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| Subject: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney |
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Hi Everyone,
Those who have actual experience and/or firsthand knowledge about the topic are welcome to reply.
What is the general lifestyle between Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and New York?
1. Based on my researches (no firsthand knowledge yet), Toronto and New York are very busy cities. People who lives on these cities have to work very hard and extended long hours. How true are these?
2. Vancouver and Sydney are laid back cities. I was even told several times by some friends that in Sydney, by 5pm every weekdays, almost all offices are already closed. Meaning, quality time for family is prioritized rather than working extended hours. How true are these?
3. What are the laid back cities in Ontario?
- tanya321
[24-09-2008,08:44]
[***.234.0.5]
tanya321 |
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(in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
I can tell little about Toronto, can´t compare precisely with NY, Vancouver or Sydney as never visited those places.
Life is very fast in Toronto, and to me it appeared to be hard, not because their offices are open till 10 PM:). Just kidding, most office time is also 5:00 PM in Toronto like Sydney, I believe in most of the North America. To me it looked hard because of the gigantic size of the GTA. Based on your work and home you may have to commute more than 3 hours on the way, not to mention about the rush hour traffic. Parking may be a problem sometimes. On the other hand as an immigrant if you feel too much about home then it is probably the place. Job market can be extremely challenging.
I never been in NY city, though 99% Torontonians think that NY is a garbage. What I hear about NY that convinces me mostly. Property value in NY is unthinkable, Apt. living standard also looks poor with high crime rate. Though I heard that public transit is better in NY with a wide spread of subway and even more diversity in life. Job isn´t that problem. Night life is also much extended probably.
What I hear about Australia in general is; it is more like Europe, life is easy with more holidays. though purchasing real estate can be challenging (not due to price but due to some type of waiting).
Vancouver is a scenic city, unlike most of the Canadian cities doesn´t have snow (very few). But rainy year round. Real estate is pricy, recently job market is awakening.
[24-09-2008,12:51]
[***.254.208.246]
DC |
(in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
DC, I must defend Vancouver´s weather. It rains 60% of the time... not ALL the time. But, it snowed on the ski mountains this past week. there was a lot of cheering from the office crowd that is still wandering around in their summer attire. No fall leaves yet and my summer garden is still going strong.
the 4 cities are vastly different. Vancouver is fast paced too if you are used to living in a smaller community. It is all relative. Vancouver will never be a New York. I don´t think Toronto will be either. Face it, NY is one of the most metropolitan cities on earth. Tough measuring stick.
I would suggest Sydney and Vancouver are more casual than TO or NY. Vancouverites live outdoors a lot - even in the rain. The minute it stops raining... the patios are full - with heater lamps blazing. People dress more casually. They work hard like everyone else.
[24-09-2008,13:55]
[**.155.160.37]
Anonymous |
(in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
I didn´t know that it rains only 60%, I always hear everyday rain in vancouver and thus developed an idea. Anyway, I personally enjoy rain very much, can´t think go aganist it. Sometimes I may consider to move into Seatle area.
[24-09-2008,14:02]
[***.254.208.246]
DC |
(in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
sorry, I deleted my cookies so my name vanished.
the problem with the 60% is that most of that happens October - March. September has been fabulous. Summer temperatures and only 2 days of sprinkes. That would suggest that I am probably in for ducky weather here on in until February. quack, quack, quack.
Literally, if it stops raining for more than 12 hours, the baby buggies come out, the bikes come out, the joggers hit the street and everyone is happy. Perhaps it is because we know that every day it rains... there is likely snow at the ski hills.
our climate is very similar to Seattle.
[24-09-2008,14:37]
[**.155.160.37]
Sharon |
(in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
I have lived in Toronto, Vancouver and Melbourne. While Melbourne isn´t Sydney, they do have similar cultures.
Toronto: difficult to travel around in that it will take you a long time to get places. Particularly if you work in the downtown core. Travel time from the Beaches to North York was 35 to 45 minutes each way, and the distance is less than 20km. Doing something nature oriented, takes more effort as you need to drive out of the city to get there.
Vancouver: poor infrastructure so despite being smaller, traffic is still a pain. 15km to my office in Burnaby from Kits (going against traffic) still took me 30 minutes each morning. Enjoyed the lifestyle in Vancouver much more than Toronto. Have a greater sense of work/life balance, and very outdoor oriented.
Melbourne: Cosmopolitan city. Like Vancouver, more laid back approach to work than you would find in Toronto and I´m assuming New York. If it doesn´t get done, it doesn´t get done, people are going out to surf. Work definitely comes in second. Food is fantastic and very cosmopolitan. Difficult to travel back to family however if you are from North America. Did get a sense of isolation and really needed to create your own environment there as you aren´t able to have friends over for a week... just too far to travel.
Overall, toss up between Melbourne and Vancouver for me. I would live in either city in a heartbeat.
[24-09-2008,15:52]
[**.72.113.160]
Carrie |
(in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
back in the 80´s Vancouver had a plan for several highways like they have in Seattle to get people around quickly. In a very bold move, the mayor of the day said no. The public agreed and decided they would rather take longer to get to work than have their city destroyed by a freeway system (read Seattle). We live the results and some suggest it has created a much more livable city... even if it takes longer to get to work.
[24-09-2008,19:06]
[***.20.92.250]
Sharon |
Sydney or Vancouver or NYC or Toronto (in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
I have lived in Sydney and visited Vancouver, I have also been to NYC and also considering moving between Vancouver and Toronto.
I can tell you guys this: Australia is becoming one of the world´s most expensive place to live, not just on housing, food is about 2 times more expensive. And you guys are complaining about petrol price in Vancouver? Come to Sydney, it is 30% more expensive than Canada and 60% more expensive than US.
The big problem faced in Sydney (and rest of Australia) is it relies on imports, and transportation cost has added up a lot, Australia also has myriad of taxes built into its prices, so "real inflation" is a huge problem here. You need at least $100,000 a year in Sydney just to make break-even, and most people don´t.
It´s beautiful city, no doubt, but what´s point, most people don´t have time to enjoy it. Parking is 3 times more expensive here than Vancouver, and Sydney is the most-tolled transportation in the world. It can cost a family $25 a day just on tolls by driving to downtown.
Life is not easy here, people work 7 days a week, many families have double jobs. Travel is very expensive here due to lack of competition in Australia.
Smart people would move to North America, I am moving to Vancouver or Toronto this year, being close to the "centere of the world" and where activities are.
We actually find life in Canada and US much easier than Australia because of the lower living cost.
[23-12-2009,05:31]
[***.106.227.244]
Tomaz |
sydney rulz! (in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
sydney is the bees knees! it has a warm, steady climate and also a sparkling blue harbour to look at. plus it has plenty of manicured green parks where you can lye on the grass and have a picknick. and who could forget the classic sandstone buildings mixed with beautiful modern glass towers. And the people are really nice! sydney is the best!
[19-03-2010,04:52]
[***.200.158.209]
jackson |
(in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
sounds like Vancouver! I think Sydney´s ocean might be a little nicer but we don´t have sharks.
[19-03-2010,09:15]
[**.154.245.217]
Anonymous |
Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney (in reply to: Lifestyle Comparisons: Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney)
Agree Sydney has got good weather all year around and harbour is nice and there are plenty places to go around. BUT it is horribly expensive in every aspect. Been away from the city for almost 2 years and on my recent visit, food prices up by 25%, fuel $1.30; commuting time - forever on two laned roads. Until & unless you have a fully paid out 1mn$ house in Sydney, plus 100k plus salary; it is the city for you. Otherwise look somewhere else.
[08-06-2010,05:35]
[**.96.53.226]
Jon |
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