We moved from the US to Canada 14 years ago. There are a few frustrations and nice surprises I wish we'd known about before we did it.
My husband and I moved from the US to Canada about 14 years ago and now live in Toronto.
I'm surprised at how much French I've picked up but wish I'd known how pricey domestic flights can be.
It's been tricky to navigate Canada's housing market and pay more for certain groceries.
When my husband and I moved from the Midwestern US to Toronto about 14 years ago, I didn't quite know what to expect.
Though I'd traveled widely elsewhere, I'd only ever been to Canada once for a few days. That said, immigrating to Canada has come with some logistical annoyances and pleasant surprises for us.
Here are a few things I've learned over the years that may help (and even surprise) others considering the move.
Cross-border banking is complicated but not impossible
Maintaining financial ties to the United States was challenging for us at first.
I needed a US bank account to pay my student loans and deposit checks from my American clients, but we also required a Canadian account for my partner's paycheck.
Asking for suggestions from other American immigrants in Toronto was a huge help since many had gone through similar struggles. We trialed three banks before finding a major Canadian bank that also offered linkable US accounts.
Flying within Canada is pricey — but traveling around the country is so worth it
Federal regulations, taxes, and limited options cause domestic Canadian airfares to be quite expensive, so we haven't found cheap flights since we moved here.
Once, I tried to get around the high costs by taking a 90-minute bus ride across the Canadian border so I could fly out of an airport in Buffalo, New York. This backfired, however, when the driver got lost and I missed my flight.
Even so, traveling within Canada has been an unexpected joy, especially because of the country's vast natural beauty.
My family's been able to explore Vancouver via ferry and see the rugged beaches of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. One of our most spectacular memories is flying over lakes covered with chunks of floating ice in the Northwest Territories while heading toward Yukon in June.
Certain foods and drinks cost us way more here than in the US
I'm honestly still vexed by the higher prices here for certain consumable items such as dairy products and alcohol.
While living in the United States, I knew that the government heavily subsidized agriculture, including the dairy industry. In Canada, the federal government sets milk prices, so a gallon can often cost much more than what we were used to in the US.
These dairy prices also impact other goods, so cheese has now become a bit of a luxury for my family.
We've also found many alcoholic drinks here cost more than they did in the US because of taxes and other government regulations. Some of these prices can feel exorbitant — so, for us, beer, wine, or liquor are for fancy occasions only.
We now understand why many Canadians load up on bottles of booze to bring back home from their visits to the United States.
The housing market feels no easier to navigate here than it was in the US
Canada's real-estate landscape feels like a mess of high prices and limited supply that's tricky to navigate. In many ways, it's not so different from the US.
For example, affordable housing can be difficult to find in Toronto — and during our first decade here, the city's average detached house price skyrocketed.
Like many others, we still feel torn about whether it's better to own or rent here.
When we first moved, we frantically desired to buy a place because we felt it'd really help us get a financial foothold in a new country.
But it took us more than 10 years to save for a down payment, and we're still not sure purchasing our tiny condo was worth it.
It's hard to stomach just how much more our mortgage and condo fees cost compared with what we'd been paying to rent. All that said, I fear our child will never be able to afford to buy a home in Canada.
It's been pretty easy to learn French phrases and words, even without living in Quebec
French is one of Canada's two official languages (alongside English), and it's primarily spoken in Quebec.
Though we aren't based there, I've still found it fairly easy to pick up French phrases and words while living in Canada. I knew virtually no French when I arrived but started learning words from food labels and household product packages.
After all, the Canadian government requires domestic and foreign prepackaged products sold here to have labels in both French and English.
This has felt like having a mini English-French dictionary all around me, and the repetition of seeing the same words over and over has helped me build up a strong French vocabulary.
Once I gained permanent residency in Canada, I also became eligible for free French classes. I hope to someday have the time to properly learn the language.
Read the original article on Business Insider
