Moving from BC to Ontario can be a complicated process with a lot of factors to consider. With this guide, that process is simplified.
The Moving Process From BC to Ontario
How Far is BC from Ontario?
It is 1,683km from the BC and Alberta border to the Manitoba and Ontario border, going through the TC-1.
From the Vancouver to Toronto is a total of 4,399km, and is roughly a 45 hour drive.
Moving From BC to Ontario Average Cost
Moving from BC to Ontario will cost on average $6,000-$10,000+. It is imperative to find a respected moving company to work with, or else you can end up spending much more than this.
The grand total will depend on a wide variety of factors. For example, are there lots of stairs and/or elevators that will affect how long it takes for you to transport everything? Do you also need help with packing your stuff?
Everything must be taken into account when working out the final cost.
Average Studio Moving Cost
If you live in a studio, moving from BC to Ontario will cost roughly $6,000.
Average 2 Bedroom Moving Cost
The average cost to move a 2 bedroom home is $7,500-8,500.
Average 4 Bedroom Moving Cost
And lastly, a 4 bedroom home will be roughly $10,000+, on average.
10 Grand?! I Have Quotes For Just $2k-$3k!
If you’ve already been shopping around, this could seem pretty outrageous. Don’t worry, I understand.
What you need to understand is that this is one of the infamous “scams” in the moving industry. You get a quote for an absolute steal of a price, “Just $2,000 to move all the way to Ontario? Deal!”
But then moving day gets here, and they have a surprise for you. That “$2k quote” was based on 1,000 pounds.
Any additional cargo is, you guessed it, an additional charge.
But, since you’re supposed to be moving on that day, it’s too late to find a new mover.
Bad news. For reference, on average every room in your home will be about 1,000 pounds of stuff… so unless you’re live in a single bedroom, that “$2k quote” will VERY quickly balloon to $12k, $14k, or even larger.
When we are providing these estimates, we’re trying to estimate the total cost to you, once it’s all said and done.
We still encourage you to do your own research. Look up other people’s experiences with various movers in your area and come to an educated conclusion.
How do BC and Ontario Compare?
Living Costs Compared
As a whole, BC and Ontario have a pretty similar cost of living.
Your cost of living will of course depend almost entirely on where in these two provinces you choose to move to.
For example, Toronto has a higher cost of living (when compared to average income) than just about any city in BC (with maybe the exception of West Vancouver).
But, moving to a city like Thunder Bay will result in a lower cost of living, as compared to Vancouver or Kelowna.
Crime Rates
Comparing the crime rates of BC and Ontario as a whole can be challenging. However, as seen here, Ontario has significantly fewer crimes than BC, per 100,000 population.
In order to understand how the crime rate plays a role in your potential destinations, you will need to look further into the crime rate of specific cities within Ontario.
Public Transportation
If public transportation is important to you, then you will be best off to consider the public transportation of the potential cities you will be moving to in Ontario.
The Lower Mainland has a pretty good public transportation system, but with half of the population of the GTA, it’s what we should come to expect.
Toronto’s public transit system has 76.9km worth of subway lines and 75 subway stations. With 2 new lines that are under construction, set to be completed in 2022 and 2023, Toronto’s public transit is expected to get even better.
Compared to Vancouver’s “TransLink” Skytrain system that has 3 lines, and a total of 79.6km worth of rails, Toronto’s is pretty well connected.
As a whole, Vancouver and Toronto each have good public transit systems. But if you’re worried about going from a great transit system, to a not so great one, don’t worry.
Weather
BC and Ontario each have positives and negatives in terms of their weather.
Whether or not you’ll have a rude awakening in terms of climate depends on where in BC you’re moving from.
The lower mainland generally has very mild winters, but a lot of rain. If you’re from more northern BC, then you may already be used to pretty cold winters.
But, for those living in the lower mainland, you may want to invest in a warmer winter jacket for your new life in Ontario.
One positive is that you’ll get to live through less rain in Ontario as opposed to BC.
The tradeoff, as we already said, is that you’ll also need to live through the colder Ontario weathers.
Where to Move to in Ontario
One of the most important things to consider is what city you’re going to move to within Ontario. Here are some of the top cities to consider, according to Sustainable Planet.
Toronto
It’s impossible to consider moving to Ontario without at least mentioning Toronto. Toronto makes up more than 20% of Ontario’s total population, with nearly 3 million inhabitants. Toronto is a city that is very often compared to Vancouver.
If you are all about the city life, then you will want to consider moving to Vancouver. The average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is more than $2,000 in downtown Toronto, so you’ll want to have a bit of a nest egg saved up before moving to Toronto.
Vaughan
Vaughan is a fantastic suburb located just half an hour north of Toronto. Vaughan has a population of more than 300,0000 people, and is growing incredibly fast.
Vaughan is also a very expensive place to live, with the average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment sitting at about $1,800/m. Vaughan is also home to Canada’s largest theme park, Canada’s Wonderland, so your kids may love it here.
Aurora
The smallest city that we included on this list, Aurora, has a population of about 55,000 people. If you’re not a fan of the metropolis life, then you may want to check out Aurora.
It takes less than 45 minutes to drive to Toronto from Aurora, so you’re not completely shut out from the big city life, and can go to and from Toronto as needed.
Although it’s a smaller city, the average rent in Aurora is comparable to some of the larger cities on this list, with a 1 bedroom apartment averaging $1,600/m in Aurora.
Burlington
Burlington is a great place in Ontario to raise a family. Home to the incredible McMaster University, as well as tons of fantastic public and private schools, your kids will receive a great education, all within the borders of Burlington.
Average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in Burlington sits at nearly $1,600, so you’ll want to have some money saved up before moving here.
Burlington is another fast growing city, and currently has a population of more than 200,000 people.
Ottawa
The capital of the nation, and the home to Parliament Hill, which is where to Federal government makes their decisions.
Ottawa is also a great place to live, with nearly a million inhabitants. Ottawa is nestled right along the Ontario-Quebec border and is located just 12 minutes from the Quebec city of Gatineau, as well as a 2 hour drive from Montreal.
Average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in Ottawa is around $1,500/month.
Getting Your Property Sold in BC
If you’re moving away from BC, you’ll likely want to sell your property here for top dollar. To do that, we recommend working with Josh Kepkay, who is a Vancouver-based realtor. His phone number is (604) 313-9805, which you can use to get ahold of him for help in selling your Vancouver property for as much as possible.
Josh also has a wide network of realtors, so if you’re located elsewhere in BC, Josh can help you find a fantastic realtor near you to sell your property.
Getting Employed in Ontario Before Getting There
The internet provides a unique opportunity to land a job in Ontario before you even get there. The entire process, from applying to interviewing can now be done over the internet.
If you’re interested in going through this process before getting to Ontario, here are some of the best sites to use to get started from home.
City Jobs
There are thousands of city jobs available in cities across Ontario, consider checking out some city jobs using these websites; Toronto, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora, and Ottawa.
These cities, and many others in Ontario, are routinely hiring for jobs in many different industries. If you already know where in Ontario you’ll be moving, then check out your city’s jobs page by googling “city of *your city* jobs”
Indeed
Indeed is the monster when it comes to online job searching in Canada. As of November 2020, there are more than 86,000 jobs looking to be filled, in all of Ontario.
It is crucial to be checking Indeed regularly because there are many companies that will post their job openings to Indeed exclusively.
Word of Mouth
Especially for those who are in a career of specialization, you will want to utilize word of mouth in your search for a new job across the country. Talking to those that are in your current place of employment will help a lot, as most people know others in the same industry as them.
If you use LinkedIn, let people know that you’re moving from BC to Ontario and that you would greatly appreciate any job leads in your (soon to be) new home.
Moving BC to Ontario Checklist
1. Make sure you set your moving budget in advance of moving day. If you don’t know what your budget is and you need to call up any mover that will take your job, that’s the fastest way to fall into a moving company scam.
Be proactive, by determining who will be moving your stuff at least a month in advance, if possible.
2. Get quotes from a few moving companies and make sure that they are reputable ones. Sometimes great moving companies will have differences in quotes, due to the circumstances they find themselves in (e.g. if they already have a truck coming from Ontario).
If you are unable to find a moving company that can work within your budget, then you should explore other, cheaper options, such as a portable moving container or a U-Haul. Although these solutions can be much more work, and a much bigger hassle, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
3. Get your housing situation sorted out before arriving in Ontario. You wouldn’t want to find yourself with no place to stay in Ontario, especially during the winter months.
We recommend getting in contact with Ms. Georgina Kasmetis, who can help you with buying your property in Toronto, or connect you with the best person to help you buy a home elsewhere in Ontario!
4. Make sure that you’ve sorted out your kids’ school situation before getting to Ontario. This includes researching what schools your kids will be attending in Ontario, as well as contacting your kids’ current schools and letting them know of your planned move.
You can research public schools of Ontario here, as well as private schools here.
5. Use this Government of Canada website for your guide to changing your moving address for most of your required address changes. Keep in mind that many of your address changes will still be needed to make apart from this website, but it provides helpful guidelines. You will also need to change your address for many of your financial products
6. Get in contact with everyone that is important to you in BC before making the move, you wouldn’t want to leave your loved ones with a sour impression of you. If you’d like, posting about the move on your social media could help in reuniting you and your friends one last time.
If you have not yet decided, the decision of moving from BC to Ontario can be a lot to take in, especially when it seems your life is in Vancouver.
However, going through the list of pros and cons can often result in it making sense to make the switch. Don’t make this decision abruptly, especially if this decision affects more than just yourself.
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