Cost Of Living In Sydney Nova Scotia

Cost Of Living In Sydney Nova Scotia

As an ageing population continues to take its toll on Canadian society, the liberal government has turned to immigration to address this issue. However, due to the widespread international appeal of places like Ontario and British Columbia, not all parts of Canada experience the same immigration levels. While the population problem is addressed in some areas, it is still an issue in others.

Over the years, the Provincial Nominee Program has been an option for immigrants. More and more Canadian provinces are becoming aggressive in promoting and pushing this program. As a result, provinces that were not mainstream options for immigrants in the past are now beginning to see higher immigration levels relative to the last decade.

The province of Nova Scotia is starting to gain popularity for immigrants. Since 2011, the number of immigrants has been on a slow yet gradual rise. Also, while immigration has been dominated by the British and the Americans, other nationalities have been arriving. These include immigrants from the Philippines and India.

Immigrants land in a province's capital. Since Halifax is Nova Scotia's provincial capital, it is the part of the province which welcomes the most number of immigrants. As of 2016, there were around 45,290 immigrants in the city. Three years later, 6,393 newcomers joined the city's population.

This data tells us that people do not just come to Halifax, Nova Scotia. They also stay. Should you plan to do the same, you will need to do your homework on the cost of living.

Stumbling across this article, you are in luck because that is exactly what it will be about.

Why Halifax, Nova Scotia?

Life in Nova Scotia is laid-back. So, why should you consider living specifically in Halifax, Nova Scotia?

According to Population Stat, Halifax currently has at least 413,000 residents. For any city in North America, this is a small number of residents. This means that crowding is not likely to be a problem in this city. There is little to no competition when it comes to living spaces and also jobs.

With Halifax's small population also comes a tighter sense of community. Richard Payne said it best when he talked about trademark Canadian friendliness and politeness. He used no other than the people of Halifax as his example.

After all, when your city is less than a fifth of Toronto and Quebec (separately), there is a chance of bumping into the same person twice in a week. This can lead to no other result than a sense of community.

Halifax along with Cape Breton is the economic center of Nova Scotia. Just like how Vancouver is the economic hub of British Columbia, Halifax is seeing more industries establish themselves in the city.

For this reason, unemployment has dropped sharply, with less than 6% not being able to find work in the city as of 2019. Nonetheless, job vacancies are increasing especially in certain sectors or industries.

Whichever Canadian city you may want to settle in, owning a home is always going to be expensive. This might surprise you, but houses in Halifax are more affordable. They are cheaper, especially when compared to houses in Ontario, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Quebec.

Being a university town, Halifax is home to several prominent educational institutions such as Dalhousie University.  Also, as part of the Maritimes, the ocean will almost always be within reach like many places near (not necessarily in) the city centre. Hence, you need not worry much about transportation costs.

Last but not the least, many of Halifax's native residents and immigrants will agree on one thing- Halifax's low crime rates.

Jobs, community, affordable housing, low transportation costs, and safety. What more could you possibly want in a city?

Average Wages

Now that you have some insight into the quality of life Halifax offers, let's talk about how much someone here makes.

It was mentioned earlier that the unemployment rate in the city has decreased. This is in part due to the influx of many industries into the city. Because of the demand for infrastructure, employment in the construction and industrial sectors has risen by as much as 9% to 10% in 2019. What does this mean for you?

It means that if you are coming into the city looking for a job in the industrial sector, you can surely find work. On that note, the minimum average salary for workers in this sector is estimated at 45,809 CAD. Though it is minimum, it is still well above the national average salary, according to The Chronicle Herald.

Shipbuilding is also a major employer of the city. Companies like Irving Shipbuilding employes more than 10,000 employees. Based on Glassdoor's data, junior engineers here could expect to take home at least 60,000 CAD in their first year on the job. Ship welders earn about 35.00 CAD per hour totalling 74,000 CAD a year.

One of the other industries that have boomed in Halifax is finance and accounting. Halifax is home to more than 10 well-known financial transaction and accounting firms. Most accountants in Halifax earn 46,000 CAD a year according to Pay Scale.

 The educational sector also employes many of Halifax's residents. Teachers and professors could make at least 25.00 CAD an hour. Yearly, that would be about 53,000 CAD to 54,000 CAD per year.

These are the most commonly available jobs in the city. With the salary figures as they are, a good monthly wage to base one's calculations on would be about 3,833.33 CAD per month.

Cost Of Living In Halifax

Is 3,800 CAD per month sufficient for living in Halifax? Compared to many cities in Canada, Halifax is a very affordable place to live in. Expatistan ranks it the second-cheapest city in Canada.

Accommodation

No one will disagree with the fact that owning a home will always be expensive. Be that as it may, housing prices in Halifax are some of the most affordable of any Canadian city.

Even after property taxes, the price of an average-sized home is at about 191,000 CAD. This is a fraction of the price of smaller-sized homes in British Columbia or Ontario. This is even cheaper than the average housing prices of Alberta and Quebec.

As mentioned in the previous section, Halifax, Nova Scotia is a university town. With many residents being students, rented housing is popular in this part of Nova Scotia. Apartments and condominiums near university campuses are all the rage for this reason.

For the average student,Dalhousie University estimates rent prices to be somewhere between 1,003 CAD to 1,617 CAD per month. These rent prices were based on Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's 2018 data. Of course, apartment rent prices will depend on location.

Rent of an apartment closer to the city centre is estimated at 1,807 CAD. This is for an 85-square metre apartment in one of Halifax's premium locations. Farther from the city centre, rent prices are lower. You could expect to pay a reasonable amount of 1,260 CAD per month.

This is lower than the rent you would need to pay in a place like Mississauga, Victoria (British Columbia), or Brampton.

Utilities

When it comes to utilities, the monthly outlay is higher than Toronto but only by a bit.

In detail. there is a 5% difference that separates the utility bills in Halifax and Toronto. This is disbursement covers the basics of any apartment or home. It includes water, garbage disposal, heating, air conditioning, and electricity.

The expense on internet connection is also higher in Halifax by 20%. This might seem steep, but you will see later on that the expenses for an entire month even out.

Luckily, your prepaid mobile phone budget will not take a hit in Halifax as it costs 90% less than it would in Toronto and other parts of Canada.

For a detailed comparison, here is a table of the costs for utilities:

Monthly Utility Bills	Halifax, Nova Scotia	Toronto, Ontario
Basics (Heating, cooling, electricity, garbage, water)	160.34 CAD	151.18 CAD
Mobile pre-paid	0.23 CAD	0.44 CAD
Internet (60 MBPS with unlimited data)	99.03 CAD	69.65 CAD

Food

The price of food is also a very important consideration to assess living costs. Food prices in Halifax are quite competitive compared to that of other cities in Canada.

Red meat and dairy products are cheaper in Halifax possibly due to its proximity to the surrounding rural areas in Nova Scotia. These rural agricultural areas around the city are sources of meat and milk.

Between Toronto and Halifax, there are negligible differences in the prices of poultry as well, so this is welcoming news if you love chicken.

With equal access to grain, there aren't too many differences between the costs of food products like fresh white bread and white rice.  Perhaps this is also why domestic beer is similarly priced with the domestic beer of Toronto.

When we consider the fact that prices of food products in Halifax carry an HST of 15%, the net price of domestic beer might actually be much cheaper.

For better comparison, the table below compares the grocery prices of the aforementioned food products. The prices in Halifax are compared to those of Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Food Prices	Halifax, Nova Scotia	Toronto, Ontario	Vancouver, British Columbia
White bread	3.31 CAD	2.88 CAD	3.24 CAD
White rice	5.65 CAD	3.64 CAD	4.47 CAD
Beef (1 kg)	15.52 CAD	16.60 CAD	21.51 CAD
Eggs (1 dozen)	3.64 CAD	3.46 CAD	3.88 CAD
Chicken breast/fillet (1 kg)	14.94 CAD	12.94 CAD	16.50 CAD
Milk (1 liter)	2.53 CAD	3.15 CAD	2.37 CAD
Local Cheese (1 kg)	12.40 CAD	18.56 CAD	20.05 CAD
Bottle of wine (mid-range, 1  litre)	20.00 CAD	20.00 CAD	20.00 CAD

Interestingly, dining out in Halifax is more affordable.

Prices	Halifax, Nova Scotia	Toronto, Ontario	Vancouver, British Columbia
Meal (cheap restaurant)	15.00 CAD	20.00 CAD	17.00 CAD
Meal for 2 people (mid-range restaurant, three-course meal)	72.00 CAD	90.00 CAD	80.00 CAD
McDonald's Combo Meal	12.00 CAD	11.00 CAD	10.00 CAD
Domestic beer (half a litre draught)	7.00 CAD	7.00 CAD	7.00 CAD
Imported beer (.33 litre)	7.50 CAD	8.00 CAD	7.50 CAD
Cappuccino	4.25 CAD	4.42 CAD	4.37 CAD
Soda	1.98 CAD	2.36 CAD	2.32 CAD
.33-litre bottle of water	1.82 CAD	1.86 CAD	1.86 CAD

Transportation

For many, transportation is not a problem in Halifax.

Why? Due to its size, even areas away from the city centre are walkable. Also, transportation is cheaper here compared to other cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and even New York. Even owning a Volkswagen Golf is affordable in this part of Nova Scotia.

This table compares the costs and prices in these four major North American cities.

Transport cost/ price	Halifax, Nova Scotia	Toronto, Ontario	Vancouver, British Columbia	New York City
One-way ticket	2.75 CAD	3.25 CAD	3.00 CAD	3.58 CAD
Monthly pass	82.50 CAD	152.00 CAD	98.00 CAD	165.13 CAD
Taxi start (normal tariff)	3.50 CAD	4.20 CAD	3.75 CAD	4.30 CAD
Taxi 1-km ride	1.71 CAD	2.00 CAD	1.90 CAD	2.42 CAD
Taxi 1-hour waiting	27.00 CAD	35.00 CAD	34.00 CAD	40.00 CAD
Gasoline (1litre)	1.09 CAD	1.20 CAD	1.42 CAD	1.00 CAD
Volkswagen Golf (brand new or equivalent new car)	23,000 CAD	27,000 CAD	26,500 CAD	28,600 CAD

Halifax's Cost Of Living Index

Numbers could be overwhelming even when tabulated. Also, during a time when inflation and shifts in exchange rates occur, the question regarding whether a city is expensive yields unhelpful answers.

Besides looking at costs and figures, the cost of living index of a city or place is also helpful. This is because it could give you an overall picture of whether or not people in that said city or place could afford living there.

Living in Nova Scotia, in general, is not cheap if we only look at the numbers. Looking at Halifax, we could get an idea of the cost of living index by taking the total expected expenditure and comparing this against the average wage. With the tables above along with the average wages in the earlier sections, this is possible.

This way, you will know more about the affordability of Halifax and how far your Canadian dollar could take you in this part of Nova Scotia.

According to Numbeo, Halifax has a cost of living index of 73 as of 2020. Of course, this alone does not give you a compelling reason to consider living in Halifax. There would have to be other figures. In the tables earlier, comparisons were made to common immigration hotspots- Toronto and Vancouver. Toronto and Vancouver both have cost of living indexes of 75.

In other words, life in Toronto and life in Vancouver are slightly more expensive compared to living in Halifax. This is due to several reasons like higher costs of living despite high salaries.

Also, other popular immigration destinations like London and Sydney have cost of living indexes of 85 and 84 respectively.  Again, this data tells you that your paycheck could go further in Nova Scotia, particularly in Halifax.

Hence, it is very affordable to live in Halifax.

The Quality Of Life In Halifax

Sometimes, it is not enough to know the affordability of a city. The average immigrant moves to a Canadian city to make it a home. An immigrant makes the move for himself or herself along with his or her family.  This is likely true for you as well. Hence, on top of knowing that life in Halifax can be within your budget, you might also want to know if life in Halifax can be a good one.

There is an indicator for this as well. We can assess how well people live in a certain place via the quality of life index.

Here are the basics on the quality of life index.

Eight factors contribute to a person's quality of life. These are:

• Purchasing power (the ability of people to buy essential and non-essential things)
• Safety
• Access to health care
• Climate
• Cost of living (we have talked about this)
• Property price to income
• Traffic commute time (the average time a resident travels from his home of residence to the town centre or place of work)
• Pollution index (the environmental pollution of the city)

All of these factors are assigned certain figures depending on how well residents perceive each. At the time of writing, the residents of Halifax, ranked purchasing power, safety, health care, climate, and living cost highly. Low scores were given to traffic commute time and the city's pollution index.

This has led to a quality of life index score of 163.71, which is a very good score for living quality.

In short, this score means the following things:

• People in Halifax make enough money.
• The city is very safe.
• Health care is affordable and easy to access.
• Most people in Halifax enjoy the climate of Nova Scotia
• Halifax's living cost is manageable (as shown earlier).
• Everything is within reach (either by foot or commute).
• The city is generally clean and pollution-free.

All in all, the quality of life in Halifax is very high.

Conclusion

For the past decade, immigrants have begun to consider other places in which to settle. Looking away from the mainstream choices of cities in Canada, many people are beginning to choose areas in Canada's Atlantic. One of these places is Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Many of its inhabitants were once intimidated by the cost of living in this city. While certain goods and services are affordable here, others are not. Be that as it may, very few ever use Halifax's living cost as a reason to leave. Many either stay here or long to come back here.

If there is one thing you could take away from this article, it is this:

Halifax may not be the cheapest city on the Canadian map. It is not the most expensive one either. Nonetheless, for the Canadian dollars you part with, you avail for yourself a higher quality of life.

You get to live in one of the coziest cities in Canada. Not only that, but you will also be living amongst people who are the epitome of how friendly Canadians are.

Furthermore, you can look forward to a safe, clean, and healthy life in a place like Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Unrivalled in its quality of life, Halifax draws immigrants and Canadians into the province of Nova Scotia.

Why Halifax?

With the city's affordability and life quality, why not?

Cost Of Living In Sydney Nova Scotia

Source: https://choosecanada.com/life/living-costs-halifax/

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