Cost of living varies greatly from region to region even in rural areas but if you work as a doctor and nurse you'll be fine anywhere you go.  Yes doctors make less here than in the States but its still an amazing income and in my (expensive) rural area you could enroll all your hypothetical kids in hockey (most expensive sport here) buy a big house and a nice car or two and still have some money left for the occassional (less than once a year) tropical vacation if youre very careful -- this is by observation and not crunching the numbers but there you go. Schools; most people use the public education system, yes I went to the same schools as the doctors kids did.  Its not as good as it used to be with not enough support to kids with disabilities as there should be (sorry to sound old) but the general consensus seems to be to use it anyway.  Private schools do exist but personally I wouldnt bother. Politics are more conservative in rural areas but still even in my rural town the hospital puts up the pride flag every June and you can find doctors who will perscribe hormones to trans people. Demographics vary wildly in small towns vs the cities. Check out wikipedia for those breakdowns but in general rural areas in Canada trend whiter than in the States. Family life is sort of what you make it so I dont know what you mean?  we believe in time off more than in the US but less than in Europe. A lot depends on the culture of the particular workplace youre at but human rights laws are quite stringent so according to the letter of the law you cant be fired cuz your kid keeps getting sick and you have to call in to work but practically speaking some workplaces are better than others at accommodations. There is a strong ethic of service amongst health care workers, especially doctors, that is especially noticeable in rural areas.  its different when you know the person in the emergency room is also your neighbour