Where do you want to live and work?

Where should I live?

Canada has thousands of cities and towns.

Finding the right place to live and work may take time. Housing costs vary greatly across Canada and depend on location (city, town or rural area) and type of home (for example, apartment or house). Where you choose to live will impact your occupational prospects, job opportunities and Definition ofsalary.

For more information, visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada's page on Where do Newcomers Settle?

Most newcomers settle in larger cities. According to Statistics Canada, the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver Definition ofcensus metropolitan areas (CMAs) were home to 75% of recent immigrants in 2008.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation publication Settling in Canada includes profiles and comparisons of 11 medium-size Canadian cities.

How much should I spend on housing?

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), your monthly housing costs should not be more than 30 percent of your Definition ofmonthly gross household income.

Resources

• Working in Canada can help you decide where to live and work. Use this website to produce a report that contains information on job descriptions, Definition ofwages, skills, Definition oflanguage training and job opportunities. By researching different occupations and different locations, you can make settlement decisions that are right for you and your family.
• Visit the Housing for Newcomers section of the CMHC Web site to access resources to help you rent an apartment and/or buy a home.
• Produced by the CMHC, The Newcomer's Guide to Canadian Housing, offers information on how to rent or buy a home.
• The Government of Canada’s Weather Office allows you to research the weather conditions in communities across Canada.
• Welcome to Canada: What you should know - Produced by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, this guide includes useful information on finding a place to live.
• Multiple Listing Service: Use this site to research homes for sale and prices across Canada. This site is operated by the Canadian Real Estate Association.
• For more information about local communities and living in Canada, consult the Provinces and Territories as well as the Live in Canada sections.