This won’t be super scientific, and I may even have apples thrown at me for this, but I’m going to put it out there that living in Canada doesn’t offer you a whole lot of options for staying in a truly urban city and being able to buy a home for a decent price.
Farfetched? Maybe.
Or maybe I’ve been watching too many American HGTV shows where the couple says:
Oh 2 billion square feet, 18 bathrooms and 25 bedrooms?
Hmm I don’t know honey, is that enough space?
And is it within our price range?
Oh what? It’s only $200,000?
Well it’s a bit expensive but I think we can do it.
Okay so I’m exaggerating a little, but seriously this is how I feel.
Disclaimer: I am again, not trying to say if you’re American or Canadian you are better or worse than each other.
Or if you own a home you’re a sucker (you’re not, because I am the only one in my family who doesn’t own a home much less a fixed address, and I don’t consider them suckers).
I don’t really care about loyalties. I am looking at it from an objective, general perspective that is wholly unscientific, seeing as I am not willing to put in the time to massage data and statistics.
BOR-RING!
Let’s just skip to the good, far fetched theories and ignore that these are two separate countries, with two separate governments, sets of people and yadda yadda.
CANADA IS NOT THAT MUCH LARGER THAN THE STATES
First, let’s talk about the size of our respective countries, shall we?
Everyone loves to scream: Canada is the second largest country in the world, WOO HOO!!!!
But if we take a look at these statistics, we’re larger, but not by much, only by 347,049 sq. km., which I know is a lot of land, but it isn’t as though we’re comparing Russia versus Vatican City or Monaco.
I am also comparing Canada with the States, because we really are similar in the sense that we could transplant ourselves into the States and vice versa, and never skip a beat.
..BUT WE HAVE LESS LIVABLE LAND/SPACE
We do. I mean if you look at the population up there, USA dwarfs Canada in sheer population. The States has a population density of 31.6 compared to our measly 3.3.
So what gives? Why aren’t more people in Canada?
Is this because Canadians are not friendly enough? No.
Is it because we’re beside Alaska? (I kid I kid!) No.
Is it because we don’t let people into our country? No. The States has way harsher immigration laws than Canada.
Is it because you can’t pronounce names like Saskatchewan and you’d have to bring a map to show people where you live? No.
It’s because we can’t live just ANYWHERE in Canada like you can in the States!
We have so much freaking land, but we can’t live in every part of Canada.
It gets progressively colder as you move up North, and most people would rather settle around somewhere with a mild climate, like Vancouver, rather than in some snow-ridden place far away from the main urban cities.
The weather up here is not as people-friendly in all parts of Canada as it is in the States. Point blank.
SO LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT OUR POPULATIONS
You already know that the States is has a population density of 31.6 by square kilometer, compared to Canada’s 3.3.
But let’s look at it by city:
These are our top 20 cities. (Wikipedia)
Now let’s look at the States (Wikipedia):
To get to Canada’s 20th Largest City (St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador) at 151, 322, you need to go all the way down to City #157 on the U.S. list to get a comparable population.
FB, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE PRICE OF HOUSES?
I’m so glad you asked.
This means that people in Canada jam themselves into a smaller range of cities than in the States.
People can easily find steady work in urban cities, or surrounding areas near to big urban cities. So that means people tend to flock to the biggest cities in the country, in hopes of finding something better than limiting themselves to some mid-sized town that may not have enough employment to offer.
We have 20 cities you can live in to be considered ‘urban’. The States has 157 urban areas to match to our measly 20.
That is almost 8 times more of a choice of where you can decide to live!
This may not seem very significant to you if seeing as you live in NYC and it costs millions just to live in some hovel in the basement with rats as roommates, and you’d never consider moving to Pasadena, Texas if the prices of homes were cheaper.
I am also not factoring your job/career, ties, family, etc etc etc into all of this. This is a simple, stupid look at Canada vs. USA for homes, seeing as everyone likes to compare these two countries as being pretty much the same in terms of culture (read: TV shows watched in both countries).
But you have the choice in the States.
Here, I can only move to 5 cities for steady, actual work across the whole country:
- Toronto
- Montreal
- Ottawa
- Vancouver
- Calgary
In the state of Texas alone, I can go to:
- Dallas/Forth Worth
- Austin
- San Antonio
- Houston
- El Paso
OKAY, YOU ARE STILL NOT GETTING TO THE COST OF HOUSES!
Patience! I’m already there.
Here’s a quick list I pulled of some listings in Canada.
As I’ve said, it isn’t scientific, so I didn’t take into account how many people would want to live in Salt Lake City, UT versus in Toronto, ON or whatever else. I also didn’t run it through a billion variables and I am writing this post half-lucid from the vertigo I am experiencing.
I am just taking a quick range of what is available out there.
In Canada I am comparing Toronto and Guelph.
Guelph is about an hour away from Toronto and is considered a surrounding city to an urban city, as people just travel to work in Toronto or they get enough residual business in Guelph, by feeding off the economy in Toronto that they can stay in the town.
CRITERIA FOR THE HOMES I SEARCHED
- 2000 square feet
- 2 bedrooms
- 2 bath
- detached home
- 2-car garage
Note: I am not going to add California or NYC to this list. They have populations and prices far out of reach to do a comparison, so I’m picking normal cities (yes, ones I’ve lived in or would like to), and doing a quick random search.
TORONTO, ON = $400,000
POPULATION = 2,503,281
I couldn’t find anything for under $400,000 in Toronto, proper.
This is all I came up with the minute I searched with $400,000, 14 properties.
GUELPH, ON = $300,000
POPULATION = 114,943
Now let’s look at Guelph that is nearby, with the same criterion as above.
This is frigging ridiculous to me. How can GUELPH cost so much? Their population is 114,943 which is a small city in the States, down around #220 on the list.
I am going to acknowledge that it being so close to Toronto means it costs more money to live there, but seriously? $300,000?
NOW LET’S LOOK AT THE STATES
SALT LAKE CITY, UT = $166,903
POPULATION = 183,171
I picked this city because I saw a couple on HGTV buy a home there that looked huge, for such a small price.
The population of Salt Lake City, UT is 183,171, but like Guelph, ON, and the city is also located close to a major city hub called Wasatch Front with an estimated population of 2,298,915, which is comparable to Toronto’s 2,503,281.
(Even the real estate search engines in the States are far better, look at all the variables I could put in)
I mean UNREAL. $166,903 and you can buy a home that fits a criteria of a $300,000 – $400,000 home in Guelph/Toronto. That is almost DOUBLE the price.
Just for kicks, let’s look a the price of a home in Wasatch Front:
WASATCH FRONT = $175,000
POPULATION = 2,298,915
Comparing this to Toronto’s $400,000 for something similar, it sort of makes you gasp.
How about Dallas, TX?
POPULATION = 1,188,580
It’s even sicker. There are 288 properties for around $200,000.
Okay, so it’s not Toronto’s 2.5 million population, but this still drives home the point for me.
MY CONCLUSION?
CANADA HAS LESS CHOICE IN URBAN CITIES AND IT COSTS MORE MONEY
Grrrrrrrreat.
TO WRAP UP
- Canada is not that much larger than the States
- The States is 10 times more dense in population compared to Canada
- Canada has less human-friendly, livable land than the States (think polar bears and empty tracts of land)
- The States has more choice in urban cities — you have at least 25 places to choose from! Canada has 5.
- Canadian houses with my unscientific comparison above, cost 2 times more than in a comparable American city
If you want some statistics, I am not sure how reliable this site is, but it lists out House Prices in Canada:
All I can say is OUCH.
Note: Not as a slam against any other Canadian province, but I should point out the obvious that BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec are the 4 major provinces that have most of Canada’s population living there, including yours truly.
The other provinces simply have less people there and could account for why the home prices are lower as well.
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
Comparing US to Canada for population is astounding as California alone has more
people than the entire country of Canada. I lived in Michigan and have many Canadian friends there and have friends that still live on the border of US and Canada both East and
West coasts. Cost of living has always been high in Canada unlike the US in the good ole
days when Americans got to keep more of the money they earned than today. We know
many Canadians come to US for important surgeries and critical illness treatments, so what
‘is Canada doing with their taxpayers money?…for only 34 million people? Maybe the Queen
bee is getting wealthier off her properties plus taxes from her citizens? Home prices dropped
considerably during the housing bubble, but are back up with a vengeance. Certain cities
will always be expensive, but it IS affordable everywhere in US if you know the areas…and
they’re safe. Why do Canadians worry about ‘safety’? Too many Americans do too, otherwise they wouldn’t be indoctrinated to point of numbness to think our rising police
state is for our ‘safety and security’…such as AIRPORT TSA and highway ‘checkpoints’.
that are ludicrous.
US has many faults, but we have more people in our corporate owned government contributing to that. We keep fighting for our bit and pieces of ‘freedom’ that have deteriorated exponentially in the last 30 years. I have traveled enough to know that
this continent is still the best place to live for all around necessities regardless of
income. We are still free to own property…and have learned much about owning homes
and properties. If you buy in US, be sure to also purchase the mineral rights with the
house property, this way no one can impinge on your property …not even government.
Pay it off ASAP and stop feeding the pigs [banks].
A 1600 sq ft home can be built in Penticton for 165k, however, a lot starts at 200k. I’m from Canada but have lived in the US since I was 20. I received my degree from a University in California, my major was economics but I could never explain land prices in Canada. I suspect that one huge difference between the two countries is that the US has more of an entrepreneurial spirit than Canada, however, I believe it is easier for the wealthy in Canada to control the economy. It is certainly a huge failure of the Canadian government that allows me to build a home in the US with Canadian lumber cheaper than a Canadian can build where the cut down the trees. I believe anyone who understands Canada’s banking system would have to agree that individual Canadians pay an enormous penalty for the safety inherent in Canadian banks. An oligopoly that works well for bankers but not so much for banking customers.
Real estate prices are extremely hard to compare! In my city alone (Raleigh, NC), a 3000 sq ft 4 bedroom home could be $180,000 on the South/East side of the city, $400,000 on the North/Northwest side of the city, and $800,000 inside the belt line near downtown. It’s all about supply and demand and location
The crackheads that wrote this article need to get their facts straight. Comparing Toronto to Salk Lake City is a joke. New York has an average house price of 2,000.000 dollars. Toronto’s 400.000 Canadian dollar hose price is dirt cheap. Vancouver’s 700,000 is also quite affordable. San Francisco has a 890.000 dollar house price. Now Texas is the cheapest crap hole in the USA. Comparing Dallas to premiere Canadian cities is a gross misrepresentation. Comparing Boston to Montreal is a more factual comparison. Canada is not Switzerland or Japan. It is a poor, cheap country compared to the USA. Of course deep down inside Canadians know this.
Sorry, but I’ve never heard of Salk Lake City, and I can assure you that no one in Canada would ever pay $400000 for a hose!!
I live in Tulsa Oklahoma and have a 2,600 sf home in an upscale area and would be thrilled if I could get 250,000. Canadians are getting robbed on home prices. I can’t afford more than i have here and make over 100K annually. I would NEVER put myself in the kind of debt Canadians seem to be comfortable with. My home will be paid for in 5 years…I’ll be 53. This is very common in my metro area of over 900K people.