Best Places to Live in Canada for Happy Families Now
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Canada is a wonderful place to live. It has incredible benefits like free universal healthcare and top-notch education, high paying average salaries and offers a wide range of job opportunities in a safe and secure environment. USnews recently listed it as the fifth-best place to raise a family in the world, while Boston Consulting Group (BCG) ranked it as the number one choice among expats the world over. There are various factors to consider when choosing a family home, such as the cost of living close to schools and childcare facilities. So let’s take a look at some of the best places to live in Canada for families now.
Top 3 Provinces For a Family to Live in Canada
1. Ontario
Average Salary: $58-63,000 Per Year
Education & Jobs Opportunities
Ontario is not only home to Canada’s capital city, but two of the best cities to settle down with your family. Ontario has some of the top universities and colleges in Canada, such as The University of Toronto, The University of Waterloo and McMaster University. In fact, Ottawa has the highest number of university graduates in Canada, making it the perfect place to settle down in wit your children.
Ontario also offers some of the best job opportunities in Canada. Here are some of the top in demand jobs in Ontario:
- Software engineers and designers
- Computer engineers
- Web designers and developers
- Nurse aides
- Transport Truck Drivers
- Home Support Workers
- Construction trades helpers and labourers
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
Cost of Living
Although the cost of property and housing is a bit high in Ottawa, it is much lower than other major Canadian cities.
| Cost of Living – Ottawa 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Category | Cost (CAD/Month) |
| Transportation (Monthly Pass – Regular Price) Gasoline (1 litre) | $122.50 $1.41 |
| Utilities (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) | $156.01 |
| Childcare – Full day (Preschool/Kindergarten) | $1,311.11 |
SOURCE: Numbeo
Guelph is definitely a much more affordable option when it comes to cost of living, especially if you enjoy a slower pace of life in a less populated city. You can, however , expect to pay slightly more for childcare.
| Cost of Living – Guelph 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Category | Cost (CAD/Month) |
| Transportation (Monthly Pass – Regular Price) Gasoline (1 litre) | $80 $1.43 |
| Utilities (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) | $171.97 |
| Childcare – Full day (Preschool/Kindergarten) | $3,000 |
SOURCE: Numbeo
Cost of Housing
The average cost of buying a house in Ottawa, according to The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), as of February 2022, is about $816,720.
Housing is slightly more expensive in Guelph than in Ottawa. According to CREA, you could expect to purchase a family home for approximately $1,125,393.
2. Alberta
Average Salary: $68,000 Per Year
Education & Jobs Opportunities
Alberta is also one of the best provinces to live in Canada in 2022. The best city to raise a family in this bustling and beautiful province, however, definitely has to be Calgary.
The University of Calgary and Mount Royal University are among the top post-secondary institutions in the province.
Some of the top employment opportunities in Calgary can be found in the healthcare, trade, tech, business and finance sectors. Here are some of the top in demand jobs in Alberta:
- Retail and wholesale trade managers
- General practitioners and family physicians
- Dentists
- Opticians;
- Civil engineers;
- Mechanical engineers;
- Database analysts and data administrators;
- Web designers and developers;
- Insurance underwriters
- Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
- Electrical power line and cable workers
- Construction trades helpers and labourers
- Transport truck drivers
Cost of Living
Cost of living in Alberta is very affordable, predominantly because it has the highest average household income rate in Canada, making it a great option when considering the best places to live in Canada for families in 2022.
| Cost of Living – Calgary 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Category | Cost (CAD/Month) |
| Transportation (Monthly Pass – Regular Price) Gasoline (1 litre) | $110 $1.39 |
| Utilities (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) | $210.79 |
| Childcare – Full day (Preschool/Kindergarten) | $1,278.24 |
SOURCE: Numbeo
Cost of Housing
According to CREA, the average cost of property in Calgary is about $596,400.
3. Manitoba
Average Salary: $55,000 Per Year
Education & Jobs Opportunities
Manitoba is number three on the “best provinces to live in Canada your family” list. There are plenty of fantastic public schools to enroll your children in, and with little to know traffic, your commute to work and dropping your kids at school will be nothing short of blissful.
Some of the top universities in this province include the University of Manitoba, The University of Winnipeg and Brandon University.
Manitoba is also a great place to work in Canada, particularly in the healthcare, trade, tech, education, business and finance industries. Here are some of the top in demand jobs in Manitoba:
- Financial Managers
- Human resources managers
- Architects
- Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- Computer network technicians
- Pharmacists
- Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
- Social workers
- Early childhood educators and assistants
- Welders
- Machine fitters
- Manufacturing managers
Cost of Living
Brandon is perhaps one the best places to consider in Manitoba when it comes to raising a family. It is the second-largest city in the province yet has a very small population, which makes the cost of living and housing prices affordable.
| Cost of Living – Brandon 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Category | Cost (CAD/Month) |
| Transportation (Monthly Pass – Regular Price) Gasoline (1 litre) | $84.50 $1.33 |
| Utilities (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) | $144.35 |
| Childcare – Full day (Preschool/Kindergarten) | $603.17 |
SOURCE: Numbeo
Cost of Housing
The average cost of houses in Brandon, based on stats provided by CREA, as of February 2022, is probably one of the most affordable of the three provinces. You could buy your first family home at an incredible $272,500!
Making a move to a new country is a big step, especially with your family. It’s important to not only find out which province will be affordable, but where your occupation is in demand. This will not only make it easier for you to find a job in Canada but it will also open up new pathways to get permanent residency (PR) in Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where is the best place to live in Canada?
Overall, one of the best places to live in Canada is Hamilton, Ontario, and when it comes to raising a family in Canada, cities like Brandon, Calgary, Ottawa, Guelph, St John’s and Charlottetown are some of the top cities to choose from.
2. Where is the cheapest and safest place to live in Canada?
The cheapest place to live in Canada in 2022 is La Salle, Ontario. It ranks very low on the low Crime Severity Index (CSI), with a CSI of 19.15. This is 74 percent lower than the national average.
Now that you know where the best places to live in Canada for families are, their living costs and more, you can now make the best choice for your loved ones, and provide the best life for them in the future.
