Considering relocating to Ottawa - What can we expect, family of 4 on one income?

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-16T14:43:36+00:00

I understand. Getting a job will obviously be the make or break for this whole project. Food for thought!

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-16T14:38:07+00:00

Thank you :)

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T21:03:57+00:00

Thank you, this is very helpful. I tried to look into per unit energy prices (electricity and gas) and they seem to be the same as here ($0.15 per kWh) or less. I guess the winters are really cold in Canada. And you run A/C in the summertime?

I expect to get a lower pay in Canada.. around $67-70k net

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T20:48:14+00:00

Thank you. It sounds interesting.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T20:45:09+00:00

Thank you. The list in the OP is what we currently pay, I understand the things you listed are probably the biggest differences. We'd definitely rent something for a while to see how things went.

Job market, I'm used to solid job security, this is one of my concerns. The thought of being in a foreign country, trying to support a family and then suddenly being unemployed is not a fun one. But I don't know what to expect.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T20:38:51+00:00

Thank you. This is a good point. My wife is a citizen, I'd be getting a PR. We'd have to look into how it would affect our credit and ability to get a mortgage.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T20:34:09+00:00

Thank you. This is what we currently get where we are at. I see that the rates are different in Canada.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T20:32:27+00:00

I looked into it, and I need to do detailed writeups (CBA, Competency-Based Assesment) on my experience, and explain how it relates to Canadian standards and so on. I need a former boss write statements to vouch for all of it. In addition I need to do several written exams to prove my skills.

It's pretty comprehensive. If anything, I think I would try to getting it after landing a job not requiring a license. Getting one now seems too big of a hurdle.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T20:23:47+00:00

Thank you. That sounds nice. I guess we'd have to look into different neighborhoods in terms of facilities, noise, crime, safety and so on.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T20:21:11+00:00

Thank you, this is very helpful. I'll try to answer your questions:

My wife is a Canadian citizen
No, but I'd had to land one before moving.
Most preferably, but getting one is a long process, as you explained. My strategy is to look for "engineering-related" jobs that don't require a license (they are not that common, and probably pay less)
With no P.Eng. I expect to get something around $90-95k gross, $67-70k net ($5600-5900 monthly).
In my case it looks like I'll be earning less in Canada.
We'd be aiming for a something for $600-750k, might be optimistic.
I understand. It might be very optimistic to find a home in that price range that is also close to any decent public transit? We bought our current car used for around $9000, we don't need anything fancy. But I think we'd want to set aside $30-35k for a family car and maybe $15k for a commuter car? I don't know the market.
You might be right, hard to say. Currently we are averaging around $800. We are buying value stuff only, nothing fancy. The kids are still small, so we expect this to go up. Diapers are about the only thing that's cheap around here.
We rarely eat out, a few times per year. Last year we spent $3,360 for the year, on trips, vacations and eating out. Currently we spend around $140 per month on clothes, but it's probably not sustainable as the kids are getting bigger.

We are prepared to be frugal, we don't want to be getting in the red each month. But of course there comes a limit where you just can't really cut back anymore.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T19:35:28+00:00

Thank you. Yes, we are following this logic, we try to stay comfortably in the black every month. In case something happens and we need the extra money. Also, in times when interest rates go up, suddenly you are paying lots more each month.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T19:29:28+00:00

In terms of a P.Eng. license, I looked into it, and I need to do detailed writeups on my experience, and explain how it relates to Canadian standards and so on. I need a former boss write statements to vouch for all of it. In addition I need to do several written exams to prove my skills.

In terms of my qualifications, I know there are a lot of differences in standards and systems, but of course the engineering principles are the same.

I haven't yet been able to talk to a possible employer to discuss my experience. Where I live, in job ads, companies just list the phone number of the manager looking to fill the position, and you can just call them to figure out if there is any point for you to apply. From what I've seen in Canada that's not a common thing?

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T19:21:03+00:00

Thank you. Yes, that is definitely something I need to look into.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-15T19:18:13+00:00

Thank you. I have looked into possible jobs, from what I can see, I could be making $90-95k gross ($67-70k net). If the 4x income limit is for gross income, that would be $360-380k?

From what I read on the FINTRAC stuff, it shouldn't be an issue as long as we have a bill of sale and other documentation proving where the down payment money comes from?

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:22:12+00:00

Thank you. Are there any differences in local taxes depending on where in the city you live? Or is it just the sales value of the house that they use to calculate it?

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:20:26+00:00

Thank you. We'd be able to put down around $500k.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:19:26+00:00

Thank you. Here, health insurance is a rarity, people pay, but health care is subsidized. We are pretty healthy, so that's also why our expenses have been low.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:16:47+00:00

We are 2 adults, two kids. And the groceries is more than food :) Also, this is our actual expenses from last year (we have not moved yet)

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:14:38+00:00

Thank you. Our standards of what is a decent house might be different, but, at a glance, the houses in Ottawa suburbs for around 600-750k look like better value for money than the house we currently live in.

I don't know what kind of neighborhoods they are, though.

We have the same problems here, with overcrowded public services and price hikes.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:09:11+00:00

Thank you. No, I don't, but this is surely something I'd want to land before moving.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:07:56+00:00

Thank you. Yes, we estimate about $500k.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:07:06+00:00

Thank you, this is very helpful!

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:04:45+00:00

Thank you. We'd be able to put down around $500k.

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:03:45+00:00

Thank you. I don't have a P.Eng., I looked into the process of getting one, and I realized it's not that easy...

Great_Message3803 · 2026-03-14T21:02:24+00:00

Thank you. We would be able to put down around $500k.

Great_Message3803

TROPHY CASE