ago but eventually moved to the US and became an American citizen. Much prefer the US. The problem with Canada is that a lot of new comers (like when I was an international student myself) only went to Canada because they thought it’s similar to the US but much easier to move to permanently… the minute they can move to the US they don’t walk they run (myself included)… “you don’t want someone date you because you look like a hot guy that’s too difficult to date… you want someone to date you for who you are.” The US is not perfect but if you have to choose between Canada and US, the US has so many more economic opportunities and the landscape is so much more diverse. However I would say that if you are dirt poor it’s better to be in Canada but if you are middle class and above, USA is the place to stay
In Canada we're not too happy with the idea that many people apply for student visas with the intention of easier citizenship. We feel used and abused by many internationals wanting to immigrate for our social safety net. Why not the Scandinavian countries that have even more comprehensive social programs? I take offense that you say "if you are dirt poor it's better to be in Canada". A lot of the world is trying to stuff itself into 2 countries that don't have the infrastructure, housing or health care.
As an American, I'd say the economic opportunities are the only real advantage we have over Canada (aside from hospital wait times, I guess). We simply have a stronger, more rewarding labor market. But as the video said and showed, there is more to life than high salaries and job opportunities, of which Canada is either highly competitive or out-right superior in most other metrics.
Always better in a white majority nation Is it not brown man ?. Non-whites will not leave us the fk alone... 3rd world diversity sucks for white nations... Go Home ! Reply
@@annemarie3140 It is definitely true though, however, international students are intended to simply study and shouldn't hold any other motivation. If you want to come here to use our taxes then you must commit to staying here and paying them back, which most international students don't care for. It's easy to abuse and it's solely the governments fault for allowing it. There should be a debt system the government uses against migrants, one which will be wiped if they pay taxes for a certain period/gain citizenship. If they leave the country before that period then they should be required to pay the debt (our taxes) back.
I was an international student from France. After graduation I became a permanent resident and later became Canadian. From the time I graduate, I was working full time and paid my federal and provincial taxes. In my job, I employed 6 people. I do not feel that I have taken advantage of my adopted country in any way. Please note also that the social safety net in France is superior to Canada. IMO. Also when you start working over there, you get right away 4 week vacation, and in many companies, you get a 13th month salary at XMas.
A factor to take into consideration of private healthcare in the U.S. You can pay for private insurance, read all the fine print to ensure you are properly covered yet still be denied a medical procedure while even on the operating table despite being told by the insurer that you were covered before booking the surgery. For Canadians who earned more than $400,000/yr. OAS is $0. So, not all income levels. I've lived in Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco and San Antonio. So, I get it. You can't answer this question based on country, it really comes down to cities and communities.
it seems like the US is great if you're wealthy, and can afford to live in a nice area/provide for all your potential healthcare needs. for regular working/middle class people, Canada is probably better overall, unless there's a specific niche industry that you need to be in the US for.
Winnipeg is actually modelled or templated after Chicago and is the reason it was often referred to as "little Chicago or Chicago of the North" (I've heard sister city but apparently AI says I'm wrong on that front) - and the joke was "well we got their traffic problems". They both grew to a point and then only Chicago continued in that pathway by leaps and bounds.
What counts as "excellent" public transit, bike networks, or pedestrian infrastructure really depends on what you’re comparing it to. For instance, in cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, you’ll find extensive public transit systems (like subways, metro lines, and buses), growing bike networks, and highly walkable neighborhoods. Are these cities on the same level as Amsterdam or Tokyo? No. Is there significant room for improvement? Absolutely. But are they better than what you'd find in car-centric U.S. cities like L.A., Houston, and Atlanta, where public transit is almost non-existent in some areas? Without a doubt. As @MrKongatthegates pointed out, some U.S. cities barely have any public transit at all. Most large Canadian cities, even with their flaws, have functional public transit systems as a baseline. That said, I also recognize that smaller Canadian cities or suburban areas can be a completely different story. I grew up in a car-centric Canadian suburb myself, so I know the struggle firsthand. Canada has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to public transit, but it’s still far ahead of what you'd find in many American cities.
im really interested in how you calculated the tax in these cities as being similar, did you account for the conversion between currencies when doing so?
The winters are much, much colder in Ottawa. With the windchill, it's often -30 degrees Celcius (-22 degrees Farenheit), with a lot of snow that is usually on the ground for 5 months. Most Canadian retirees who live around there who can afford to, spend their winters in the US (snowbirds), as there are 4-5 months of very intense winters there. If you love winter you might not mind, but if you're older and slip on an icy road or sidewalk, it can be a broken hip, and can be more difficult to stay active and have a good quality of life if you tend to hibernate more in the 5 months of extreme cold and snow.
@@polishtheday Toronto has tropical winters compared to Ottawa, so I'm not sure what your point is. Ottawa winters are drastically colder, snowier and last longer than Chicago.
I’m in Montreal, which has a similar climate to Ottawa. Winters are a bit colder, but people tend to exaggerate how cold and long they are. They’re getting shorter and warmer due to climate change. The biggest change you’ll notice is the size of the city. Ottawa doesn’t have an exciting downtown like Chicago. It’s mostly suburbs with single-family homes. But if you’re craving the big city, you can always get in a car or take a plane or train to Toronto or Montreal. If you like the outdoors, you’ll be just minutes from it in Ottawa. The one thing that impresses me every time I visit Ottawa is how friendly people are there compared to other Canadian cities. A large number are highly educated, if that’s important to you. They also seem happy, which makes me wonder if that’s because of a high population of retirees. Quite a few are former civil servants getting relatively generous defined benefit pensions. Ottawa also obviously has a lot of civil servants and those with high incomes. It often makes the top of the list as the best place to retire in Canada. I wouldn’t hesitate to move there, and I’m fortunate to have lived in the two best Canadian cities - Vancouver and Montreal (sorry, Toronto).
@@polishtheday I've lived most of my life in Ottawa as well as all over North America, so you clearly don't know what you're talking about, having only visited Ottawa, compared to having lived there for years and knowing a factual comparison of it to Chicago, like me. Ottawa is factually drastically colder, snowier, and much more of an extreme winter, lasting 5 months or so compared to Chicago.
I've lived In Canada for my entire 30 years, 11 of which I've been here in Toronto and it's sad to say but the country has fallen dramatically over the last decade. The average cost of a house in Toronto has risen to 1.2 M, the average income is 60k, food cost has risen over 20% since the pandemic and the influx of low skilled Indian immigrants is completely out of control. Trudeaus carbon tax is actively attacking Albertas gas and oil sector and the cost will certainly be passed onto the Canadian people. Our economy has fallen and will take a LONG time to recover. The best thing to do at this point is cash out my investments and GTFO out of dodge...
Most Canadians get more money back fromt he gas tax than they pay in. only the richest Canadians pay more in Gas tax than they receive in rebates. If we eliminate the gas tax basically you would be taking money away from middle class and poorer Canadians
Housing is up everywhere around the world. Oil sands at highest production in Canadian history. Economy is stable, didn’t enter into recession, inflation already below 2% target. Next.
ironically the most skilled workers are also Indians. The low skilled workers you talk about are temporary students who work part time and get high paying jobs after graduating. You feel the burn because you stay at low paying jobs which can't fund the lifestyle that you were used to. So cope and hate is all you've got. Indians have no choice but to work really really hard. I think a mirror will show you who the low skilled worker is.
@rollingthunderinho Not true, GDP per capita has been in a recession for years now. I suggest you take a proper economics course, plenty of free ones here on TH-cam.
These videos all tend to be the same. They cherry pick data to make the comparisons similar and never end up picking the US even though 10x more people move from Canada to the US despite a more difficult immigration process. First income. I usually see the comparison ignoring the fact the US dollar is 40% higher than Canadian. Taxes are not the same, as you included fica in the US but did not include CPP or EI in Canada. There is also sales tax which is 13% in Canada and much lower than any US state. Finally you are comparing literally the highest taxed US states to Canada. Florida or Texas would not even be close. Healthcare also gets completely over weighted in Canada. True there are many uninsured people in the US but you are not comparing apples. You stats included the cost of insurance as part of your tax section so you need to assume that in the comparison. And to consider the cost for an average young healthy viewer which is who would likely move. With the wait list difference, the US system is miles ahead. Finally on crime, once again its cherry picked. You need to assume that the person is university educated and earning a high annual income. What area do they live in. Probably a relatively safe area with much lower crime rates.
Property taxes in Florida and Texas are multiple times higher than in most of Canada. Compared to BC property taxes in FL or TX are genuinely at levels 3x-5x of BC. Of course property values are also cheaper in those states.
The metrics don't lie. Canadians have a higher life expectancy on average, they have much better health outcomes on average, and they generally pay much less than Americans for the same quality of treatment. Wait times in the US do not make up the difference they have the worst metrics in the western world for healthcare outcomes before you include medical debt.
. Americans pay way more than any g7 country, per year, on average for healthcare. Canada is the second most expensive but are still only about 60% the cost versus USA on average. American healthcare system is designed to get away with being as expensive as possible, its a business. Plus better metrics across the board in Canada for healthcare, like cancer mortality rates, prognosis, life expectancy, etc. on AVERAGE. If you are rich, sure, US private healthcare is hard to beat, but on average its better in Canada. Look it all up. US healthcare absolutely is not miles ahead except for maybe 10% of you. Also maybe he cherry picked on crime, but he didnt need too. Canadian metros, vs American metros, on average, and across both nations on average, crime is significantly lower in Canada. I mean you can look that up too.
Statistically, Canada is actually ahead of the US in healthcare. - According to of Statista and the Legatum Institute, Healthcare in Canada is ranked 32 compared to US at 69. - Canada is ranked 20th in life expectancy, US is 55th. - Canada is 43rd in infant mortality, US is 55th. - Canada is 39th in Under-five mortality, US is 49th. - 100% of Canada's population is covered for healthcare, compared to 93% of US. - 17.5% of Canadians have gone into medical debt (mostly dental) vs 27.3% of Americans - Average medical debt is US$6,022 in Canada, and US$9,358 in US - Health expenditure per person in Canada is US$6,319 vs US$12,555 per person in the US (as of 2022) You're absolutely right that wait times are longer in Canada but this is mainly for seeing specialists for elective care for non-life-threatening issues. When it comes to emergency room, 42% of Canadians experienced longer than 2hr wait time compared to 29% of Americans. Despite the US spending twice as much on healthcare per person and having shorter wait times, the average Canadian gets better healthcare than the average American. Canadians have better access to healthcare, lower infant and child mortality rates, higher life expectancy, lower chance of medical debt, and lower average medical debt.
Sales tax is actually 15% east of Ontario, and only drops to 12% in Manitoba and BC, with the exception of Alberta at 5%. Including FICA and not CPP/EI is a huge oversight by the content creator. I would say healthcare is better if you're poor in either country, better in Canada if you're middle class, and better in the USA if you're upper class.
Yes, but NO one in Canada has to declare bankruptcy if they get sick, or worse…die! Emergency healthcare is done immediately. Yes, we wait for elective surgeries or for non emergencies but I’d rather know that ALL Canadians are looked after by MY taxes. I lived in the US. OMG. Most vile healthcare on the planet…unless you’re wealthy.
He repeatedly said that health care in Canada is free "at the point of service," or some similar phrase. No one ever claims that doctors work for free. Taxes go to paying them, and even preteens understand this.
I love my life in Canada. So much in the USA is so politicized. I’ve visited my cousins in the US many times. When I came home it was always like a breath of fresh air. 💖🥰
Yep, the US is nice but after a couple weeks I get this growing weight on my mind like I'm in an area that's too repetitive. Having to drive everywhere, highways and concrete roads everywhere you look, the idea that i have nothing to depend on if something happens. Of course most of these are just being homesick but I still won't choose the US over Canada unless its to conduct business.
Wait when you are in the hospital in Canada with a heart attack or stroke, they pressure will be going if you come back to the hospital again and pressure you for MAID!!!
Love your comment "my goal is to encourage critical thinking, deep conversation, and reflection, not to hand out easy answers" (like a tough teacher who forces you to discover the answer yourself.....)
I’m an American who travels across the states and provinces frequently. One thing I definitely notice is that businesses in the provinces seem to always be out of products. For instance, I love Starbucks bagels. When I was in Canada last year, every store I visited across QC, AB and BC were always “out” of plain bagels and certain other items. Shelves were just not stocked like they are in the US.
Regarding salary I am in electrical engineering and generally these careers are paid so much higher in the US to my knowledge. There also are other factors like auto insurance or buying a home for example. Also taxes here in Canada if you make 100 k do increase a lot.
This reminds me of Germany just before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. There were lots of folks 'escaping' East Germany and resettling in the West. Who was doing this? Almost exclusively young men. Not the elderly, not women with children. The East German social welfare system took care of people in a way that would not have been possible if they had tried to relocate. I was a tourist there at the time and a very wise older female politician gave me the broader perspective. It comes down to values. If you want to take care of your neighbours through equality of education, health and other social welfare, then Canada it is. If you believe in rugged individualism, then the US wins.
and this is why east germany was a poorer country than west germany . by the way there are plenty of videos in you tube that shows thoes who migrated from eastern one to western one were old men and women too .
I own my home straight out. I pay 120 a month for water trash. 114 property tax a month, 340 a month electric heat during winter, 112 during summer, food 1200. Family of 4. Insurance hospital 25. House is 4 bedroom 2 bathroom, full heated basement, and a bar/game room. Taxes will double having complete renovation 322k in april.
@@getpaid200 For comparison with here in central Canada, I've pulled the same items from our expense tracking sheet and converted them to USD at today's rate (these are annual amounts): $348 - Water and Waste. We're in a rural area so we have a well and septic. $0 - Trash. I drop it off at the dump/recycling center myself. $1,420 - Property tax. $1,711 - Electricity. This is our only energy source. $7,412 - Family of 3. $0 - hospital, however we buy extra coverage for $1,250. The house is five bed, 3 bathroom, with fully finished basement, on a 4 acre lot. We've spent about $70K renovating, doing most of the work ourselves. It's value today is somewhat low for all the effort we've put in at $355K. We're only 15 mins from the city. All the best with your renovations.
Great comparison. Sometimes people look at just one variable- income but forget about all the other variables- healthcare, social safety net, crime, and others. Choose wisely.
I don't know if you meant to, but your analysis really shows the differences between US and Canadian culture. In the USA, life is geared to the individual and their rights and responsibilities, which is why the social safety net is much weaker. There the prevailing thought is work hard and get a good job, and then you'll have nice home, get access to the best healthcare in the world, and make a lot more income as well. If you don't work hard and get a good job, then that's kind of your fault. This is individualism at its core. On the other hand in Canada, most of us accept that we will earn less money, but also know that if we have medical issues or lose our job, we are less likely to wind up homeless or with six figure debt. We also accept that everyone deserves at least a basic level of care, regardless of how much money they make or where they live. While Canadians are more individualistic than people from Europe or Asia, we are definitely more collective in our attitudes the people in the US. Ultimately, it's as you say - the choice is completely based on your willingness to take risks. The risk averse stay in Canada and generally have good quality of life and are healthy. The risk takers move to the USA and try to work extra hard to get that same quality of life, knowing they will retire earlier or live in a bigger home, take more vacations, etc., than if they had stayed in Canada.
I think it’s a matter of health, ambition, & what season of life you’re in. Generally speaking if you’re healthy spend your youth in the United States. When you’re ready to settle, start a family &/or retire Canada is the better choice.
Contrary to the person just before the 7:00 mark who says Canada is mostly pre-cambrian shield, etc (not correct), Canada is a huge agricultural country. We are major exporters. However, the majority of what we produce is beef, pork, chicken, grain, lentils, oilseeds, some basic vegetables & fruits like potatoes, corn, apples, plums, berries, etc. A huge part of our greens and most fruits come from the USA and Mexico which means shipping costs and more handlers so more middlemen profits. I suspect that grocery stores gouge more here as well. That pushes our grocery prices up.
Even if you get sick in Canada things aren't great. Yes the healthcare is free, but it is extremely underfunded and inefficient. Getting a family doctor is challenging, wait times in emergency rooms are sometimes > 24 hours. Expect to wait up to a year to see a specialist. Hopefully you don't get any aggressive forms of cancer as you'll likely be dead long before you're ever able to get treatment in Canada. At least in the US if you have health insurance or are rich you can get high quality care quickly.
Hi. Quick question. Are the CAD values used in the videos already converted into USD? And what conversion rate did you use? I just wanna make sure that we have comparative data here. Thanks.
Hi! Good question. I keep the CAD values in CAD and the USD values in USD, as when you live in either country you make your money and spend your money in local currency units. Then I compare the % of the median income that a standardized basket of goods and healthcare would cost you in each city. The only converted figures you’ll see are during the income comparison chart and groceries (dual axis). The exchange rate used is the World Bank’s 2024 PPP conversion factor for the Canadian Dollar of 1.17. PPP factors in cost of living and strips away any distortions room nominal exchange rates, and is more ideal for cost of living comparisons because it factors in purchasing power. Thanks for asking!
It depends on your situation. I think that while Vancouver does have similarities with Seattle, it might be more appropriate to also compare it to San Francisco. Imho it's somewhere in between, but it's a similar ultra liberal west coast tech and trade hub with the eastern hemisphere. I think it's important to note that the cost of those healthcare plans doesn't do it full justice either because of copay, deductibles, out of network costs, etc. Moving from San Francisco to BC, I found that it could cost me about $600,000 over my lifetime to have the same coverage as Canadian healthcare in California, AND my income taxes were LOWER in Canada, property taxes were FIVE times lower in Canada, and that's in BC, which is considered to be very high (~0.25%, as opposed to 1.1-1.2% in California), AND houses were a little less, AND sales tax was a little lower, AND car registration costs were much lower, AND, believe it or not, for my field the salary was actually slightly higher. So for me it is a no brainer choice, although that might not be true for everyone. Don't discount the difference in cost of healthcare though. No offense - overall great video - but it dramatically underestimated healthcare costs, which are the very highest in the world in the USA, while quality of care - even wait times - are essentially the same, and actually even slightly better for emergencies, than the USA. We still have very long wait times, we still have to wait a long time to get into a specialist, etc. It is NOT like you pay $100/mo for regular insurance, and $150/mo for super fancy insurance. I spent $200/WEEK with EMPLOYER SPONSORED HEALTHCARE, and STILL had a $6,000 in network deductible, $20,000 of of network deductible, AND copay. Sometimes the USA is deceptive like that. There are so many hidden fees and surcharges and extra fines and blablablablabla. Live in both for at least a few years and you will see what I mean. To each their own, but I'm not buying it. I've seen both sides. I don't think the American system is worth the hype, or the risks, for example about 40,000 people die every year due to not having health insurance. When I drove uber the hospitals would discharge people into the street, wandering around in their hospital robe, and refuse to admit them again. "You can go die in a ditch, communist". Lol, I'm good. No thanks. You do you.
yes this is true. Americans pay way more than any g7 country, per year, on average for healthcare. We are the second most expensive but are still only about 60% the cost versus USA on average. Plus better metrics for healthcare like cancer mortality rate, life expectency, etc. on AVERAGE. If youre rich, sure, US private healthcare is hard to beat, but on average its better in Canada. Plus our dental will be covered soon too, one of the good things Trudeau did lol.
In my country Canada those that are unable to work because of disabilities or seniors have the same health coverage than those who do work which is the called the " Health Insurance Premium" and does not cost à penny when any Canadians needs a Dr.'s appointment, surgeries etc. and now we have the drug and dental benefits. Not any Canadian getting bankrupt for health. I can't imagine living in the US or Canada being part of the US period. I like my country Canada in so many ways.
After leaving the corporate world and having to buy our own health insurance in the market, I can tell you it’s insane in the USA. We pay nearly $3000/month for silver level healthcare (bronze, silver, gold platinum) with a $12,000 deductible for 2 healthy middle aged adults. In fact, we pay more for healthcare than we do for our mortgage on a very nice San Francisco Bay Area house we bought 15 years ago.
@@Cooper1 ridiculous. I fail to see how Covered California is really helping much more than medicaire/medicaid. I was a contractor for many years, and I was so sick and tried of getting bumped between Medi-Cal, then some really bad employer sponsored programs, then cobra, then covered California, back to a bad employer covered program, etc, etc. I realized that just basic Canadian healthcare would cost over $1,000 in California easily. The top-notch Platinum plans, the very best you can buy in California, still have LESS coverage than what every single Canadian has. Some don't appreciate it!
I moved from California to Alberta. Both have their ups and downs. Canada wins in my opinion. Income: There is a much bigger disparity between rich and poor in the U.S. Canada is much better for the average Joe, while top earners do much better in the U.S. Taxes: I've worked as a tax preparer in both California and Alberta. Alberta has lower taxes AND healthcare is included. Cost of living: U.S. is cheaper and has more availability and thus more market competition which drives consumer prices down. Remember to factor in exchange rates when looking at prices. Housing: Much the same, though U.S. prices fluctuate more. Career: Alberta has Way more opportunities IF you don't have a degree. Construction, trucking, etc. will get you peanuts in the U.S. while in Canada you can make a decent living. If you have a basic degree it's probably very similar in both countries, and if you have a masters or doctorate, U.S. is the place to be. Healthcare: All I can say is F the U.S. I can't wrap my head around how people can even live there with their HC system. Safety: Lets just say if you don't live in the millionaire neighborhoods, invest in firearms and keep them locked and loaded and close at all times. Stress: Canada is far less stressful for me. Social benefits: You actually get something back from the taxes you pay in Canada. Child benefits, Carbon Tax, GST. In the U.S. you get Jury Duty every year. People: I love people from both countries. I find Americans more outgoing and easier to get to know new friends. On the other hand, they can be opinionated and seem rude. Canadians can be very reserved and can seem snobby to a newby. Government: U.S. politics seemed to be more power hungry while Canada is a little more understanding towards its citizens.
The cost for a one bedroom in downtown Chicago or for example a studio with one bedroom cost around $1500 USD next to the lake. Not $2400 USD like you mentionned
As a legal immigrant before justin trudeau was elected, I would've absolutely recommend Canada to anyone if this was 15 years ago, but nowadays, don't come here, it is hell. Architecture: EVERYWHERE IS JUST ASPHALT! Entertainment: mostly nothing to do unless you like nature cost of living: ∞ Culture: Bland, boring, no dreams, no inspirations Happiness: literally see people living in 3rd world have happier lives. If you go out of the big cities, it will be mostly fine. Politicians: we have an idiot for a government, and the blue party has a politician with his whole entire point being "atleast I ain't Trudeau" Healthcare wait time: ∞
Good things that remain in Canada People: despite living in a mess, they are kind Landscape: Nice, but Vancouver really carries it. Food: despite being controlled by mostly fast food (Tim Hortons has fallen), their cooking feels humble.
I loved your comparisons! Great video overall. I am going to show a portion of it to my AP Macro class when we discuss comparing statistics between countries. You did a wonderful job putting them in the right context! I would have liked to have seen two things added - first the weather. You only picked cold cities to compare so they would be comparable, which I get. However, in doing so, you missed the entire southern portion of the country where, not only is it more enjoyable to not have 6 months of winter, but there are big cities with good employment corridors and generally low cost of living - North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Georgia... The number of Canadians that I know that have moved to the Atlanta area for the economic opportunities and the weather is growing each year. We especially have a lot of Canadian doctors and nurses here leading to some of that brain drain you mentioned and only increasing the shortages/wait-times in Canada. Second, I would have liked to see you add the ability and affordability of owning a home. In Canada, this is becoming an incredibly difficult thing to obtain because of all the investment in real estate and high housing prices. The US has its problems too, but I am a millennial and I was able to purchase a house with my husband at the age of 23 on a teacher's salary and my husband had an entry level position at a building company with only 5% down on a FHA loan. We were able to sell that house 7 years later for $130,000 in profit and buy a very nice home in a nice area. In Canada, you have to save up for years and will likely need an adjustable rate mortgage. The upward mobility and financial freedom that owning a home offers is a big plus in the US and is available to a much larger portion of its citizens - especially outside the major cities that you mentioned. I definitely see the nuance between the two options. My mom is Canadian, so most of her family still lives in Ontario and Alberta. My grandparents and aunts/uncles were missionaries oversees and didn't make much money throughout their life, so it is wonderful that they are taken care of by the government and can live a comfortable retirement and get the care that they need there. We never saw a bill for my grandpa's nursing home or memory care facility. However, my aunt has a very painful condition that needs a simple surgery to fix, but it is not life threatening. She has been waiting 8 months in pain to get the surgery that she needs in the Canadian healthcare system. In the US, she would have been treated within the same week for the condition she has. In the 80s, my grandpa had to lay in a hospital bed for 2 weeks to save his spot in line for a cataracts surgery. My cousins in Canada had wonderfully long maternity leave and were surprised I had to go back after only 12 weeks. However, I also have a cousin here in the US that works for a company that offers 8 months of maternity leave, so even that varies dramatically between companies. Ultimately, it depends on what your needs are, and your own level of self-sufficiency which one is better for you. After my mom left Canada when she married my dad, she never even thought about returning. They have lived a comfortable life here raising 5 children. She is the type of person who has never met a stranger and felt out of place in Canada - constantly being shushed everywhere she went - more outgoing than they knew what to do with. It turns out, she was born to be an American.
I understand some viewers expected a definitive conclusion given the video’s title, and that’s a fair point. If you came to this video expecting a clear verdict, I can see how the lack of one might feel frustrating. I’ll keep that in mind for future videos.
This video was never meant to hand out a neat, one-size-fits-all answer to a nuanced and deeply personal question.
If I had said, ‘Canada is better’ or ‘the USA is better,’ I’d be oversimplifying something that depends entirely on who you are, what you value, and what your life circumstances look like. That’s why I laid out all the factors-income, cost of living, healthcare, career opportunities, social benefits, and livability-and gave you the tools to weigh them against your own priorities.
Let’s be real-if I claimed that one country is definitively ‘better,’ a lot of people would have (rightfully) called me out for ignoring the nuanced and subjective nature of the topic.
Instead, I made the conscious choice to present an even-handed, data-driven analysis while also sharing my own experiences and the experiences of my guests. My goal was to help you reflect on what’s “better” for you based on what you’re optimizing for.
As for my honest take, I did share it. I said Canada feels safer and offers a better social safety net, while the USA provides unparalleled opportunities for career advancement, which align with my goals right now. That is my honest answer, and that’s why I’m here in the US.
At the end of the day, my goal is to encourage critical thinking, deep conversation, and reflection, not to hand out easy answers. I respect that you might feel differently.
Thanks for watching, and I appreciate everyone who engages thoughtfully in this conversation.
Isn't Canada overall better in terms of healthcare and social safety
where did you get 16:12 data
@@pranshukrishna5105not after 2019
Canada is still better. Sorry, it's the truth.
@@jillthompson6110 Did you read what he wrote?
Successful people don't become that way overnight .most people you see as a glance-wealth, a great career, purpose-is the result of hard work and hustle over time. I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in life..
you are right .
Most people don't invest due to ignorance.
my portfolio has been going down the drain while I try trading,I just don't know what I do wrong..
Well...I will advise you should stop trading on your own if you keep losing and start trading with am expert because trading with an expert is the best strategy for newbie...
Very engaging right from the beginning These are tough times and frankly I appreciate how you discuss global finances in such a delicate way. Business and investment
Why did you not talk about the house prices in Canada? This is one of the biggest issues for millions of people.
And the communist ltb
He talked about rent prices at the very beginning of the video. Sure, these aren't housing prices but you can make a pretty educated guess based on the results of the cost of living section.
The US has the same issue if their major cities, I don't get why Canadians act like they don't.
There is cheap housing in some cities in Canada, people just don't want to live there. Windsor has great prices in Ontario, Winnipeg has great prices in Alberta
@@boredguy5805 Grass is always greener on the other side. My sister lives in US, I live in Canada - we both complain about cost of living.
@@boredguy5805 Housing-to-income is worse in major Canadian cities where the jobs actually are, and while it's also true for American cities like in California and New York, you still have 48 other states to choose from and can live an affordable life in Dallas, Chicago, Houston, Philly, Charlotte, etc., all of which have good job prospects.
As a Canadian who has had a lot of experience with both countries - my grandfather was born in the U.S., my son is a U.S. citizen, I had five years of U.S. schooling, I lived in the U.S., my ex-wife is American, I have traveled extensively in the U.S., my childhood best friends were American - I can say what country is the best is very individual.
If I wasn't a single parent raising a special needs son I would probably live in the U.S. The services my special needs son receives in Canada could not be matched in even the most progressive east coast states. In Canada he is covered for dental, ambulance, optometrist, and special needs aids. He receives a benefit income, has door to door transportation, is in a full time program and is even enrolled in a special go'vt savings / investment plan. As a child his teacher to student ratio was 1:1 to 3:1. His school funding revolved around his needs.
Now if I hadn't been a single parent I would have lived in the U.S. because in general I like the company of Americans a lot more. In Canada you generally need an invite to a group to make friends whereas in the U.S. there is a general willingness to befriend complete strangers. Also Americans are risk takers that appreciate and respect that in others; not so much in Canada. In Canada as a car crasher I was mostly alone whereas in the U.S. I would have been part of a larger community. Just my two cents.
Thanks for sharing such a nuanced and personal take!
So basically everyone with HIGH needs and dependent on the system comes to Canada? This makes it more expensive for existing Canadians while we attract people who need the system and repel people who don’t really need it but would contribute. This is why none of us has a doctor or any sort of health care as a regular citizen in Canada.
@@Tyler_094 If you dont have a doctor you're probably new. Most people who have been here pre 2020 have doctors. Of course that will change if my doctor retires but until then I have one who has been with me since I was born and pretty much knows everything about my medical history. Everyone has high needs at some point in their life, I had some medical issues as a kid which didn't put my parents in debt and allowed me to get regularly checked, if my parents were in the US (which they moved from prior to me being born) and didn't have healthcare who knows what sort of unchecked complications I would've ended up with. When Im old I expect that same system to be there to take care of me so my family members aren't burdened with the cost. Its not people who are dependent, everyone's dependent, its people who think having that cushion to fall on to is worth the higher taxes; which in my opinion is. I don't care if my income is in the millions and the government is taxing me, i expect those taxes to cover more kids who are sick so they can grow into fine adults who will support the next generation after them just like me and the generations before me.
People take our system for granted and it shows in your comment.
@ I’m not new lol I was born here 30 years ago. I moved out of my hometown at 18 and never got one after. I went to university clinic or walk in clinic for the last 12 years. I usually pay for naturopath and other alternatives
@@Nabee_H My doctor retired, I have a new one however it is because I live in big city. If you live in small town or village then if your doctor retires it would be very difficult for you to get a new one. Also you have to wait for a long time if you need a specialist. I had waited for more then half a year for a cancer specialist.
I'm an RN. I will never get a $85 US plus per hour in Vancouver. I rent a room in Seattle and bring my US$ income and still live in Vancouver. I work blocks and get a long days off in Seattle and drive back to Vancouver. My Healthcare benefits are paid off by my employer in Seattle and still have full free healthcare benefits in Vancouver. In life you have to reap the benefits on both worlds. Life is good!
You're Hannah Montanah
Because you're getting the best of both worlds...... I mean countries
How are you getting tax?
Wow, talking about being well-positioned. Congrats!
hey may i ask, in what industry do you work ? (genuinely interested)
@@julien8097healthcare. She’s a nurse.
Also the curious case of Vancouver - simple answer is that those who can afford living in Vancouver did not make their money in Vancouver. They earned them money elsewhere and park/spend their money there
Or we started a long time ago
It's more of a - people made money before shit hit the fan and those people are still here getting by. Immigration and lack of housing have just made this once great place to live a financial housing crisis money pit with over priced groceries.
But to get back to what your were saying.. yes we made our money here. (except for the ones who bought in here anyways..)
For younger people, those enjoying life in Vancouver nowadays are the ones getting hundreds of thousands (or even millions) from their parents.
Google this: "jackpot generation" and read the Maclean's article. It talks about how there's $1 trillion of inheritance moving from Canadian boomers to millennials, just from 2024 - 2026.
@@joshuamethvendepends on the generation. If you’re under 25 right now you certainly didn’t make much money in the last decade of working years under Trudeau.
@@Tyler_094Was Trudeau paying you?
Canadian citizens
The average cost for a Canadian citizen to study for an undergraduate degree is CA$6,463 per year, and CA$7,056 per year for a graduate degree. CA$28,000 over four years.
The cost of a university education in the United States varies by the type of institution, the student's residency, and the level of study:
In-state public 4-year institutions: The average cost of attendance for the 2024-2025 school year is $27,146 per year, or $108,584 over four years.
If University in Canada is subsidized by the government, then Canadian Students do not leave with the same levels of Student Debt as US Students, so they don't need to earn the same amount of income to cover their Student Debt. However, if you can get a subsidized education and then move to a country where education is not subsidized and the salaries have to be higher to cover Student Debt, then the Canadian Student moving to the US for work is the winner. The US Student with US Student Debt working in the US is 'neutral'. The Canadian Student with lesser Canadian Student Debt working in Canada is 'neutral'. The US Student with US Student Debt working in Canada would be the loser...
Canada should impose two different Payback Schedules, depending on whether the student remains in Canada and returns taxes to Canada after graduation, or goes overseas, subsidizing that overseas economy...
100%
I'm a Canadian and I will never want to live in the States. A lot of what you talked about I have feelings and knowledge of that already and that is why no thanks USA. Maybe because I'm not a go getter, not greedy to have tons of money. I'm a computer artist and have been fortunate to make good money because of my talent. A safe simple life is more important to me than the go go work atmosphere that is most prevalent in the States. While visiting Portugal I met many Americans that moved there and found out that many moved out of the States due to bad health insurance and the violence. I met 2 women who were school teachers, one from Denver and one from Seattle who were afraid to go to work at their schools due to School shootings. Canada has bad stuff also and even many cities in the world are not perfect. Give me Canada, eh! Also just my opinion, the best music education place is in the UK.
I'm a Gen-x Canadian, currently in LA, who has lived across the US during five discrete stays for a total of 15 years over the last 25 years. The difference between the two countries is the balance between quality of life versus quality of work. Quality of life is much better in Canada, but quality of work is much better in the US. Safety, work leave, cleanliness, and medical expenses, I say that as someone who has surgery a few times in both countries, are better in Canada. Yet, irrespective of income differentials, the scope, value, and quality of work I'm asked to provide in the US is commensurate with the full scope of my Canadian engineering training. While in Canada I'm asked to provide services far beneath my skill sets as Canadian industrialization beyond raw material production is nascent and lacking boldness. I moved back to Canada a few times for work but found myself reporting to people with far less competency and exposure due solely to Canadian lackluster industrialization.
As someone who values developing creative work product, the US and Eurasia are far more enticing, but I often long to move back home to Canada. If only the work was there...
Thank you for this comment it was very informative
Quality of life vs quality of work is a really thoughtful comparison! I didn't think about it like that. Thank you for such an insightful comment.
This is a super helpful comment. i work as an architectural designer in Canada, was involved in multiple award wining projects in Toronto but I must say, I feel what you described almost every day working in Canada. Businesses are not interested in innovative approaches or higher productivity tools (such as software in my case). The general public is not interested in developing our cities and NIMBY's are dime a dozen, they just want to live in an imaginary world of 1970s, frozen in time. US is a lot more innovative and business oriented, clearly.
I have to disagree. I lived here in Vancouver BC for the past 35 years, with relatives in Seattle which I visit often. Canada is far worse place to be. The taxes and cost of living are doubled and wages are only 2/3 of the states. Yes we got beautiful mountains but the unaffordability is taking a huge mental stress on most canadians here
@XMG3 Vancouver is not the Canadian Seattle, but San Francisco. An honest assessment would be between those two cities. Please go to San Francisco with all the junkies and human waste on the sidewalks and compare it to Vancouver.
I can't remember who I heard say it, and I'm paraphrasing loosely, but it's that the glass ceiling in America can seem astronomically high and yet the floor is also shockingly low and easy to fall through.
Also, I will say that not enough is said about the cultural, creative brain drain from Canada, which I surmise is probably even bigger than the tech brain drain we always talk about. Like, all of the biggest Canadian actors and musicians are generally based outside of Canada, predominately in the US. This isn't only about individual choice, but economic, trade and foreign relation structures that have been operating for multiple generations. Those interested in fashion, design, architecture, journalism, etc will also find better opportunities for study, employment and entrepreneurship in the US, UK, Europe or elsewhere, and thus we see those industries also quite underdeveloped here in Canada compared to other OECD countries of similar population.
Theres additional things that should be considered which is general insurance. It also dramatically varies between each province and state, but when I hear people say theyre leaving ontario to go for cheaper living in Florida, and then hear them complain about housing insurance and land taxes the difficulty to not say 'i told you so' grows. Also I suspect with their 'cheaper' healthcare policies as soon as theyre seriously ill, they'll come running straight back to Canada for almost free treatment.
You can't get free healthcare again in any province if you have lived outside of the country for more than 180days I think
Such a well thought out video! It really is up to each of us to decide what is best for us because there is no “one size fits all” answer. Thanks for sharing your perspective and all of this information!
yeah but we wanted his answer lol. The thumbnail and title point to there being an answer. Look at the smile difference in the thumbnail lol
I find it crazy that the weather was not really mentioned. I don't love the heat.. but Vancouver being known as the good weather Canadian city and Seattle is known as one of the worst in the US is interesting noting their almost identical climates.
The Us has some places have much better weather than Seattle but Canada is cold and colder! Lol
@notjoesaveragegardening6231 Seattle one of the worst? Same as VBC. Try North Dakota, Buffalo, Houston for extremes.
@@NorthStarPNW Definitely worse climates than Seattle in America. But I think his point stands - an American could choose 100 more temperate places to live without leaving the lower 48. There are no such places in Canada.
Weather is completely subjective. Lots of people love cold dark winters
very flawed logic. Many Northern cities and east coast cities have similar wheather to every metropolis in Canada, hot summers, and cold ass, snowy winters. NYC, Chicago, Detroit, and dozen of other places really are very similar to Toronto, Calgary, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Edmonton in terms of weather. People say Seattle is a bad weather city, but they really just mean it rains a lot. Seattle has much better weather than all those US cities that have harsh winters. Most people would prefer Seattle weather to NYC weather. And if not, well than that would mean Canadian cities have better weather than Seattle to the average person. It is true that people complain about seattle rain alot, but it isnt considered a bad weather city, it has a much better climate that the east coast USA or northern interior states for sure, if youre like most people and dont like freezing half the year. Vancouver rains all winter, a lot in fall and fair bit in spring, but no snow hardly, and not too cold. Summer rains very rarely, and its a dry air, mild heat which is really nice Vancouver has fantasitc weather compares to most cities in North America, and so does seattle. Texas, California etc, have a heat problem in terms of weather. The rest of Canaca is comparable to much of the USA. cold as shit in winter, fine the rest of the year, and yes winter does suck in these cities, but meh.
Wow.. this is one of the best Canada-US comparisons I've seen. I hear a lot of younger people almost focus solely on wages when deciding where to live, and don't really look deeper.
Wages is what buys us our shelter and food - the two basic necessities of life. If you can’t easily afford both on your wage, it can create a lot of anxiety and fear. I’d say it’s pretty important. Canada is also freezing cold.
@@Tyler_094 not all of Canada. I agree on other things. Wages are much lower in Canada and you can buy less for the same .
@@kathyde1906 I live in the warmest city in Canada, Victoria, and it’s still fairly cold compared to many U.S. cities. I grew up in Ottawa and escaped there as soon as I could but its -30 in winter there
Would you say the same to immigrants who are coming to Canada for that exact reason?
@@Tyler_094 Don't get into an accident, though. Or getting a serious illness. Not being able to go to work will have you lose your job, and thus, lose your healthcare coverage. And that will cost your your home, Temps don't have to go very low for you to miss your home...
To summarize, Canada is better if you're poor, but if you're middle income/rich, US is far better! (of course, comparing similarly sized cities)
Good summary
No.. life is better in Canada if you actually care about the poor. If you don’t, as is made evident with the crime, poverty, incarceration rate, GOOOO US.
thats not what I got from this at all. id say the other way around. Cost of living in cities like vancouver is very high. Its hard to live there if you arent well off. But there is more opportunity in America which is good if you are poor, and there are more low cost cities to choose from.
Canada makes u more poor. US makes u more wealthier!
Lordy there's too many weird Canadians on this thread. What does that even mean "Canada is better if you're poor". Canada is a neoliberal hellscape.
In a nutshell.
USA: Higher Risk. Higher Reward
CAN: Lower Risk. Lower Reward
There's also confirmation bias in this... A healthy person who didn't get sick in their life and was able to earn enough to become wealthy will have a different opinion... than someone who endures a tragedy.
The U.S. has a lot of safety nets. I grew up extremely poor and got my education via Pell grants that i did not have to pay back. We have WIC, food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, ability to access social security early if disabled.
@@realitywaveCanada has sunk just that Canada will fake it until they make it
GERMANY: Lower Risk. Even Lower Reward.
I wish the reasoning here was not no individual basis what is best for me, but in general what is average best for evryone, or is as society
I wish the consideration was not what is best for me, but what is best for all or on average
The State/Province you’re in likely has a greater effect on quality of life.
Really great facts based analysis in a very well presented video! Loved it
Born and raised in Canada, worked as a blue collar worker, no house, rented a small 800 sq foot basement apartment with my 2 kids and wife and one washroom at the time $1250 a month. moved to America, moved to Las Vegas same type of job, have a 2400 square foot home for $1600 a month. I’ll never go back home.
but you lost Health care so you'll need to pocket that out on your own times 3 and thats $$$, $1250 is that CAD or USD? $1600 is that CAD or USD?
How u moved to america?
Good stay there.
How is health care
Canadian health care system in recent years has literally started using MAID as a way to save costs even for conditions that are fully treatable(but extremely expensive to treat). Also the wait times are insanely long
I've found through talking to people on both sides that if you're creative, like to engage in new ventures, and don't mind taking a bit of risk, the USA will reward you more. But if you value stability and a predictable life, Canada might be better.
As a Canadian now living in the USA, Healthcare in Canada may be free but it’s not great and the waits are ridiculous. Ours isn’t perfect, but you can go wherever you want and not wait for treatment.
Yeah but when you go to a hospital with a bloody nose or a broken arm the broken arm is priority and the bloody nose has to wait BUT if you have the money you can go ahead of the broken arm yeah that what you want money first..
NOT priority you wait BUT Canada being open for immigration makes it a lot WORSE a LOT..
@@flyspith7686 Immigration is a scapegoat. Seriously, if you believe Poilièvre blaming immigrants for everything, and Trudeau for immigrants and the rest, you need to open your eyes. Those immigrants were let in cause Canada was in a serious worker shortage. Would you have preferred companies to close up and move to the US to find their workforce?
Also, housing shortage is due in good part to Harper (last conservative prime minister) giving tax break instead of reinvesting in infrastructure's after Chrétien managed to go from serious deficits into comfy surpluses. So of course, when the economy went down, Harper's tax cuts meant we went immediately into deficits again. Yeah, it's the conservative's fault, not the immigrants'.
average care if better in the states, statistiacally. If you can afford private healthcare, the USA has the best in the world, but its very very expensive. Canadians also pay about half of what americans end up paying on average, for better quality care.
Canadian healthcare is not free. People work and pay taxes to support our FREE healtcare. Although the system seems to be mostly broken and is slowly eating itself in most provinces.
obviously. Everyone knows that. we still almost half what americans do on average, and revieve better care on average in almost every metric related to health than americans, on avaerage.
He never says it is free. He analyzes taxes and then says there is no user pay when you actually need to go to the doctor. So yes you pay taxes. But if I need an expensive surgery and a 60 day hospital stay I am not bankrupt. Dialysis costs nothing. My mother's cancer treatment which costs $30000 per month in the USA cost nothing. Hit by a car? Costs nothing Get shot? (although WAY less likely in Canada it does occasionally happen) Hospital stay costs nothing. Ask all the bankrupt Americans who are being hounded by hospitals to pay medical bills which system they would have preferred. The real story is you are gambling how long it will take to hit a medical crisis. So if you average the cost of a single medical crisis over the years of paying taxes, you are highly likely to come out ahead in Canada at some point during your lifetime. And if you have enough money for whatever treatment you require you just skip the line and go elsewhere for treatment, in other words medical tourism. Neither country is perfect and it all depends on your priorities. Just remember that your priorities can change in a heartbeat when a medical crisis hits and that is the absolute worst time to be having to worry about money. Personally I would rather pay taxes now and be stress free in the event of a debilitating illness or injury
I have been in Canada for 10 years and the government funded health care I have experienced is not good. There are no private hospitals and the public ones are overflown. It took me 6 years to get a family doctor and one month later Covid lockdown started, so I was never able to see them and then I move provinces and had to start all over again! 3 year in Quebec and I still have no doctor, but here you need a general practitioner to be refereed to a specialist, I had to go to private clinics to find help with specialists, pay out of pocket and ask for a refund via my employer insurance when available. The problem is that there is no competition or other options as far as hospital care, it's not like I can go to a private hospital like I do with clinics because there are only public ones. I once broke my pinky and went to the ER at 4am but was there until 11am just to be told that the only thing they could do was an xray and even if my foot was broken there was nothing they could give me, so we just took the x ray and confirmed and then I was sent home, no pain meds or anything. I would prefer to have the choice to go to a private hospital, I am from Brazil and there is public funded health care but there are other options as well. So I am not too sure that health care in Canada is such a big great thing, at least currently. Is there a public option in the USA? I am not sure.
You do have the choice to go to a private hospital, you can drive to one in the US and pay $$$. No one will stop you from going, and the US health service will be more than happy to relieve you of your money.
I've been living in Toronto for 35 Years now, before it was not so crowded and cost of living was nice, then these few years was havoc with too many immigrants coming into Canada. I found myself a long line just to do a annual body chek so I keep changing family doctors every month. Everything is cover via OHIP , so I don't know why you are in a bad situation. So I'm guessing you're not a Citizen and/or tourist / student visa?
Samuel was my student at a local coding school in Vancouver. So good to hear from him about his progress in Vancouver and that he is still calling Vancouver his home. Do pass on my regards to him. Wishing him the best.
I've lived in Vancouver longer than I have lived in my birthplace and I can truly attest to your Canadian facts and observation. From my age group perspective, I can add that if you're still young (20's to early 30's) and moving to the US, it is definitely a vast ocean of opportunities for you. If you're still adventurous even in your late 30's, I think there's still lots of opportunities in career growth. As for me, I moved to Canada in my late 30's and I felt the need to ground myself already as I have started a family then. All my friends who moved to the US surely made it more in dollar figures than me, but it doesn't mean that they are better off than me. I am happy and at peace here while I still get to have a taste of the US experience. So again, for me, it depends on your season in life and how you perceive success and contentment. Keep it up and shine brightly!!
i have always thought of any age less than 40 as young
I am a Canadian moved to US 3 yrs ago. So far US is treating us well. My kids
Love it here due to a better weather. We can have move extra money compared to when we were in Canada. Life is so tough and we have more time to be with our family than we were in Canada.
really? how about parental leaves and healtchare? i heard you don't realllly need to spend 400-1k a month for it, is it manageable even with these costs? can you work less than 40/week and have free time? i'm super curious my gf is doing nurse school in quebec, i do security system & alarm at a trade school we are both international students, do you think it's that good for the kids there? thank you in advance !
I have never lived in Canada and am not qualified to compare them, but even in theory, I find the difference in climate to be a compelling factor. I grew up in Boston and found life quite miserable in winter. As an American, I take for granted that I can resettle in Los Angeles, Arizona, Florida, etc. The fact that the winters in Boston are milder than almost anywhere in Canada blows my mind a little bit.
It's not a factor that probably would matter that much to most people, but for me it's been a major factor in quality of life.
Yeah, the weather can be a big deal. Vancouver has better "Winter" than Boston, although maybe more expensive.
I lived in Montreal for 15 years and visited Boston many times. I now live in Denver. I can tell you that once you head south from Montreal and get over the green mountains it is shocking how much warmer it is just a few hours south in the US. The winter in Boston is considerably milder than Montreal. Not even close.
I lived in both countries. This guy deliberately doesn't consider one of the most important factors to make Canada look better than it is. LOL.
I'm in Windsor, our weather is usually pretty great. we miss most of the worst of the storms due to where the great lakes sit don't get more then a few inches of snow every other year. we are also close enough to everything anyone could need within a 4 or 6 hour drive, both sides of the boarder. we used to be the cheapest place to live but unemployment sucks. the big difference is Canadians are too complacent politically and don't actually know what's going on in office. If they did know we wouldn't have a lib con duopoly and nether would ever hold office again.
@@TheInsaneupsdriver Agreed. Canadians are very complacent whereas Americans have a rebellious spirit to some degree. Canadians freedoms have steadily eroded over the decades but they put up no fight. Canadians overall trust in government leaves me shaking my head.
Stumbled on your video and had to subscribe. You are very well spoken and your videos are top notch.No boring moment.
8:20 - "Free" healthcare does not exist; we pay a buttload of taxes for this "free" healthcare, it averages to $9,000 per year for every human in our country - whether they're employed or not.
Since only 50% of our population works, we're looking at an average of $18,000/year in medicare costs that each working individual has to shoulder.
So, while one would think we must have an amazing medical system considering how much our "free" medicare costs, the reality could not be further from the truth. Our medical system is so overloaded that I don't know ANYONE in Canada able to get treatment unless they're dying.
Compare this to the USA, where unless you're working in a food truck you will get employer supplied medicare, and your $160 a month plan gets you access to literally the world's best hospitals and doctors - So, sorry, but Canada can no longer claim "medicare" as an advantage since we don't actually have services.
Breast cancer survivor here. Canadian healthcare totally took care of it quickly. I get your point but getting sick might change your mind.
@@quasimodem5260me too, cancer survival with multiple health issues needing frequent inventions and follow-ups, would have lost my house and be in major debt if it wasn’t for the Canadian healthcare system. I had the best Doctors and prompt care when I needed it most. We have our problems but I won’t trade it for anything
@@quasimodem5260
What year did you get treatment?
And as I stated above, you'll only get care if you're dying, correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't cancer kill people?
For the record, I am sick, I'm speaking from my lived experience, on a 1.5 year waiting list for a necessary surgery after paying taxes for 30 years, but I was told it could be fatal if my condition gets worse and if I think I'm dying go into emergency and they'll do the surgery right away.
In the meantime my quality of life is in the toilet.
But seriously, what year did you go through this?
Try and get any treatment in 2024, let me know how it works out.
I think the difference is, Working, young Canadians, pay for most of the old people who simple come (or return) to Canada to retire. Prescription meds in USA are about 1000 times more expensive than most other countries. Canadians can still pay for an insurance if needed just like US, Immigrants don't get free healthcare so they have to. Canadian healthcare can be bad, but over the last 5 years as an immigrant, my medical bills have far exceeded by insurance cost, and my insurance covered anything. In US, health care is more accessible but is really skewed by how much i pay and most affordable insurance don't cover anything expensive, and it's illegal to get medication from abroad. As a 20-sth guy, life is tough in Canada, 100%, but in a few years if i wanna have a family, if i want to have work life balance, raise my kids to have a normal childhood, US is terrible place to do that.
We all end up dying, your point is moot. Every human will go through the healthcare system at some point, allowing corporations to abuse the system and use it for profit is a horrible idea.
An in-progress answer isn't a bad thing man, holy hell was this video informative!! Was honestly thinking about a lot of this stuff lately too, so it couldn't have come at a better time 😅 Amazing video Ameer
Sameee
Thank you so much! I appreciate you as always for being here from the start :)
in BC, MSP coverage is also tiered along income so you have additional coverage (such as on prescriptions etc) if you are below a certain income threshold. People on disability support, for instance, get most prescriptions covered and free dental care. I would also mention that student coverage is amazing if you're in uni here, so much free mental health care too.
Dude, what an excellent video! I really enjoyed your comparison and your delivery of it. Keep up the great work. I'm just a fellow curious Canadian.
I like your research levels. I will say healthcare in Canada has failed me due to the lack of qualified surgeons. I have a workplace injury that I am almost 2 years in. I have a UK leading surgeon who is willing to operate and would have had me back at work in 6 months. I will not be back at work before 2 years unless something amazing happened.
Super Impressed with the analysis with clear cut backgroud details. Good Job
Way back in the early 2000's. The price of chicken and dairy was exorbitant in Ontario because the government controlled pricing. I can't even imagine how much it is now.
The poorest states in the US have a higher per capita compared to major provinces in Canada. Health isn’t free it comes out of our taxes. Plus no dental. The prices of things are higher in Canada with lower salaries and taxes equivalent to the highest states in the USA. In US you can escape to a lower taxed state and still earn well, In Canada where do you escape to?
we will have dental coverage next year. And yes healthcare is tax paid, duh. Its still much cheaper.
In Canada we might seem to have better benefits for Old Age, but the cost of living especially in BC. A big portion can't afford rent/food. They have to choose.
My talk is that if you are entrepreneur type of person, you’ll find better opportunities in US. If you are not but Canadian with supportive parents back home in Canada, spend you first 10 or so years working in US up to mid-management level and settle your family back in Canada may give you a head start
Even though I never lived in America and live in Canada, I would prefer America because I’ve never been to Canada before moving to Canada. There are downsides and upsides to everything. I also want to move to USA because I want to be a businessperson and I find America more business friendly than Canada because of less regulation
This was very well done. Good balance. I think most people are uncomfortable with an answer somewhere in the middle, but that's reality. Also, the country that works for you may change over time as well. Nothing remains static. Looking forward to Part 2.
Very thorough and comprehensive analysis, great job! I would add 2 more reason why the gross incomes in the US are higher than in Canada in 2024: 1) at will employment which, in turn, means a much higher risk for employees; and 2) USD has appreciated 30-35% since late 2014 against all major currencies (except CHF). 10 years ago the difference in gross incomes calculated in USD was much smaller than it is today.
I think there's a big flaw in looking at the numbers purely from a percentage basis. Say you live in a Canadian city where the income to cost of living ratio allows you to save 20% of your income vs an American city where the ratio allows you to save 12% of your income if that American city. You might count that as a win for the Canadian city. But if you're earning 50k USD in the Canadian city, saving 20% means saving 10k/year while 100k in the American city at 12% means saving 12k/year. When you look at the endgame of being retired, you are going to look at your nest egg as a total amount saved and not the percentage you saved. You should look at the absolute numbers.
your logic is flawed too. The average american isnt making DOUBLE what a Canadian makes lol, and even then, that would only be 2k more in savings using your 50k, 100k example.
Keep in mind income tax is only 1 of the several taxes Canadians pay. Add the carbon tax, EI, CPP, social security, etc. and that nimber starts to look much higher
Congratulations, Ameer to your excellent video. Totally without bias and very informative.
Hit $200k today. Thank you for all the knowledge and nuggets you had thrown my way over the last months. Started with $14k
I'm glad you made this video, it reminds me of my transformation from nobody to a good home, $80k bi weekly and a good helper Sophia full of love
I will forever grateful to you, you changed my entire life and I will continue to preach on your behalf for the whole world to hear you saved me from huge financial debt with just a small investment, thank you Mrs Sophia
Yes! I'm celebrating $132K stock portfolio today... Started this journey with $10K....
I've invested no time and also with the right terms, now I have time for my family and life ahead of me.
Isn't this the same woman Sophia that my neighbors are talking about, she must be a perfect expert for people to talk so well about her.
I'm 60 and my wife 53 we are both retired with over $1 million in net worth and no debt currently living smart and frugal with our money. Saving and investing lifestyle in the church stock market made it possible for us this early even still now we still earning weekly
It's maybe not perfect, but whatever the angle you look at it, this always ends up with your personal priorities. Yet, one the best reviews on the subject, and in a most respectful way, which you explain clearly in your sticky, and most compelling comments also go in that direction. Well done sir!
I’m in one of Canada’s “most violent cities” and grew up in a lower class neighborhood. Even when visiting the bad areas in town now I never feel like I’m going to be drive-by ‘d.
I can’t say the same thing for some of the US cities I’ve been in.
yes, instead we have out of town hoodrats going to our nice suburbs and breaking into homes, stealing cars and robbing malls every other day in broad daylight.
1. thats anectodal
2. at least in america the non-violent parts of cities are affordable to the average person
@@parsatayebi the violent parts aren’t even cheap in Canada 😂😂
surrey? lol
Toronto has more shootings and murders than many U.S cities
liked and subscribed. love that someones dug into the details to share with us all their findings :D
Health care in Canada is not free. You pay for it whether you want it or not. You have no choice about the quality. No chance to force a quicker visit. My wife and I paid 360 ( 180 each) a month for a type of health care cost sharing plan that is not insurance. My mother who has no insurance got free or nearly free eye exam. If you had to pay that emergency room visit yourself you could have probably settled for 3000. The insurance company probably paid 2000. They tell you it cost 7000 to keep you as a customer. There are doctors in the US who will charge about 100 to 200 per month and see you as often as needed for no extra charge, cheap catastrophic insurance covers the rest. There are emergency clinics that are much cheaper than the ER which is the most expensive way to get health care. Most seniors and most poor people get government paid plans and you get to select the plan. Charity hospitals and services are available. It is not at all like you make it sound.
Don't worry if you live in Canada and you fall on hard times...the government is always willing to offer you MAID!
I entered this video with the mindset that I will leave Canada and live in the United States due to it being a better overall country for my wants and needs; however this video gave me a new perspective that both countries are great in their own ways. I still plan to get a US visa to work, and live in the US to see which country I prefer, however I want to thank you for the new perspective on the two countries, and can't wait for part two of this series. This video was very well made, and I was very engaged through the entire 30 minutes!
Canadians have longer life expectancy for a reason. Much safer, and you're taken care of mentally and physically. Canadian cities are just newer and cleaner. Being more educated helps as well
yes and average healthcare quality is better in Canada, although the rich get private healthcare in America which is some of the best in the world, but very pricey. For 90% of people, healthcare is better in Canada, and works out to about half the annual cost per Canadian on average.
Yes life expectancy of immigrants who work for Canadians will have a lower life expectancy LOL..
Stay tuned
You do realize that there are cities in New England and the Pacific Northwest that are just as clean as canadian cities.
@@jacobrobinson2299 I mean Seattle is considered a drug dump, and Portland looks like a warzone last I saw photos. Unless there's another Pacific NW city. And People from Boston that post on the Toronto subreddit always highlight how clean Toronto is in comparison to what they're used to...
In Canada you have only so many large, mid-sized and medium-small cities along a relatively thin invisible line mostly near-ish the border, assuming you want to live in an urban/semi-urban environment. There's so many more places you can go in the states, so much variety, that you are more likely to find a place that checks all the boxes for you with less compromises, unless your career is very niche and you have ambition to thrive in something, somewhere very specific.
Then there's sales tax (and other taxes), which wasn't discussed as a financial factor. In Canada, it's often 12-15% in many provinces and tax is applied on more goods/services, which you might be inclined to compare to putting the difference into a more manual emergency medical savings account in the US (assuming you can afford to), like $3000 to meet insurance deductibles and so forth, which is effectively below the average difference between yearly sales tax expenses alone. The average sales tax in US is roughly 7.25%. Sales tax varies state to state (and city/county), where you, if you have the blessing of opportunity to choose, have more say in what fits you best. Ultimately, it boils down to more freedom of choice in the US due to inherent differences and disparities of locales, again assuming you're free to chose, vs stability and homogenization of a social benefits backstop in Canada. Depends on what you want to roll the dice for.
Great fair video/analysis though; just thought to add a couple things I find myself thinking about often that I have noticed after living in both countries myself. :)
Thank you for leaving such a detailed and insightful comment! You’re absolutely right about the variety in the U.S.-the sheer number of cities, each with its own character, tax policies, and cost of living, definitely gives people more flexibility to find their ideal spot. Canada’s urban density near the border does limit options in comparison, which is an important trade-off to consider.
Your point about sales tax is also something I’ve been thinking about. The Numbeo data I referenced in the video should account for consumption taxes (carbon tax for gas prices in Canada, "sin" taxes for alchohol prices), but I wasn’t 100% certain, so I tried to avoid doubling up on it when factoring in costs. You’re right, though-sales tax in Canada is often much higher and covers more goods/services, which can make a big difference over time. This is definitely something I want to tighten up in future comparisons!
Thanks again for sharing these points; it’s clear you’ve given this a lot of thought, and I really appreciate your perspective!
@AmeerCorro There's loads of angles so it's quite a challenge to go over them all in such detail, however, I couldn't help myself this one time to add a couple since you provided great viewpoints.
The end result of your video is that it's not as black and white as many like to say, which is refreshing to see. You did a great job covering quite a few points to the calculus. That said, I do have to say thank you for giving a very balanced and fair analysis without falling into a fan bias, very rare to see! Both countries are great in their own way. Having a chance to choose is a heck of a blessing and I hope you're happy with wherever you settle with in the future!
I would say from my experience - Canada is better. The US you make more money on paper, but in reality that all goes towards living expenses and taxes. You pay a lot of money in taxes, healthcare costs etc and you don't get much back for your investment. Everyone here has a headless chicken mentality, where they work themselves into the ground, constant work, and honestly I can't even picture being able to retire. The majority of people will end up working until they die in the US, without much travel prospects, bad quality food, air, infrastructure, etc. Not to mention the politics. US is great at selling you this fantasy idea but in reality unless you're fortunate to have a decent paying job, and place to live it's a shit show.
Headless chicken mentality where you work yourself into the ground? That's not what a headless chicken does.
Actually living expenses is mush higher in most Canadian metropolitan city. I live in Toronto . The average price of a house here is 1.2 million $ . The average price of a 1 bedroom apt is 2500 per month .Median gross income is 60 000 but after taxes it comes up to roughly 3600 $ a month. Average grocery price for one person is roughly 400 to 600 a month .
Interesting comparisons - to make it even more challenging, think about age. When you are younger, you may be far less concerned about health, but more concerned about opportunity. You may also be more optimistic that you will be at “the top” of your career. However, being able to establish yourself, buy a home, or start a family may be concerning. Then, as you age, health and stability may become more attractive (and you may realize that “average” is the norm (by definition) and not everyone is in the top 20% (again, by definition). It’s at that point where priorities realign and things shift.
Canada was good 15-20 yrs ago. We’re over taxed , over regulated and overwhelmed with mass migration. I agree there are pros and cons but overall usa is far better.
For expenses, should you also consider education? My sister and BIL are Canadian who have been living and working in USA for the past 25+ years. They became US citizens a few years ago. Their two sons were born in the US and have the benefit of dual citizenship. This allowed my nephew to attend the Unviersity of Waterloo's Astro Physics program as a Canadian vs an international student, which was way cheaper than any US schools offering a similar level of eductation. After graduating he went on to get his masters at York University in Toronto, but since he is an American he immediatley landed a job at NASA after completeing grad school. While I am extremely happy for my nephew, it is also somewhat hard to see someone get a great and less expensive education here in Canada, only to immediately go back to America.
This was fun and I'm not worried about little details or opinions. The journey of comparison, and the discussion that follows, is a decent one that sparks some ideas and thoughts about the similarities and differences that make up a typical North American. The amount of data and information you provide is as complex as it is is intriguing. Good work. Thanks!
I was a dual citizen living in Canada. Father was American and mom was Canadian. At 12 years old, my parents moved us to the states because of high cost of living/taxes, and terrible medical care. Also, my dad was an x-ray tech. working in the US and mom was a teacher who got a job teaching in the US. The transition was quite simple for our family.
My brother tore ligaments in his knee skiing Big White and he had to wait over a month for surgery. My dad took him to the states and he had surgery the following week. The surgery was $1800 (dad's deductible) if I remember correctly. Every weekend and every time we visited family in the US we stocked up on groceries, especially dairy and filled up our van with a full tank of gas.
What I liked most about BC were the outdoors as we liked to fish, hike, camp, and ski.
What I like about the US is better health care, cheaper cost of living, and you still get good outdoor life. Americans are very patriotic, college football is off the hook, US has the 2nd amendment, and the US seems quite advanced compared to Canada especially the hospitals and universities.
In the end, I like/dislike things about both the US and Canada but I'm happiest here in the US and wouldn't want any other country other than Canada north of us.
Now our hospitals are a mess because too many "migrants" have overwhelmed the system. Thanks a lot.
well Canadians recieve better care on average, statistically than Americans, unless you get private care in America which is insanely expensive. There are lots of stats you can look at like, cancer mortality rates and prognosis, life expectancy, etc. Canada averages better in nearly all of those metrics. Plus we pay a little over half of what an avg American pays for healthcare annually. American healthcare is a business based around making money. I severed 4 tendons in my forearm and got surgery in a few days. A month is insane, but I believe you. It depends on the area I suppose, the injury and the current busy-ness. A deductable even if you have coverage is still a huge amount of money for many people, without coverage it would have been probably 20k or more I assume. Maybe much more. But anyway, I digress.
@@DustinMulligan-w9b I don't believe that for 1 second. I don't think you know what you're talking about as 78% of all Americans have private/employee based health insurance, 12% personal health insurance, the remaining are covered by the taxpayer. I think your getting healthcare and health insurance mixed up.
If Canada's healthcare is so great, why do your hospitals look like they're 15 years behind the US, why do so many Canadians come down to the US for treatment (over 50,000 in 2023), why does the US rank #1 in the world for best health care (not health insurance), R&D, equipment, state of the art tech, best Dr. best hospitals. Canada's healthcare system is rationed and you sit on long waiting lists, use old and outdated equipment, very few MRI units, etc.
Canadians pay way more than your average American as Americans only pay their deductible when they need care. Canadians pay high taxes every day.
Concerning cancer, Americans have a better survival rate.
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cancer-survival-rates-by-country
From Boston, moved to Montréal and loving it.
My 2 cents:
First and foremost:
Thank you for this video, super interesting and well-designed flow of storytelling :-).
Having said that, my observations are:
1: Vancouver is one expensive place in Canada, but multiply that by a million when you move to the states. Unless it's a very dangerous part of a declining city, or the middle of nowhere, (but then there's usually no jobs if it's cheap).
2: Gun violence is real and was the #1 reason we wanted to leave.
3: Berkelee is amazing, but good luck making a living in the arts, especially music, especially in the U.S. Moving back might help.
In the U.S., unless you have an industry connection it is very hard to make a living in the performing arts (and I taught dance at MIT and BU, and at Fred Astaire, so I've been there).
I was an international student in Canada a long time ago but eventually moved to the US and became an American citizen. Much prefer the US. The problem with Canada is that a lot of new comers (like when I was an international student myself) only went to Canada because they thought it’s similar to the US but much easier to move to permanently… the minute they can move to the US they don’t walk they run (myself included)… “you don’t want someone date you because you look like a hot guy that’s too difficult to date… you want someone to date you for who you are.” The US is not perfect but if you have to choose between Canada and US, the US has so many more economic opportunities and the landscape is so much more diverse. However I would say that if you are dirt poor it’s better to be in Canada but if you are middle class and above, USA is the place to stay
In Canada we're not too happy with the idea that many people apply for student visas with the intention of easier citizenship. We feel used and abused by many internationals wanting to immigrate for our social safety net. Why not the Scandinavian countries that have even more comprehensive social programs? I take offense that you say "if you are dirt poor it's better to be in Canada". A lot of the world is trying to stuff itself into 2 countries that don't have the infrastructure, housing or health care.
As an American, I'd say the economic opportunities are the only real advantage we have over Canada (aside from hospital wait times, I guess). We simply have a stronger, more rewarding labor market. But as the video said and showed, there is more to life than high salaries and job opportunities, of which Canada is either highly competitive or out-right superior in most other metrics.
Always better in a white majority nation Is it not brown man ?. Non-whites will not leave us the fk alone...
3rd world diversity sucks for white nations...
Go Home !
Reply
@@annemarie3140 It is definitely true though, however, international students are intended to simply study and shouldn't hold any other motivation. If you want to come here to use our taxes then you must commit to staying here and paying them back, which most international students don't care for. It's easy to abuse and it's solely the governments fault for allowing it. There should be a debt system the government uses against migrants, one which will be wiped if they pay taxes for a certain period/gain citizenship. If they leave the country before that period then they should be required to pay the debt (our taxes) back.
I was an international student from France. After graduation I became a permanent resident and later became Canadian. From the time I graduate, I was working full time and paid my federal and provincial taxes. In my job, I employed 6 people. I do not feel that I have taken advantage of my adopted country in any way.
Please note also that the social safety net in France is superior to Canada. IMO. Also when you start working over there, you get right away 4 week vacation, and in many companies, you get a 13th month salary at XMas.
A factor to take into consideration of private healthcare in the U.S. You can pay for private insurance, read all the fine print to ensure you are properly covered yet still be denied a medical procedure while even on the operating table despite being told by the insurer that you were covered before booking the surgery.
For Canadians who earned more than $400,000/yr. OAS is $0. So, not all income levels.
I've lived in Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco and San Antonio. So, I get it. You can't answer this question based on country, it really comes down to cities and communities.
it seems like the US is great if you're wealthy, and can afford to live in a nice area/provide for all your potential healthcare needs.
for regular working/middle class people, Canada is probably better overall, unless there's a specific niche industry that you need to be in the US for.
Winnipeg is actually modelled or templated after Chicago and is the reason it was often referred to as "little Chicago or Chicago of the North" (I've heard sister city but apparently AI says I'm wrong on that front) - and the joke was "well we got their traffic problems". They both grew to a point and then only Chicago continued in that pathway by leaps and bounds.
Canadians have "excellent public transit" that has to be a joke right? takes them 20 years to build a new subway line man
Canada's terrible public transit is better than the non-existent public transit in many parts of the US.
Some US cities have almost no public transit
What counts as "excellent" public transit, bike networks, or pedestrian infrastructure really depends on what you’re comparing it to.
For instance, in cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, you’ll find extensive public transit systems (like subways, metro lines, and buses), growing bike networks, and highly walkable neighborhoods.
Are these cities on the same level as Amsterdam or Tokyo? No.
Is there significant room for improvement? Absolutely.
But are they better than what you'd find in car-centric U.S. cities like L.A., Houston, and Atlanta, where public transit is almost non-existent in some areas? Without a doubt.
As @MrKongatthegates pointed out, some U.S. cities barely have any public transit at all. Most large Canadian cities, even with their flaws, have functional public transit systems as a baseline.
That said, I also recognize that smaller Canadian cities or suburban areas can be a completely different story. I grew up in a car-centric Canadian suburb myself, so I know the struggle firsthand.
Canada has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to public transit, but it’s still far ahead of what you'd find in many American cities.
@@MrKongatthegates neither do 90% of our cities with the exception of like 4 or 5
@@georgepintilie8647 Hmm, you don't want to take the subway in the U.S. unless you're willing to take a risk with your life.
im really interested in how you calculated the tax in these cities as being similar, did you account for the conversion between currencies when doing so?
I have visited Seattle multiple times and I have lived in the Vancouver area and parts of Vancouver are worse than Seattle..
I loved this. OKAY GRAPHICS!! So proud of you and I'm so excited for part 2!
By the time you get seen by your GP and Specialist in Canada for FREE. Your sickness either goes away or you die first lol
Well made video & I like your voice that sounds very comfortable and pleasing. Good job 👍
If you're poor, Canada. If you're rich no comparison-- USA!
I'm contemplating moving from Chicago to Ottawa. I have family in Ottawa and dual citizenship. And I'm retired. What would I be gaining and losing?
The winters are much, much colder in Ottawa. With the windchill, it's often -30 degrees Celcius (-22 degrees Farenheit), with a lot of snow that is usually on the ground for 5 months. Most Canadian retirees who live around there who can afford to, spend their winters in the US (snowbirds), as there are 4-5 months of very intense winters there. If you love winter you might not mind, but if you're older and slip on an icy road or sidewalk, it can be a broken hip, and can be more difficult to stay active and have a good quality of life if you tend to hibernate more in the 5 months of extreme cold and snow.
@@k4t1155He’s from Chicago. It gets cold in winter there too. It’s probably closer in climate to Toronto though.
@@polishtheday Toronto has tropical winters compared to Ottawa, so I'm not sure what your point is. Ottawa winters are drastically colder, snowier and last longer than Chicago.
I’m in Montreal, which has a similar climate to Ottawa. Winters are a bit colder, but people tend to exaggerate how cold and long they are. They’re getting shorter and warmer due to climate change.
The biggest change you’ll notice is the size of the city. Ottawa doesn’t have an exciting downtown like Chicago. It’s mostly suburbs with single-family homes. But if you’re craving the big city, you can always get in a car or take a plane or train to Toronto or Montreal.
If you like the outdoors, you’ll be just minutes from it in Ottawa.
The one thing that impresses me every time I visit Ottawa is how friendly people are there compared to other Canadian cities. A large number are highly educated, if that’s important to you. They also seem happy, which makes me wonder if that’s because of a high population of retirees. Quite a few are former civil servants getting relatively generous defined benefit pensions. Ottawa also obviously has a lot of civil servants and those with high incomes. It often makes the top of the list as the best place to retire in Canada.
I wouldn’t hesitate to move there, and I’m fortunate to have lived in the two best Canadian cities - Vancouver and Montreal (sorry, Toronto).
@@polishtheday I've lived most of my life in Ottawa as well as all over North America, so you clearly don't know what you're talking about, having only visited Ottawa, compared to having lived there for years and knowing a factual comparison of it to Chicago, like me. Ottawa is factually drastically colder, snowier, and much more of an extreme winter, lasting 5 months or so compared to Chicago.
I've lived In Canada for my entire 30 years, 11 of which I've been here in Toronto and it's sad to say but the country has fallen dramatically over the last decade. The average cost of a house in Toronto has risen to 1.2 M, the average income is 60k, food cost has risen over 20% since the pandemic and the influx of low skilled Indian immigrants is completely out of control. Trudeaus carbon tax is actively attacking Albertas gas and oil sector and the cost will certainly be passed onto the Canadian people. Our economy has fallen and will take a LONG time to recover. The best thing to do at this point is cash out my investments and GTFO out of dodge...
The Indian immigrant influx is RUINING Canada.
Most Canadians get more money back fromt he gas tax than they pay in. only the richest Canadians pay more in Gas tax than they receive in rebates.
If we eliminate the gas tax basically you would be taking money away from middle class and poorer Canadians
Housing is up everywhere around the world. Oil sands at highest production in Canadian history. Economy is stable, didn’t enter into recession, inflation already below 2% target. Next.
ironically the most skilled workers are also Indians. The low skilled workers you talk about are temporary students who work part time and get high paying jobs after graduating. You feel the burn because you stay at low paying jobs which can't fund the lifestyle that you were used to. So cope and hate is all you've got. Indians have no choice but to work really really hard. I think a mirror will show you who the low skilled worker is.
@rollingthunderinho Not true, GDP per capita has been in a recession for years now. I suggest you take a proper economics course, plenty of free ones here on TH-cam.
This is such an informative show. Excellent!!! Well done.
These videos all tend to be the same. They cherry pick data to make the comparisons similar and never end up picking the US even though 10x more people move from Canada to the US despite a more difficult immigration process.
First income. I usually see the comparison ignoring the fact the US dollar is 40% higher than Canadian. Taxes are not the same, as you included fica in the US but did not include CPP or EI in Canada. There is also sales tax which is 13% in Canada and much lower than any US state. Finally you are comparing literally the highest taxed US states to Canada. Florida or Texas would not even be close.
Healthcare also gets completely over weighted in Canada. True there are many uninsured people in the US but you are not comparing apples. You stats included the cost of insurance as part of your tax section so you need to assume that in the comparison. And to consider the cost for an average young healthy viewer which is who would likely move. With the wait list difference, the US system is miles ahead.
Finally on crime, once again its cherry picked. You need to assume that the person is university educated and earning a high annual income. What area do they live in. Probably a relatively safe area with much lower crime rates.
Property taxes in Florida and Texas are multiple times higher than in most of Canada. Compared to BC property taxes in FL or TX are genuinely at levels 3x-5x of BC. Of course property values are also cheaper in those states.
The metrics don't lie. Canadians have a higher life expectancy on average, they have much better health outcomes on average, and they generally pay much less than Americans for the same quality of treatment. Wait times in the US do not make up the difference they have the worst metrics in the western world for healthcare outcomes before you include medical debt.
. Americans pay way more than any g7 country, per year, on average for healthcare. Canada is the second most expensive but are still only about 60% the cost versus USA on average. American healthcare system is designed to get away with being as expensive as possible, its a business. Plus better metrics across the board in Canada for healthcare, like cancer mortality rates, prognosis, life expectancy, etc. on AVERAGE. If you are rich, sure, US private healthcare is hard to beat, but on average its better in Canada. Look it all up. US healthcare absolutely is not miles ahead except for maybe 10% of you.
Also maybe he cherry picked on crime, but he didnt need too. Canadian metros, vs American metros, on average, and across both nations on average, crime is significantly lower in Canada. I mean you can look that up too.
Statistically, Canada is actually ahead of the US in healthcare.
- According to of Statista and the Legatum Institute, Healthcare in Canada is ranked 32 compared to US at 69.
- Canada is ranked 20th in life expectancy, US is 55th.
- Canada is 43rd in infant mortality, US is 55th.
- Canada is 39th in Under-five mortality, US is 49th.
- 100% of Canada's population is covered for healthcare, compared to 93% of US.
- 17.5% of Canadians have gone into medical debt (mostly dental) vs 27.3% of Americans
- Average medical debt is US$6,022 in Canada, and US$9,358 in US
- Health expenditure per person in Canada is US$6,319 vs US$12,555 per person in the US (as of 2022)
You're absolutely right that wait times are longer in Canada but this is mainly for seeing specialists for elective care for non-life-threatening issues. When it comes to emergency room, 42% of Canadians experienced longer than 2hr wait time compared to 29% of Americans.
Despite the US spending twice as much on healthcare per person and having shorter wait times, the average Canadian gets better healthcare than the average American. Canadians have better access to healthcare, lower infant and child mortality rates, higher life expectancy, lower chance of medical debt, and lower average medical debt.
Sales tax is actually 15% east of Ontario, and only drops to 12% in Manitoba and BC, with the exception of Alberta at 5%. Including FICA and not CPP/EI is a huge oversight by the content creator. I would say healthcare is better if you're poor in either country, better in Canada if you're middle class, and better in the USA if you're upper class.
1.17 for the conversion? To buy a usd its $1.35 cdn
This whole conversion scale is invalid!
More like CAD$1.42 to get one US$
Canadian healthcare isn’t “free”. It’s tax funded. Basically people who work pay for the “free” healthcare for those who don’t work.
Yes, but NO one in Canada has to declare bankruptcy if they get sick, or worse…die! Emergency healthcare is done immediately. Yes, we wait for elective surgeries or for non emergencies but I’d rather know that ALL Canadians are looked after by MY taxes. I lived in the US. OMG. Most vile healthcare on the planet…unless you’re wealthy.
He repeatedly said that health care in Canada is free "at the point of service," or some similar phrase. No one ever claims that doctors work for free. Taxes go to paying them, and even preteens understand this.
Did you even bother watching the video or do you just like to complaim
@@boredguy5805 I watched the video. Goof. Sorry your mom drank when pregnant.
@@dixonpinfold2582 time and place tough guy.
This was really good. Best I’ve seen. It tells me that in a global world we can all find and live on a country that best suits our personality.
I love my life in Canada. So much in the USA is so politicized. I’ve visited my cousins in the US many times. When I came home it was always like a breath of fresh air. 💖🥰
My sentiments exactly 💯🎯
Yep, the US is nice but after a couple weeks I get this growing weight on my mind like I'm in an area that's too repetitive. Having to drive everywhere, highways and concrete roads everywhere you look, the idea that i have nothing to depend on if something happens. Of course most of these are just being homesick but I still won't choose the US over Canada unless its to conduct business.
Canada was not politicized, that changed.
Wait when you are in the hospital in Canada with a heart attack or stroke, they pressure will be going if you come back to the hospital again and pressure you for MAID!!!
Stay tuned
Love your comment "my goal is to encourage critical thinking, deep conversation, and reflection, not to hand out easy answers" (like a tough teacher who forces you to discover the answer yourself.....)
I’m an American who travels across the states and provinces frequently. One thing I definitely notice is that businesses in the provinces seem to always be out of products. For instance, I love Starbucks bagels. When I was in Canada last year, every store I visited across QC, AB and BC were always “out” of plain bagels and certain other items. Shelves were just not stocked like they are in the US.
As a 30+ year Canadian, the biggest issue here is our cultural obsession with debt, particularly with how we treat housing.
Regarding salary I am in electrical engineering and generally these careers are paid so much higher in the US to my knowledge. There also are other factors like auto insurance or buying a home for example.
Also taxes here in Canada if you make 100 k do increase a lot.
@@radirandom Canada has far higher taxes and in United States, you have more bills to pay that’s not in taxes
Really well done video! From the research, editing, production - just subscribed dude!
This reminds me of Germany just before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. There were lots of folks 'escaping' East Germany and resettling in the West. Who was doing this? Almost exclusively young men. Not the elderly, not women with children. The East German social welfare system took care of people in a way that would not have been possible if they had tried to relocate. I was a tourist there at the time and a very wise older female politician gave me the broader perspective. It comes down to values. If you want to take care of your neighbours through equality of education, health and other social welfare, then Canada it is. If you believe in rugged individualism, then the US wins.
and this is why east germany was a poorer country than west germany . by the way there are plenty of videos in you tube that shows thoes who migrated from eastern one to western one were old men and women too .
I own my home straight out. I pay 120 a month for water trash. 114 property tax a month, 340 a month electric heat during winter, 112 during summer, food 1200. Family of 4. Insurance hospital 25. House is 4 bedroom 2 bathroom, full heated basement, and a bar/game room. Taxes will double having complete renovation 322k in april.
Which country are you in?
@OptimisticHominid america
@@getpaid200 For comparison with here in central Canada, I've pulled the same items from our expense tracking sheet and converted them to USD at today's rate (these are annual amounts):
$348 - Water and Waste. We're in a rural area so we have a well and septic.
$0 - Trash. I drop it off at the dump/recycling center myself.
$1,420 - Property tax.
$1,711 - Electricity. This is our only energy source.
$7,412 - Family of 3.
$0 - hospital, however we buy extra coverage for $1,250.
The house is five bed, 3 bathroom, with fully finished basement, on a 4 acre lot. We've spent about $70K renovating, doing most of the work ourselves. It's value today is somewhat low for all the effort we've put in at $355K. We're only 15 mins from the city.
All the best with your renovations.
6:56 uhhh canada is a crop producing country ---what is this woman talking about?
Was thinking the same! The province of Saskatchewan is a huuuge producer of lentils, for instance 8-)
Great comparison. Sometimes people look at just one variable- income but forget about all the other variables- healthcare, social safety net, crime, and others. Choose wisely.
I don't know if you meant to, but your analysis really shows the differences between US and Canadian culture. In the USA, life is geared to the individual and their rights and responsibilities, which is why the social safety net is much weaker. There the prevailing thought is work hard and get a good job, and then you'll have nice home, get access to the best healthcare in the world, and make a lot more income as well. If you don't work hard and get a good job, then that's kind of your fault. This is individualism at its core.
On the other hand in Canada, most of us accept that we will earn less money, but also know that if we have medical issues or lose our job, we are less likely to wind up homeless or with six figure debt. We also accept that everyone deserves at least a basic level of care, regardless of how much money they make or where they live. While Canadians are more individualistic than people from Europe or Asia, we are definitely more collective in our attitudes the people in the US.
Ultimately, it's as you say - the choice is completely based on your willingness to take risks. The risk averse stay in Canada and generally have good quality of life and are healthy. The risk takers move to the USA and try to work extra hard to get that same quality of life, knowing they will retire earlier or live in a bigger home, take more vacations, etc., than if they had stayed in Canada.
I think it’s a matter of health, ambition, & what season of life you’re in. Generally speaking if you’re healthy spend your youth in the United States. When you’re ready to settle, start a family &/or retire Canada is the better choice.
Intetesting that the richest man on the planet although American, dreams of living on Mars over any country.🤔
I guess the best is be Canadian, get paid in USA, working in tech, and get healthcare in Canada xD.
lol have fun with the next round of layoffs
Contrary to the person just before the 7:00 mark who says Canada is mostly pre-cambrian shield, etc (not correct), Canada is a huge agricultural country. We are major exporters. However, the majority of what we produce is beef, pork, chicken, grain, lentils, oilseeds, some basic vegetables & fruits like potatoes, corn, apples, plums, berries, etc. A huge part of our greens and most fruits come from the USA and Mexico which means shipping costs and more handlers so more middlemen profits. I suspect that grocery stores gouge more here as well. That pushes our grocery prices up.
If I was rich I would live in Canada, but for avg folks US just fares better unless you get sick!
Even if you get sick in Canada things aren't great. Yes the healthcare is free, but it is extremely underfunded and inefficient. Getting a family doctor is challenging, wait times in emergency rooms are sometimes > 24 hours. Expect to wait up to a year to see a specialist. Hopefully you don't get any aggressive forms of cancer as you'll likely be dead long before you're ever able to get treatment in Canada. At least in the US if you have health insurance or are rich you can get high quality care quickly.
@@cinifiendIf you are rich, you can get quality healthcare anywhere practically, so that's not really saying anything much.
health care in canada is crap..most doctors dont even listen and take care of you..they write you something to go get..
Hi. Quick question. Are the CAD values used in the videos already converted into USD? And what conversion rate did you use? I just wanna make sure that we have comparative data here. Thanks.
Hi! Good question.
I keep the CAD values in CAD and the USD values in USD, as when you live in either country you make your money and spend your money in local currency units. Then I compare the % of the median income that a standardized basket of goods and healthcare would cost you in each city.
The only converted figures you’ll see are during the income comparison chart and groceries (dual axis). The exchange rate used is the World Bank’s 2024 PPP conversion factor for the Canadian Dollar of 1.17. PPP factors in cost of living and strips away any distortions room nominal exchange rates, and is more ideal for cost of living comparisons because it factors in purchasing power.
Thanks for asking!
@@AmeerCorro Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. Looking forward to more contents from you. Cheers!
It depends on your situation. I think that while Vancouver does have similarities with Seattle, it might be more appropriate to also compare it to San Francisco. Imho it's somewhere in between, but it's a similar ultra liberal west coast tech and trade hub with the eastern hemisphere. I think it's important to note that the cost of those healthcare plans doesn't do it full justice either because of copay, deductibles, out of network costs, etc. Moving from San Francisco to BC, I found that it could cost me about $600,000 over my lifetime to have the same coverage as Canadian healthcare in California, AND my income taxes were LOWER in Canada, property taxes were FIVE times lower in Canada, and that's in BC, which is considered to be very high (~0.25%, as opposed to 1.1-1.2% in California), AND houses were a little less, AND sales tax was a little lower, AND car registration costs were much lower, AND, believe it or not, for my field the salary was actually slightly higher. So for me it is a no brainer choice, although that might not be true for everyone. Don't discount the difference in cost of healthcare though. No offense - overall great video - but it dramatically underestimated healthcare costs, which are the very highest in the world in the USA, while quality of care - even wait times - are essentially the same, and actually even slightly better for emergencies, than the USA. We still have very long wait times, we still have to wait a long time to get into a specialist, etc. It is NOT like you pay $100/mo for regular insurance, and $150/mo for super fancy insurance. I spent $200/WEEK with EMPLOYER SPONSORED HEALTHCARE, and STILL had a $6,000 in network deductible, $20,000 of of network deductible, AND copay. Sometimes the USA is deceptive like that. There are so many hidden fees and surcharges and extra fines and blablablablabla. Live in both for at least a few years and you will see what I mean. To each their own, but I'm not buying it. I've seen both sides. I don't think the American system is worth the hype, or the risks, for example about 40,000 people die every year due to not having health insurance. When I drove uber the hospitals would discharge people into the street, wandering around in their hospital robe, and refuse to admit them again. "You can go die in a ditch, communist". Lol, I'm good. No thanks. You do you.
yes this is true. Americans pay way more than any g7 country, per year, on average for healthcare. We are the second most expensive but are still only about 60% the cost versus USA on average. Plus better metrics for healthcare like cancer mortality rate, life expectency, etc. on AVERAGE. If youre rich, sure, US private healthcare is hard to beat, but on average its better in Canada. Plus our dental will be covered soon too, one of the good things Trudeau did lol.
In my country Canada those that are unable to work because of disabilities or seniors have the same health coverage than those who do work which is the called the " Health Insurance Premium" and does not cost à penny when any Canadians needs a Dr.'s appointment, surgeries etc. and now we have the drug and dental benefits. Not any Canadian getting bankrupt for health. I can't imagine living in the US or Canada being part of the US period. I like my country Canada in so many ways.
After leaving the corporate world and having to buy our own health insurance in the market, I can tell you it’s insane in the USA. We pay nearly $3000/month for silver level healthcare (bronze, silver, gold platinum) with a $12,000 deductible for 2 healthy middle aged adults. In fact, we pay more for healthcare than we do for our mortgage on a very nice San Francisco Bay Area house we bought 15 years ago.
@@Cooper1 ridiculous. I fail to see how Covered California is really helping much more than medicaire/medicaid. I was a contractor for many years, and I was so sick and tried of getting bumped between Medi-Cal, then some really bad employer sponsored programs, then cobra, then covered California, back to a bad employer covered program, etc, etc. I realized that just basic Canadian healthcare would cost over $1,000 in California easily. The top-notch Platinum plans, the very best you can buy in California, still have LESS coverage than what every single Canadian has. Some don't appreciate it!
I moved from California to Alberta. Both have their ups and downs. Canada wins in my opinion.
Income: There is a much bigger disparity between rich and poor in the U.S. Canada is much better for the average Joe, while top earners do much better in the U.S.
Taxes: I've worked as a tax preparer in both California and Alberta. Alberta has lower taxes AND healthcare is included.
Cost of living: U.S. is cheaper and has more availability and thus more market competition which drives consumer prices down. Remember to factor in exchange rates when looking at prices.
Housing: Much the same, though U.S. prices fluctuate more.
Career: Alberta has Way more opportunities IF you don't have a degree. Construction, trucking, etc. will get you peanuts in the U.S. while in Canada you can make a decent living. If you have a basic degree it's probably very similar in both countries, and if you have a masters or doctorate, U.S. is the place to be.
Healthcare: All I can say is F the U.S. I can't wrap my head around how people can even live there with their HC system.
Safety: Lets just say if you don't live in the millionaire neighborhoods, invest in firearms and keep them locked and loaded and close at all times.
Stress: Canada is far less stressful for me.
Social benefits: You actually get something back from the taxes you pay in Canada. Child benefits, Carbon Tax, GST. In the U.S. you get Jury Duty every year.
People: I love people from both countries. I find Americans more outgoing and easier to get to know new friends. On the other hand, they can be opinionated and seem rude. Canadians can be very reserved and can seem snobby to a newby.
Government: U.S. politics seemed to be more power hungry while Canada is a little more understanding towards its citizens.
The cost for a one bedroom in downtown Chicago or for example a studio with one bedroom cost around $1500 USD next to the lake. Not $2400 USD like you mentionned
You have not checked rent prices recently lol, also a studio is different from a one bedroom apartment, typically a good amount cheaper
@ i live there
As a legal immigrant before justin trudeau was elected, I would've absolutely recommend Canada to anyone if this was 15 years ago, but nowadays, don't come here, it is hell.
Architecture: EVERYWHERE IS JUST ASPHALT!
Entertainment: mostly nothing to do unless you like nature
cost of living: ∞
Culture: Bland, boring, no dreams, no inspirations
Happiness: literally see people living in 3rd world have happier lives. If you go out of the big cities, it will be mostly fine.
Politicians: we have an idiot for a government, and the blue party has a politician with his whole entire point being "atleast I ain't Trudeau"
Healthcare wait time: ∞
Good things that remain in Canada
People: despite living in a mess, they are kind
Landscape: Nice, but Vancouver really carries it.
Food: despite being controlled by mostly fast food (Tim Hortons has fallen), their cooking feels humble.
I loved your comparisons! Great video overall. I am going to show a portion of it to my AP Macro class when we discuss comparing statistics between countries. You did a wonderful job putting them in the right context!
I would have liked to have seen two things added - first the weather. You only picked cold cities to compare so they would be comparable, which I get. However, in doing so, you missed the entire southern portion of the country where, not only is it more enjoyable to not have 6 months of winter, but there are big cities with good employment corridors and generally low cost of living - North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Georgia... The number of Canadians that I know that have moved to the Atlanta area for the economic opportunities and the weather is growing each year. We especially have a lot of Canadian doctors and nurses here leading to some of that brain drain you mentioned and only increasing the shortages/wait-times in Canada.
Second, I would have liked to see you add the ability and affordability of owning a home. In Canada, this is becoming an incredibly difficult thing to obtain because of all the investment in real estate and high housing prices. The US has its problems too, but I am a millennial and I was able to purchase a house with my husband at the age of 23 on a teacher's salary and my husband had an entry level position at a building company with only 5% down on a FHA loan. We were able to sell that house 7 years later for $130,000 in profit and buy a very nice home in a nice area. In Canada, you have to save up for years and will likely need an adjustable rate mortgage. The upward mobility and financial freedom that owning a home offers is a big plus in the US and is available to a much larger portion of its citizens - especially outside the major cities that you mentioned.
I definitely see the nuance between the two options. My mom is Canadian, so most of her family still lives in Ontario and Alberta. My grandparents and aunts/uncles were missionaries oversees and didn't make much money throughout their life, so it is wonderful that they are taken care of by the government and can live a comfortable retirement and get the care that they need there. We never saw a bill for my grandpa's nursing home or memory care facility. However, my aunt has a very painful condition that needs a simple surgery to fix, but it is not life threatening. She has been waiting 8 months in pain to get the surgery that she needs in the Canadian healthcare system. In the US, she would have been treated within the same week for the condition she has. In the 80s, my grandpa had to lay in a hospital bed for 2 weeks to save his spot in line for a cataracts surgery. My cousins in Canada had wonderfully long maternity leave and were surprised I had to go back after only 12 weeks. However, I also have a cousin here in the US that works for a company that offers 8 months of maternity leave, so even that varies dramatically between companies. Ultimately, it depends on what your needs are, and your own level of self-sufficiency which one is better for you. After my mom left Canada when she married my dad, she never even thought about returning. They have lived a comfortable life here raising 5 children. She is the type of person who has never met a stranger and felt out of place in Canada - constantly being shushed everywhere she went - more outgoing than they knew what to do with. It turns out, she was born to be an American.