I'm back again with this video today, through your suggestions,
I'm going to compare Calgary versus Toronto, which city should you live in?
I'll take you through different categories for each city,
and then I'm going to choose a winner.
These are solely based on my personal opinions.
These two cities are vastly different so,
ultimately it depends on your lifestyle before we start. I'm Jasben Lai,
Calgary realtor, with the LiveInnerCity real estate team.
Let me give you a quick rundown for each city.
Calgary has a population of about 1.6 million and it's a younger city with a
median age of 36.
It's different than other cities in the prairies because it is situated on the
doorstep of the Rocky mountains. Alberta is well known for its energy industry,
but did you know about its current growth in the tech sector with government
incentives provided the province is now home to over 3000 tech companies.
Toronto is home to 2.7 million people making it the largest city in
Canada and fourth largest in north America.
In the GTA area, it's about 6.2 million people.
The median age is 39.3.
Because of the access to us industrial centers via the great
lakes and Atlantic shipping. It's a major transportation,
distribution and manufacturing center.
It's also a major financial hub in Canada.
Toronto's climate is humid and it has more rainfall due to its proximity to the
great lakes in the summer.
It's not uncommon for the temperature to be above 32 degrees with a hundred
percent humidity in the winter. You have the more wet snow.
So driving can be a bit more slick and you may stay cold for longer.
Sometimes Calgarians talk about the weather a lot, which I'm guilty of too.
That's because even in a single day,
you could experience different seasons in the summer.
It's quite dry. And typically in the mid to high twenties and in the winter,
there are warm Chinook winds that can last for a few days at a time that can
give you a much needed break from the cold because of the dryness.
It makes the colder temperatures a bit more tolerable and winters tend to last a
bit longer.
We have a running joke here. Calgary only has two seasons, winter and summer.
In any season. We are one of the sunniest cities,
which averages about 333 sunny days annually.
The winner here is Calgary. I know I am a bit biased.
I guess I love winter sports and snowboarding and playing hockey are two of my
most favorite things to do. Also more sunny days,
mean more patio weather and outdoor adventures to be had in the summer.
Next up is location. Toronto is popular among residents and tourists,
where Toronto has all kinds of attractions and cultures.
And it's close to the United States and not far from beautiful attractions like
Niagara falls.
The city is also positioned on the edge of some of the best farmland in Canada.
In Toronto, because the location is pretty central.
You can visit dozens of other cities and provincial parks all within a two hour
radius. Also because of being central,
it enables international trade making this city one of the best economic ties
and influences from the U S because of this,
the city has grown and thrived on being one of the biggest metropolitan areas in
north America. Calgary is Western Canada's major inland port,
which is surrounded by expensive natural beauty bath is only an hour and a half
away with access to Kananaskis and the other mountains about one hour away.
With all this so close by - it's a destination with those looking for new
adventures in the great outdoors. Whether you love to camp hike, ski, or bike,
you have so many options.
It's also a major sports hub with the two NHL teams,
Calgary and Edmonton called the Battle of Alberta.
And because of the sprawling nature of the city,
it features a total of 35 golf courses versus the 13 in Toronto.
And because Calgary is less pop in, less dense than Toronto,
there is no heavy industry.
The air quality and cleanliness are arguably better than Toronto,
if not among the best of all Canadian cities.
And the winner is it's a tie. Both cities have access to nature with Calgary,
slightly winning there,
but Toronto is more centrally located and a bit more connected to the world.
Now let's take a look at the job markets in Toronto.
There are more career opportunities because there are more diverse jobs in
banking, finance, tech, media, marketing, and film.
Most larger corporations have offices in Toronto and jobs are generally
well-paid compared to the rest of Canada, especially in professional fields.
The city is very fast paced and sometimes compared to New York.
As a corporate center of the oil industry,
Calgary attracts services related to it,
there are other major jobs sectors like banking, finance, insurance,
and defense. The city also boasts manufacturing for food and beverage,
wood-processing machinery. And lately more in technology.
Calgary is another state that pays its workforce well.
One thing we need to keep in mind is the other side of the equation costs of
living, but more on that later.
So when in here is Toronto because of the more diverse job opportunities,
but it really depends on which industry you're in.
Now let's compare housing for buying and renting in Toronto.
The current average selling price across all property types is about
$1.1 million.
The RBC afforded the index put the cost of ownership in Toronto about
68% of household income because living in central Toronto can be more
expensive, many choose to live and commute in suburb areas,
which can take one hour or more a report by Oxford economics plays Toronto
as one of the least affordable cities in north America.
So for example, if you're looking to rent a one bedroom apartment,
you're looking at about just under $2,000 a month and for a two bedroom
apartment, you're looking at about $2,600 a month. On the other hand,
real estate in Calgary costs about one third of comparable properties in
Toronto. So your cost of living boom proved significantly.
We recently released the cost of living in Calgary video for you.
And you can find here be sure to download our guide as well.
There is no foreign buyer tax here,
no provincial or municipal land title transfer tax as well.
When we look at the RBC affordability index,
the average cost of ownership per Calgary is about 37% of household income.
And according to Oxford economics, Calgary is rated the 10th,
most affordable city in north America.
Right now the average price for all property types in the Calgary housing market
is just over $476,000.
And to rent a one bedroom apartment, it's just over $1,200 a month.
And for a two bedroom apartment is about 1580 per month.
The winner here is Calgary. Why? Because although your home is very important,
you can use more of your hard earned money towards things that you want to do
other than paying for housing. During this pandemic,
many of our clients from outside of Calgary are now moving here with the current
ability for most people to work remotely. They're now transferring to Calgary,
but for more information on that,
you can check it out and moving to Alberta video here by Felix,
which he also goes over the mortgage options for that diving into the food
entertainment and culture. Toronto attracts 25 million global visitors per year.
Not only do they come to explore the city, but also to enjoy the film, music,
theater,
and festivals that it hosts just outside the city is Algonquin provincial
park to the north and Niagara falls to the south.
Toronto is home to a very diverse food scene, Asian to south America,
French to Caribbean. There's plenty to treat your taste buds.
The city is more metropolitan and has a busy nightlife and a robust music scene.
Every year.
The Toronto international film festival is hosted in September that attracts
many visitors as well as Hollywood celebrities.
The nickname for Toronto is Hogtown.
If anyone can help me understand the origins of this nickname,
please share it in the comments below Calgary has 7.7 million visitors per
year for the unbelievable access to the mountains,
the Calgary stampede and other festivals that we have throughout the year.
But the food scene is not at the same levels as Toronto's,
it's not too far behind 10 restaurants in Calgary were included in the top 100
list of the best restaurants in Canada.
Make sure you look out for upcoming videos on what it's like to live in each
quadrant of the city. Now, if you love beer craft,
breweries are a thing here in Calgary. We boast more than 40 of them,
and that's compared to the same number in Toronto for nightlife.
There aren't as many options here than in Toronto and the nickname for
Calgary is Cowtown.
Now Toronto wins hands down in this category for having a bit more of everything
in entertainment, food, and culture.
The last category we will compare is cost of living.
This is one of the biggest barriers for living in Toronto.
Living further usually means more likely commute.
So it does have a very good public transportation system,
many take transit because it's only $143 a month for a general pass,
which is cheaper than car ownership.
Insurance premiums for autos are typically the higher in Canada
and cost of gas is actually higher in Toronto as well.
Housing prices have skyrocketed even in the least desirable neighborhoods.
And Toronto has a very high childcare costs,
about 1600 to $1,700 per month in Calgary costs to buy
or rent a home are much more reasonable and is one of the lowest in Canada.
All metropolitan cities,
most people are driving more than public transportation,
but the cost for a monthly transit pass is $109 a month.
Auto insurance is slightly more affordable than Toronto as well.
Gas prices are also lower and childcare is much less expensive
at $1,100 per month. So the clear winner here for me is Calgary.
The main reason being the cost of buying a home in Toronto is astronomical,
which makes owning a house more difficult, especially for millennials.
In spite of the differences in the two cities, they are both great cities.
They both regularly placed in the top 10 places to live in the world.
Ultimately, depending on your lifestyle and priorities,
either one is a solid choice. So they have it.
What do you think of our comparison of Calgary versus trial share with us in the
comments section below, don't forget to like, and subscribe to our channel.
I'm Jasben Lai with the LiveInnerCity,
check out these other videos to learn more about our channel and what we're
about.