I Moved from Canada to California and Saved Money
Video Overview & Insights
I moved from Canada to California, and everyone told me it was a mistake. 🌴💸 But from lower taxes to better weather and endless opportunity, this move completely changed how I see life in America.
While cheaper than Toronto -why does Calif have the highest OUTmigration of any state for the last 6 yrs? (9.2 Mil Left)
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thank you for saying this! Most of my friends and family say California is horrible right now because its "expensive" but to me it has everything: better jobs, higher pay, better lifestyle, more entertainment. Id move there in a heartbeat
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Texas and Florida have lower taxes, and less regulation because they HAVE to have those incentives for people to move to those states over California. The flat landscape and terrible climate with sweltering summer heat and humidity with nowhere to escape (and in the case of Texas winters that get colder than people might expect). Florida is a little better than Texas with easier access to beaches/oceans, entertainment, and truly mild winters, but there are definitely trade-offs.
In this video, I’m breaking down the truth about moving from Toronto to San Francisco — the real cost of living, California taxes, career growth, and why expensive places are expensive for a reason.
If you’re wondering “Is California worth it?” or thinking about moving from Canada to the U.S., this honest breakdown covers everything I wish I knew — from lifestyle and culture shocks to the financial upside.
Now is a good time to save $$ for your health issues later.
Or you can do like many, move back to Canada and WE will cover the cost of YOUR health problems.😮😮😮
👉 Comment below where you’d move if money didn’t matter — and don’t forget to subscribe for more honest videos about immigrant life, expat realities, and Canadian living in the USA.
I have an American manager who grew up in San Francisco. She is very American in a generally good way and is a lovely person. She likes living here but I think she has a complicated relationship with her home country. She doesn't like talking about US politics and when she was asked if she came here because of Trump, she refused to get into that (I don't think it was the main reason but it could have been a factor).
More User Perspectives
How did you move there what immigration lawyer?
@bobjeffersonjeffy7968Canada has gotten so bad that this chick thinks California is a good place to live.....god bless her
@PaulDillaGrew up in Montreal and moved to the SF Bay Area in 96 just in time to catch the .Com bubble never looked back. The opportunities in High Tech are unbelieveable. The people you meet the companies and job opportunities are awesome. I found that the harder I worked and the more money I tried to make I got penalized in Canada. The system is built to reward medeocrity. There is no reward for merit and hard work. Very happy living here, I have a much better lifestyle and much better weather. Welcome to the Bary Area Robyn!
@andrewnugent9625I respect your pragmatic approach to life in the US. However I will say, there is more to life than working and making money. Which seems to be your primary motivation for moving to the US.
@DanielFlonnsterI was born in San Francisco Kaiser permanente hospital lol I live in Arizona now though. I don’t think I’d ever live in a blue state again. Especially California. Naw Northern California is a little better in my opinion. Gavin newsom ruined LA. High poverty high taxes high crime ect.
@JG_BlackXCalifornia is an amazing place to live. We have built a society in the State of California with a standard of living unrivaled anywhere in the world. It's expensive for a reason and Californians are proud of it. MAGA is priced out and that is VERY GOOD. 🙂
- Three of the greatest universities in the world (Stanford, UC Berkeley, CalTech)
- Very affordable college otherwise (do a community college first, then CSU, whole thing will cost you less than 20k)
- largest energy storage system in the world, over 15 GWh
- largest aqueduct system in the world
- longest light rail line in the world
- two of the world's top 20 greatest orchestras are here, per Gramophone magazine (British classical music magazine). SF Symphony is number 13, Los Angeles Philharmonic is number 10
- one of the ten most respected ballet companies in the world is the San Francisco Ballet
- We have 8 restaurants with Three Michelin Stars; Three Stars is the highest honor Michelin can bestow, meaning they think the restaurant serves some of the best food in the world
- today while the sun was up we were 71% zero emission power, even though it was an overcast Autumn day. In Spring, we typically have several days with 100% zero emission power.
I could go on and on. Amazing place to live. 🙂
I live in California and it surprises me that you saved money in taxes by living here. Canada must have high taxes.
@Ghost-Rider667Thank you for being apolitical in your videos and just focusing on facts and your personal experiences. The beauty of America is it offers 50 different styles of life, with each state being unique in it's blend of what it offers. In fact, even within a state the experience can be radically different. Because U.S. state laws govern one's daily life much more than the federal laws (which are more like the icing in a cake) it allows each state to be so different. In Canada, the provinces have control over certain jurisdictions, but the federal government in Canada has far more influence on your daily life there. Both countries operate under a federal system of government, but in different ways. I have experienced it. I have lived in both countries.
@roberthalverson3987you have to be a low income family or business owner in canada to get all the benefits and tax returns. if you are a single middle income person , ur done.
@yiithtpGood for you, and I'm jealous! I'm from Venice/Santa Monica, now retired after 35 yrs in the Seattle area as a Developer and would love to return to Southern California for the beaches or to Northern California. I love California and have always missed it. Good luck!
@brianwhite1189Thank you for your comments .. Yes, as an American who first saw California during the Vietnam War period of our nation, it was so inspiring. California.. I must admit, as you state, it is something unique. From city to wine country, from skiing to surfing... You are hard-pressed to find that anywhere.
You in a small way .. tell folks who observe California as some liberal, lug nut state .. hey it’s still a fantastic state.
I don’t know what your plans are up the road .. but if you do make America and California your home … Please let folks know, as you do, hey it’s still a great place .. Hopefully native Californians will understand your message ie DO NOT DESTROY IT !!
Best wishes to you young lady .. Reach for the Stars 👍👍👍🇨🇦🇺🇸
Wow .. That is something California v Canada regarding living expenses etc
Just THINK if you lived in Texas what you could save and live well . There are a host of states in which the quality of life and cost of living are very positive !
Still can’t get over comments / personal experiences between California v Canada!!! Thank you !
Good riddance to you.
Cheers! 🎉
PS: Put you into my “Do not recommend” so that you never show up on my front page again.
I love the idea of this video. So many opinions, so many you can call it propaganda, so many NARRATIVE on social media. But we have our own judgement in our decisions. Good work. 💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥
@Matcha-PowderJust think of how much money you really could have saved if you hadn't moved to Taxifornia ( Illinois and New York excluded of course)
@DonaldMainsHey, I want to start investing but don't know where to begin. Any advice or contacts for help?
@radoslaw-b7pJust make sure you don’t get robbed in SF. My neighbor recently went over there and he got robbed. He said nobody really helped him but somehow made it back to NJ.
I mean it is great 👍 that’s where you wanna be.
Salaries in the areas with less taxes (such as texas) is much lower than the bay area. Also property tax is much higher in states like Texas than California.
@Za_Sticky_OneYou people need to give her time to settle down and perhaps get a Green Card before she can think about moving to a lower tax state like Arizona, Texas or Florida!
@aheat3036Alberta is way cheaper and sunnier than Toronto. Better wages and tonnes of young people as well. You have to deal with the cold though, lol.
@milohrnic2023Canada must be really expensive if California is cheaper. Taxes must be insane in Canada if that is the case.
@KhoaVo-z3n🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 BEST COUNTRY IN THE DAMN WORLD!!!! Glad you left CHINAda for us.
@jakearsenta2144I have a super question as a Canadian professional working in USA are you supposed to pay taxes back home in Canada or you only pay taxes in USA ?
@MULUMBAMARTHIASYou should probably factor Social Security and Medicare taxes into your thinking, which total about 15% of your income up to a threshold for 2025 of about $176K. That includes both the employee and employer portions, but if you ever become self employed you'll pay both parts. Then you add on the federal and state income taxes, which brings tax rates up to close to 50% for many Californians. True, you may get much of that back when you retire if you live to a very old age. Perhaps there's a similar tax in Canada. Also, sales taxes are close to 10% in many California communities, which I think is lower than in Canada, but still high by US standards.
That said, San Francisco is coming to life again after a few pretty awful years, and there is a lot happening here.
I’m glad you made this video, I can recall when I was homeless and faced many things in life until $23,000 biweekly began rolling in and my Life went from A homeless nobody to a different person with good things to offer God bless Mrs Louisa George !!!!
@MrFrescocotone-l9hWow, interesting point of view. It's true Toronto is creasy expensive, and outdoor life sucks.
@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2