How much Canadian dollars does it cost to rent a house in Canada per year?

Applicants for Canadian skilled immigrants must have basic financial resources as required - 10,000 Canadian dollars for the main applicant, and an additional 2,000 Canadian dollars for each additional deputy applicant. A family of three will need approximately 10,000 Canadian dollars. Prepare about 15,000 Canadian dollars. This standard is based on Canadian living standards and six months of living expenses for the whole family. So, how long can this money be used to support a family in Canada?

How much living expenses you need depends on the city you go to and whether you are willing to lower your living standard and save money.

In general, the actual level of living expenses of new Chinese immigrants is far lower than Canada’s official calculations. 15,000 Canadian dollars can support almost one year of living. Rent is the largest expense. Taking Toronto as an example, the rent for one bedroom and one living room (including water, electricity and gas) is generally around CAD 550 for a semi-basement, around CAD 750 for a bungalow on the first or second floor, and around CAD 850 for a high-rise apartment building. Rents are slightly higher in Vancouver and lower in Ottawa. The Canadian government calculates rent based on a minimum of 1,000 Canadian dollars. According to Canadian housing standards, a couple with one child needs to live in two bedrooms and one living room, not one bedroom and one living room. But new immigrants can lower their standards appropriately. A family of three can not only live in one bedroom and one living room, but also in a basement, or even two families can share a house.

Other living expenses, the official calculation is about 200 Canadian dollars per person per week. But in this regard, the consumption level of Chinese people is also much lower than that of local people. For example, Chinese people’s food expenses are very low. It’s not that they are reluctant to eat, but they are rarely used to buying semi-finished products or often going out to restaurants, eating fast food, buying snacks, drinking coffee, etc. like the locals. The food in Chinese food stores is extremely cheap, although some are not that fresh. In addition, most new immigrants brought enough household necessities with them when they came to Canada, and they did not even need to buy more clothes in a short period of time.

Monthly fixed expenses include telephone bills, cable TV bills and transportation expenses. In addition to the initial installation fee of about 60 Canadian dollars, the monthly fixed basic phone fee is about 25 Canadian dollars. You can make local calls for free, and domestic long-distance and international long-distance calls are charged separately - but you can buy a phone card to make long-distance calls. Very cheap. You have to pay the cable TV fee. If you don't connect to the cable TV, you can hardly see a clear TV picture. This fee is between 30 and 40 Canadian dollars per month, depending on the number of TV channels connected. Transportation costs are difficult to estimate. The subway and bus in Toronto cost more than 2 Canadian dollars for a one-way trip. It can be cheaper to buy more than 5 tickets at a time. The situation in Vancouver and Ottawa is roughly the same. The monthly pass generally does not exceed 100 Canadian dollars and allows unlimited use of various public transportation in the city.

Another necessary expense for new immigrants is the settlement fee, which is a one-time fee and generally does not exceed 3,000 Canadian dollars. The price of a single bed and mattress starts from 100 Canadian dollars, and a double bed costs 250-350 Canadian dollars. A dining table can be purchased for less than 100 Canadian dollars. A 25-inch color TV sells for about 350 Canadian dollars, and a computer costs more than 1,000 Canadian dollars. Except in winter, there are often family-style garage sales (Yard Sale or Garage Sale) here, and sometimes you can buy suitable furniture at a very low price. But in stores that specialize in selling second-hand goods, old furniture may not be cheap, and many are sold as antiques.