Q: Does anyone know the average cost of living in Alberta, Canada... say for a family of three? (2 adults and 1 kid)
A: These are questions that have been asked many times over the last few months. You likely have heard that Alberta is booming and are interested in cashing in on it. Here is a run down of basics - Rent: Anywhere from $875 at the low end to the sky's the limit for a decent 1 bdrm apartment providing you can find one - the vacancy rate is approx. 1% or less. Average rent for a decent 1 bdrm - expect to start paying in the $1100 range in the coming months. House prices: Edmonton: average new home price is approx. $450,000 and up Resale homes are a little cheaper depending on the location but it's safe to say they start at approx. $325,000 min and upwards. Average 1200sq.ft. bungalow: - family of 3 Electricity - roughly in the $150. and up - includes garbage, recyling and water (at least in Edmonton) http://www.epcor.ca/default.htm Telephone: Approx. $40.00 plus a $25.00 long distance plan www.telus.ca Gas for vehicles is approx. $1.09 per liftre - flucuates of course. Then there are things school fees, transportation (busing to school) House taxes: starting point $2,500 per year - to unlimited Groceries are always dependent on gas, the dollar, etc - some items are more - some are less. You'll be paying your own health care premiums each month - $64.50 for single with basic AB Blue Cross http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/ahcip/ahcip_forms.html No provincial sales tax - does make a difference BUT there are lots of "hidden" taxes in this province that come under the heading of "user fees". Average vehicle insurance with a good record starts at approx. $1600 per year - will go down each year you live here providing you don't have demerits. There are lots of jobs available depending on what your trade is - oil rig workers can make pretty decent money but are always working out of town. Though the minimum paying jobs have upped their wages they are still not enough for a people to live on. Winter heating - the most economical is the gas heating of course but many homes are heated by expensive electricity. If the price of home heating has skyrockets over the $7.00 mark the province kicks in a rebate in the coldest months of the year - approx $50.00 but nobody knows if it's here to stay or not.. An average 1200 sq ft house will likely use $180.00 give or take per month in the winter. If you need daycare - expect to pay a premium if you can find a spot. Bus passes $59 monthly for adults or $2.50 per ticket for an adult. http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_280_218_0_43/http%3B/CMSServer/COEWeb/getting+around/fares/ Service Alberta's website gives you a wealth of information on tenants rights, driver's license, consumer information, licenses, etc. http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/dsp_landlords_changes.cfm Here are the websites for the Edmonton and Calgary newspapers - reading them really gives you a better idea of what the cities are all about. www.edmontonjournal.com http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/index.html Hopefully this gives you an idea of the cost of living in Edmonton. Calgary prices are about the same though their rental market may be a bit higher as are there the price of houses. Everything else is comparable to Edmonton prices. Good Luck.