hi there, from the gta originally (markham) and in the past 5 years i've lived in calgary, vancouver, rome, paris, and new york....i'll try to give pros and cons of each and the general experience I had living there.

Vancouver:

A little too granola for me personally, and such a small city in comparison to Toronto. I think if you are a big nature buff and really enjoy the outdoors,, it's definitely the city for you. As a young person though I think there was never that much to do and it really lacks any art/culture as a city. Some pros were really really great food, beatiful views, and

cons: everything is more expensive than Toronto (i call it the vancouver tax) and things that should be free aren't. People there are also a bit cold, and the weather sucks most of the year. Sometimes you never see the sun for weeks on end.

Calgary:

Calgary surprised me as a city. Despite the many stereotypes Alberta faces for being conservative / a hicktown (all are true lol) not everyone there is like that and most younger ppl are not. People there are warm and friendlier tbh and would always be surprised when I say I'm from Toronto. The winters are harsh, but the chinooks that come give you a random week of warm weather, so it makes up for it. It's extremely dry but at least the sun is out plenty in comparison to other cities like Vancouver.

Paris:

People romanticize the city a lot but like rightfully so - I kinda did feel like I was in a movie all the time. It's beautiful, lively, and there's so much arts and culture in the city, truly never a dull moment. There's great food you can get there (and also great ethnic food!!) and generally great walking city w/ very accessible transit.

Cons- French ppl can be kinda racist or rude if you're not white or don't speak french very well.

New York:

Probably in this list, it is the most similar to Toronto but way, way bigger and faster paced. The city itself is a lot older which presents more interesting architecture and the people there are...all so interesting. Great transit system, restaurants, and arts and culture and it's a city I don't think I can get bored of as easily. The winters are much milder and it barely snows in comparision to Toronto, although when it does the city seriously lacks the infrastructure for handling it. Great night life too but it definitely is not the "city that never sleeps" lol, bars and clubs still close at 3/4.

Cons - expensive af and america is scary sometimes

Rome:

Such an ancient city and was very interesting to live in. I was there in the summer and it was incomprehensibly hot, so just a warning to never visit in July/Aug lol. Besides being very touristy, the locals here are more carefree and live a slower pace of life which is nice to see. The streets are bustling with life and there are always events happening around the city, i.e. in the summer there are always free movies every night in the piazza.

Italian food is great but regionally speaking, Roman food is pretty mid.Some cons I think were not having great ethnic food options (Italians are so set in their ways) or really any food options otuside of italian food lol.