TOP 10 PROS AND CONS OF LIVING IN TORONTO ONTARIO 2023

hi in this video we're going to talk about canada's melting pot it's the largest busiest city in the country and one of the most expensive cities to live in in north america i'm talking about toronto ontario and in this video it's going to be a heavy hitter for you guys because i'm going to get into just how expensive it is to live here is it worth it is it fun is it good is it bad is it safe stay tuned because i'm about to drop the good the bad and the ugly these are your top 10 pros and cons of living in toronto ontario [Music] hey if this is your first time to the channel and you want to know everything there is to know about living working eating sleeping playing in toronto ontario and the surrounding areas across the greater toronto area then subscribe below so you can be the first to know about the current market in toronto ontario my name is rochelle for the last seven years i've been helping people just like you make that move to toronto ontario and i love it as a real estate agent here i want to help you make that move so whether you're moving in nine days or 90 days then make sure to give me a call shoot me a text send me an email or even schedule a zoom call and i'll be happy to help you make a smooth move to toronto so let's get into it let's start off with the cons of living in toronto and let's get right into the biggest issue that people are facing when trying to make a move to the city is that house prices are expensive crazy expensive so for example a one bedroom condo is going to run you about 450 000 a two bedroom town will cost you about eight hundred and sixty thousand dollars a three bed semi will likely go for about 1.34 million dollars and then a four bed detached house just like this one here will easily run you a cool two million dollars so it is not cheap to live here but there are definitely some neighborhoods throughout the city that are less expensive than others and so if you plan on making a move here just make sure that you have a good realtor to help you find the best home to fit your budget someone like me however that does go hand in hand with my next con which is the high cost of living here in toronto it's high not only are the housing prices high but your other typical monthly expenses like a transportation food those aren't cheap either to get buying toronto a person needs to be earning a salary of forty thousand dollars before tax per year to meet the standard cost of living now number three toronto was ranked as having the worst traffic in canada talktalk.com did a study that showed that on average here a toronto driver spends six days of their life sitting in traffic that's the equivalent of 71 nba games and so if you're a raptors fan and you miss a game it's probably because you were stuck in traffic and hand-in-hand with traffic parking can be a challenge too you've got all of these one-way streets you're driving around looking for a spot you find a garage and it's expensive too what most people do after say 20-30 minutes of not finding street parking is they either suck it up you know pay the six dollars an hour for a parking garage or 25 for the day is the average for garages downtown they sacrifice and just park you know further away and walk to where they need to go instead or they park somewhere where they shouldn't and maybe risk getting a ticket that's just how it is but number five is pollution because with all of that traffic and congestion um and then talking people and vehicular traffic because remember that toronto has close to three million people you're naturally going to find a lot of pollution here the air quality isn't that great there's a lot of smog and on a hazy day downtown it might be hard to even see the cn tower because of all that smog so that's how bad it is now not a deal breaker though it's just something to be mindful of if you have asthma or the like is that the city can get pretty smoggy at times and by the way toronto can get quite humid in the summer months as well so just keep that in mind now unfortunately winters are not all that great either now toronto is stereotypically canadian i mean it's called it's nose so it's all expected but it's not as extreme as other parts of canada but it can be quite severe where the temperature can be negative 15 but then throw in the windchill and it feels more like negative 30. it's very cold plus winters here are very very long you can expect around four months of winter weather from beginning december to end of march and then there's usually a short spring season april may where the sun just sprinkles on you and it's a breath of fresh air and then summer kicks in full force come mid-june and it seems to come so quickly that torontonians are scrambling to make quick plans to do a weekend at the cottage or a beach getaway just to make use of the short time that they have under the sun the next con is that toronto is huge it can be very intimidating just because of its sheer size it's a huge city and it's going to take some time to learn how to navigate your way around i've lived in the gta my whole life and there's still neighborhoods some neighborhoods that i pass through where it's like i've never been here before it's kind of surreal you know so for anyone coming to the city for the first time or at least your first little while here then keep your phone charged because google maps will be your best friends now finding childcare that's another con that's the next thing that you need to know about toronto is that finding child's care is not going to be easy if you are a parent and you need to send your kid to daycare then you're going to need to set that up way in advance put yourself on the wait list for many different day cares several months before your baby's even born i have friends who put themselves on wait lists at 10 15 different centers and got maybe one or two callbacks a year later from places that finally had openings and so if you have young kids in your family then just expect long wait times to finally get your kid into daycare now it's equally challenging to find a family doctor in toronto because with like i said three million people close to or living in the toronto proper that's a lot of people who potentially need access to health care now the reality is that there just aren't enough doctors to meet the demands of the city so just like finding childcare when it comes to finding health care and a general practitioner or a pediatrician specifically same thing you want to put yourself on several different wait lists do a google search ahead of time just to make sure that these places are actually accepting new patients and then expect that you are going to be waiting on average anywhere between 6 to 18 months just to become a new patient my final con is that torontonians are not known to be the friendliest of people i mean in canada in general yes we do have a reputation for being like the friendliest country in the world but when you talk to other canadians and not just outside of the outside of ontario but even outside of the gta torontonians do have a rep for having their nose in the air like their city is better than the rest now obviously that isn't true for everyone but relatively speaking you aren't going to get you know those relaxed easy going vibes that are common on the west coast or that small town hospitality field that you do in the maritimes that's just because it's a very different energy in toronto people are rushing to go to work they have meetings that they're laid for there's a lot of traffic to contend with i lived in the gta my whole life except for two years when i moved to ottawa and one of my first days there a man said hello to me in the grocery store and i just quickly rushed to my car i called my husband right away because i honestly thought that this guy was gonna follow me home or rob me like what is he saying hi to me for i mean it turns out that he was just a normal guy and i freaked out over nothing but that's just because i wasn't used to people being so friendly all right now for some of the pros of living in toronto what makes this city so beautiful why despite all the content i just mentioned are people choosing to move to toronto and call the city home well let's start off with number one toronto is a world leader for diversity and multiculturalism half of torontonians are immigrants from other countries half the torontonians are a visible minority schools celebrate diversity and they teach kids to welcome all ethnicities races genders religions multiculturalism is an integral part of life in toronto you see it in the neighborhoods toronto is home to areas like chinatown greek town little italy there's an lgbt area at church in wellesley that hosts a pride parade it's one of the biggest in the world and the nice thing about all these different neighborhoods is that toronto has done such a good job of integrating the neighborhoods so that no matter where you are you feel welcome in any part of town it's not like you know in other states for example where you know new york for example their neighborhoods will feel a little segregated you don't get that in toronto their motto is diversity our strength and so with all that diversity and different cultures and ethnicities you're also going to get a lot of flavor toronto is known for having an epic food scene literally some of the best cuisines in canada you can find right outside your front doorstep everything from indian butter chicken to the best pad thai outside of thailand there are so many amazing local shops and restaurants to choose from there's also been a growing trend of you know over the last 5-10 years of healthy eating that toronto got in tune with so it's common to see vendors offering green eating organic whole foods locally sourced produce and packaging that's environmentally friendly it is not just bacon poutine and maple syrup here my friends toronto is the perfect place to add a little more spice to your life outside of dining there are plenty of entertainment options toronto is a hustling and bustling city that you can never get bored in toronto's got a bunch of big teams in major leagues the raptors the leafs the blue jays so you can really catch a game and just root for your favorite players the rogers center is a massive arena that musicians like michael jackson madonna bruce springsteen taylor swift they've all performed in toronto and it is a stop on many artists world tours so that's amazing if you're film black then toronto is home to tit the toronto international film festival toronto has an amazing nightlife as well there is bar after bar after bar that line queen street west and then plenty of nightclubs to get your party on on king street west and if you're looking for something more family focused then there's a cn tower of course ripley's aquarium high park or even just walking along the waterfront and enjoying the gorgeous views of lake ontario there's a lot to do and experience in toronto and i truly hope that if you do ever make your way here that you get to experience a lot of those things my biggest recommendation for families singles and couples alike is center island it's one of my favorite places to be in the city you can take a ferry there from the harbour front and then you end up on this magical island with a lot of greenery i'm talking very well manicured lawns there's water beach picnics you can rent tandem bikes and go for a canoe ride and you get the most amazing views of the toronto skyline this place is incredible you definitely need to check it out now i mentioned that one of the cons of living in toronto was high house prices despite that there are still lots of different neighborhoods to choose from and the beautiful thing is that each of these different neighborhoods come with their own personality and vibe yorkville for example is the fashion district where you'll find a lot of designer boutiques offering you know chanel tiffany hermes kensington market it's an incredible street market that really reflects the wide diversity of toronto with a lot of caribbean latinos europeans and vietnamese vendors selling delicious ethnic snacks um boho vintage clothing and having lively market stalls the distillery districts that's another national historic site and it's a pedestrian only walking area and it also has a wide variety of eateries art galleries and event venues and then the annex they have a more laid-back chill youthful atmosphere with casual eateries and pubs so basically no matter your taste and your lifestyle toronto has a neighborhood for you and if you're looking to move to the city then make sure to give me a call so i can narrow you or i can help you narrow down a neighborhood that suits your budget all of my contact information is down below and then for everyone make sure that if you're liking this video to give me a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel because it does help me continue to put out more content just like this and helping people just like you make a smooth move to toronto the fifth thing you need to know is that toronto is an epicenter of business and culture in canada toronto is the economic heart of canada and so many large brands have their headquarters in toronto and many large businesses are in the downtown core making the city ideal for business professionals in recent years toronto has also emerged as one of the hottest tech markets in north america bringing in tech workers from all around the world so that also leads me to my next point which is that because toronto is home to a thriving business scene you're also going to have an abundance of that entrepreneurial mindset as well and so the city is known for having a huge startup scene too particularly in the tech space they did a study that estimated that toronto startup scene is actually worth 17 billion dollars and so to nurture the future success of these young companies and to promote the opening of more startup companies the city offers early stage funding at nearly three times the global average so there's a lot of support out there for startups to help you reach your optimal potential if you do want to make a lot of money in a great career that you love then luckily toronto is home to the best or one of the best education systems in the world in terms of post-secondary options you have everything from prestigious and expensive to affordable and pragmatic world-class institutions like the university of toronto are ranked not just top in canada but some of the best in the world and some schools offer incredible specialized programs like journalism at ryerson university or even more practical hands-on training like graphic design at humber college so if you want to further your knowledge in toronto then you've got options it all just depends on your goals and resources now i grew up in toronto like i mentioned and i find that that has made me a little more thick-skinned when visiting other cities that other people might be nervous of but i think it's safe to say that in general toronto is a pretty safe city you don't hear of too much gun violence and when you do it's honestly a shock to hear on the news because it's like how did you even get a gun it's just so unheard of here um there isn't a heavy gang culture here either um it's not like you know other big cities in the states for example new york and l.a or you see it in the movies but that's just not the vibe here i used to have a job where i would work the night shift and i'd be working on or i'd be walking on queen street which is right part of downtown and i'd be there in the middle of the night getting a snack and i mean yes you are going to run into people with drug problems people who are homeless that might approach you and make you feel a little uncomfortable but statistically the crime rate here is very low especially given that toronto is a major city and so all in all it is a great place to live as long as you stay alert and you carry yourself decently then you will feel safe walking alone even at night on your own the ninth pro about living in toronto is that it's easy to get away for holidays or a break because you've got access to two different airports within less than an hour's commute billy bishop on the toronto island it's nice and clean and offers domestic flights within canada and to the us and then although not in the city of toronto itself there's also pearson international which is canada's largest and busiest airport you can quickly reach there using the direct go train line that runs from union station downtown and go straight to the airport that'll likely take you roughly 50 minutes maybe an hour tops and then last but not least toronto has a great healthcare system in canada in general getting access to healthcare is free you know you go to a hospital or clinic and you can get mris x-rays all done at no charge and that's great but what i'm talking about specifically in terms of toronto is that they are home to some of the top doctors and surgeons in the world people travel long and far distances to see specialists here in toronto some of the most intelligent skillful and compassionate doctors from some of the highest rated hospitals around the world have called toronto their home and many people live better healthier and longer lives because of them and so there you have it those are your top 10 pros and cons of living in toronto ontario and if you are thinking of making a move to toronto yourself whether it's in nine days or 90 days then i'd love to help you out give me a call shoot me a text send me an email or even schedule a zoom call all down in the description below like i said i'd love to help you make a smooth move to toronto until then feel free to check out one of my other videos that i posted on toronto it's how to buy a house in toronto especially if you're a first time home buyer and you need help navigating the system then i've got that in check for you check it out right now but until then i will see you guys around town thank you so much for watching until then stay safe everybody [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: LIVING IN TORONTO

Views: 151,269

Keywords: moving to canada, life in canada, life in toronto, moving to toronto, living in toronto, relocating to toronto, toronto real estate, cost of living in toronto, downtown toronto, is toronto expensive, living costs toronto, cost of living in canada, life in canada for immigrants, toronto vlogs, toronto cost of living, life in toronto canada, living in toronto canada, cost of living toronto, millennial money, toronto ontario, living in canada vlog, moving to canada vlog

Id: 3c9YKJYErbA

Length: 17min 39sec (1059 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 11 2022