Relocating from USA
Relocation
American here. The wife and I have been considering moving out of the US for several years now, but will likely wait until I retire from my current job within the next decade.
**A bit about my background and the wife’s to perhaps help:**
- I’ll be in my mid-40s at retirement
- Wife will be the same age but will continue to work as a nurse
- I’m very centered within the left/right of politics, however I believe both parties have absolutely failed the USA and our country is extremely divided. I won’t go into too many details about that, but I am pro universal healthcare and support a free education or at least reduced cost for post-HS.
**What I’ll be looking for:**
Looking to stay somewhere between Windsor and Toronto due to wanting to stay close to Michigan (will remain dual citizen) and our kids will be adults soon and might choose to stay in Michigan. It sounds like this area snows less compared to much of Canada and the temps are similar to where I live in Michigan from what I’ve seen. We don’t want colder or more snow. We get over 160” of snow as it is with temps flowing around -10C for several months.
More bang for our buck for a home in an area that isn’t too *expensive*. My retirement will pay decent, but not enough to just live lavishly - another reason my wife will continue to pursue nursing. It looks like atm the American dollar is superior (for now) so I believe my retirement income will stretch a little further, and I’ve also seen that gas is much cheaper in Canada. That’s refreshing.
**Questions**:
How are the politics in Canada? Is it similar to the USA where half the country hates the other and show it daily? We are trying to get away from the daily turmoil of everyone against each other in every way just based on whose side they are on. I’m tired of “sides”, and just want to live in a cooler political climate. Are the areas I mentioned above dealing with similar politics?
How is racism? I’m white, but my wife is black. Being a person of color in the USA is… not the greatest, and my wife is treated poorly in the medical system and almost died due to neglect which has been a huge trend in the US especially labor & delivery.
Everyone here hears that taxes in Canada are horrendous, however, it actually seems comparable at least regarding income. I’ve found this with additional research, but how are taxed goods such as food? Housing, items?
Mortgage rates, I’ve seen some varying answers regarding Canada, but we have 10, 15, 30 year contracts but interest rates have been very high since 2022 or so, and although housing might be more expensive in some of the areas mentioned above, what is purchasing a home like with those interest rates? Our interest rates can be so high that purchasing a home regardless of price can be a no-go.
I’ll have more questions, but I have to go for now and will likely send some after some folks have answered.
Thanks in advance!