[RUEZ]

BCme BCme:

Xort Xort:

Some things are more expensive in Canada, others are cheaper.

You can also end up with higher or lower taxes on income depending on what amounts to use and in what state/province.

Canadian governments take in about 32% of the GDP as taxes. USA governments take in about 26%.

Overall the easy rule is that items cost more, while services cost less. For someone that doesn't get much use out of services it can seem like a bum deal. For people that get a lot of use out of services, many complain why they can't have even more.

Overall when you take abstractions of costs of common items Canada and the USA are very close together.

Well said. Thank you. You are right, goods in general do seem more expensive here, while services in general are less expensive. For example, health care in America is very expensive, while much less here. Although a service like auto insurance seems extremely expensive here. I pay $110 a month while I was paying $40 in America. Utilities and rent seem on par with what I was paying in Idaho.

What exactly do you expect in a country with 1/10th the population of the U.S.?

[Milton]

TPTB don't want food produced locally so they drive locals under with subsidized food. It is called dumping.

[Brenda]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Brenda Brenda:

Why is a kilo of Gouda cheese (made in Salmon Arm, BC) 3 times as expensive as it is in The Netherlands? Does it matter, really?

Since OP skipped over my explanation early in the thread I'll say it again. We have a dairy marketing board in BC that controls who can produce dairy, and how much. Thus the higher prices.

I got that I am used to quotas
I just don't see why it matters. If I want Gouda, I pay the price. Or I find it too expensive and I don't.
His wife goes to the US to do groceries. I don't see the prerogative since gas is not that cheap, and what I save would go into my tank.

[Brenda]

$1:

rent seem on par with what I was paying in Idaho.

THAT I do not believe.

[BCme]

Brenda Brenda:

I found this little gem. RockyMtnGirl mentioned the comparison between Vancouver and Seattle, so I compared Seattle with Boise when it comes to cost of living. Turns out Seattle is 22% more expensive than Boise.
http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/sav ... lator.aspx

Way ahead of you... did that comparison long ago. I also compared Boise to L.A. and NYC. But it has nothing to do with this thread as I am not living in Seattle. Also early on I stated that there are differences in the cost of living in America depending on the region.

Brenda Brenda:

Why is a kilo of Gouda cheese (made in Salmon Arm, BC) 3 times as expensive as it is in The Netherlands? Does it matter, really?

The real question I have is why do you not care?

I care because I like to know why something is more rather than just blindly pay the price. I justify my expenditures. I cannot justify paying so much for cheese here, so my wife goes over the border to get it at a better price. You go ahead and pay $14 for a 750g hunk of cheese if you wish. I like to save money where as perhaps you are rich and money is not an issue.

[RUEZ]

Brenda Brenda:

RUEZ RUEZ:

Brenda Brenda:

Why is a kilo of Gouda cheese (made in Salmon Arm, BC) 3 times as expensive as it is in The Netherlands? Does it matter, really?

Since OP skipped over my explanation early in the thread I'll say it again. We have a dairy marketing board in BC that controls who can produce dairy, and how much. Thus the higher prices.

I got that I am used to quotas
I just don't see why it matters. If I want Gouda, I pay the price. Or I find it too expensive and I don't.
His wife goes to the US to do groceries. I don't see the prerogative since gas is not that cheap, and what I save would go into my tank.

I think it pays to research stuff like this before you move.

[Brenda]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Brenda Brenda:

I got that I am used to quotas
I just don't see why it matters. If I want Gouda, I pay the price. Or I find it too expensive and I don't.
His wife goes to the US to do groceries. I don't see the prerogative since gas is not that cheap, and what I save would go into my tank.

I think it pays to research stuff like this before you move.

Absolutely.

[Brenda]

BCme BCme:

Brenda Brenda:

Why is a kilo of Gouda cheese (made in Salmon Arm, BC) 3 times as expensive as it is in The Netherlands? Does it matter, really?

The real question I have is why do you not care?

I care because I like to know why something is more rather than just blindly pay the price. I justify my expenditures. I cannot justify paying so much for cheese here, so my wife goes over the border to get it at a better price. You go ahead and pay $14 for a 750g hunk of cheese if you wish. I like to save money where as perhaps you are rich and money is not an issue.

And put what I save into my tank, the hassle of the border patrol, the visa waiver, the bullshit, and the hour and a half drive one way?
Nah.
I just don't buy the Gouda. I left that behind when I moved. Some things are better in Canada, some things are not. I knew that before I moved here. You give some, you take some.

[Brenda]

BCme BCme:

Brenda Brenda:

I found this little gem. RockyMtnGirl mentioned the comparison between Vancouver and Seattle, so I compared Seattle with Boise when it comes to cost of living. Turns out Seattle is 22% more expensive than Boise.
http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/sav ... lator.aspx

Way ahead of you... did that comparison long ago. I also compared Boise to L.A. and NYC. But it has nothing to do with this thread as I am not living in Seattle. Also early on I stated that there are differences in the cost of living in America depending on the region.

Yet, you compare Vancouver to Boise. You make no sense.

[andyt]

Brenda Brenda:

His wife goes to the US to do groceries. I don't see the prerogative since gas is not that cheap, and what I save would go into my tank.

If you live near the border it pays, since gas is also cheaper there, so people fill up. Personally I would rather pay myself not to go and sit in a lineup for hours, deal with those oafish border guards and spend time in paranoia country. I'd rather spend a bit more on groceries here and have more free time. But I guess for some people shaaaaaping is fun, for me it's a chore.

[BCme]

Brenda Brenda:

$1:

rent seem on par with what I was paying in Idaho.

THAT I do not believe.

OK, why? I have rented most of my life in Idaho and know what the prices are. I also know what I am paying in rent here in Canada which is close to what I was paying in Boise. Also I never said I live in Vancouver, I said "Vancouver area and the Fraser Vally". Because of all the Anti-American sentiment I have experienced over the last 6 months in Canada I will not divulge my exact location except to say it does not take a long time to drive to downtown Vancouver. Also I have shopped allover the Fraser valley, and when it comes to prices they seem to vary little from Vancouver to Chilliwack.

[BCme]

Brenda Brenda:

BCme BCme:

Brenda Brenda:

I found this little gem. RockyMtnGirl mentioned the comparison between Vancouver and Seattle, so I compared Seattle with Boise when it comes to cost of living. Turns out Seattle is 22% more expensive than Boise.
http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/sav ... lator.aspx

Way ahead of you... did that comparison long ago. I also compared Boise to L.A. and NYC. But it has nothing to do with this thread as I am not living in Seattle. Also early on I stated that there are differences in the cost of living in America depending on the region.

Yet, you compare Vancouver to Boise. You make no sense.

No, re-read my OP. I said "Vancouver area and the Fraser Vally". I see no real difference in prices in the the Lower Mainland other than the cost of gas in Vancouver which is higher than other cities I have been to in BC.

[Brenda]

Because I cannot rent a 2200sq ft house with 3 beds and 3 baths here (and I live about 800 kms from the lower mainland) for $1300, while you can in Boise.

[Brenda]

BCme BCme:

Because that is what the political powers in Idaho deemed it to be. I guarantee you could live way better off $7.25 an hour in Boise than $10.25 in Vancouver. Cost of living is very different between the two cities. Plus a person making minimum wage may be eligible for Food Stamps depending on family size and could receive hundreds of dollars in benefits.

Sorry, you said Vancouver.

Told you you were bullshitting

[BCme]

RUEZ RUEZ:

I think it pays to research stuff like this before you move.

I did research for a year before the move. The price of cheese was the least of my worries. I reject those whom say you can learn everything about Canada on the internet. Some things you have to experience first hand.