Expenses for living in Edmonton ,Alberta(Canada)?

The other poster was certainly headed in the right direction. I live in Edmonton so thought I'd add some things. The following websites are a MUST for anyone relocating to Edmonton. It has absolutely everything a person needs to know when moving here. The following is the City of Edmonton site which gives you tips for moving here, transit, licenses, parks, recreation - absolutely everything you need to know. http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server.pt Everyone always has a hard time finding restaurants and entertainment so check here: http://www.edmontonplus.ca/bars_restaura... Next great site for those moving here in fact it's has everything from A to Z for relocating here. http://www.movetoedmonton.com/living/sho... Pretty much everything you need to know will be listed in the above websites. It's always the fear of the unknown but you'll learn a lot just bey going through those sites. If you need anymore info just add it to your question and I'd be happy to try and help you. You asked about income tax on $8000 so here it is calculated: Salary or wages for the pay period 8,000.00 Total EI insurable earnings for the pay period 8,000.00 Taxable income 8,000.00 Cash income for the pay period 8,000.00 Federal tax deductions 1,876.57 Provincial tax deductions 722.68 Requested additional tax deduction 0.00 Total tax on income 2,599.25 CPP deductions 389.34 EI deductions 138.40 Amounts deducted at source 0.00 Total deductions on income 3,126.99 Net amount 4,873.01 When calculating tuition he may be classified as an International student and the fees are a lot more expensive- he may want to see if they will consider him a citizen here because it would reduce the fees considerably. You will likely be looking in the $1500 range for a 3 bedroom apartment (I'm saying 3 because you have 2 children boy & girl) Edmonton has a very large Indian population and their are a lot of resources for them. Many of the Indian families prefer Millwoods because of the many amenities geared towards them in that community. In the Movetoedmonton website it will give you a list of organizations which may interest you. Next website give tenants all the information they need for renting http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/618.cfm As for your daughter here is the Edmonton school region's website which will list the fees, zones and what each school features. Many of the schools have their own website you can access from there. You can also email any of the schools asking for information before hand. http://districtsite.epsb.ca/root/alpha-school.cfm?Type=SR As for utilities - most apartments include heat and water but you must pay for your own electricity, phone, cable tv and internet. You will need tenants insurance which is very reasonable - approx $25.00 per month. Electricity cost may be about $75.00 but double that if you rent a house. Most apartments have a laundry room where you can pay for do loads of laundry: cost for washing and drying 1 load approx $3.00 You will find that there are lots of users fees in Alberta - everything from the extra school fees, registry fees when getting driver's and auto licenses, medical insurance though basic medical will be eliminated in Jan/09 but there are lots of hidden fees. Groceries have been steadily going up so with a family of 4 expect to pay a minimum of $400 per month. Don't forget about school lunches for both your children. Eating out you may expect to pay for a decent meal including beverage, taxes, tip for 1 person $25 - $40 and up depending on the restaurant. $25,000 to $35000 is an expected cost for a new vehicle plus insurance which is approx $2000 per year for a new drivers. You will have to apply for an Alberta driver's license. What you will be able to save is Dependant on your personal expenses per month. Try and calculate the expected total monthly expenses and deduct them from your net pay and see what you would be comfortable with. I encourage you to start reading the local newspaper because it is a wealth of information. www.edmontonjournal.com Hopefully these will be of help to you. If you need more information add a note. Good Luck

Hi! If you get an answer from someone from Edmonton itself, then disregard my answer! I haven't lived there for a while, so my information might be on the low side.... but it will give you an idea. First off, you would have no worries living there on the salary you state. As to the university, it depends upon what university he is attending in India, and if they will allow transfer. http://www.ualberta.ca/ Tuition - depends upon status - http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/ro.cfm?id=1 For your daughter, there is no cost for high school education itself. The high school will have some student fees, activity fees, etc. which may be around $100 and up- again, depends upon the school and school division. Apartment rental cost will vary a lot - probably 1,000 and up - mostly depending upon what area of the city you would be living in. For some ideas - http://properties.househunting.ca/results.aspx?txtSearch=EDMONTON%2c+Alberta&Ns=Price_Rentals%7C1%7C%7CDateNewGTS%7C1&N=829247+829234+833261&sid=11CC9FF76E4D&SearchType=rent#txtSearch=EDMONTON,+Alberta&Ns=Price_Rentals%7C1%7C%7CDateNewGTS%7C1&sid=11CC9FF76E4D&SearchType=rent&Ntx=mode+matchboolean&Z=10&Mw=623&Mh=322&N=829247+829234&Nf=Latitude%7CBTWN+53.547551+53.584058%7C%7CLongitude%7CBTWN+-113.547043+-113.457742 Utilities - Electricity - 150; water/sewer - 50; gas (heat) - 130 Food - hard to tell, 400 a month is a guesstimate Traveling - good bus system and light rapid transit (LRT); otherwise, expenses of having and driving a car (fuel, maintenance, and parking - depending upon where you work) Most people have a home phone, a wired phone, then additional cellphone. Cellphones - depending upon contract, calling plan - some idea here - http://www.telusmobility.com/ab/pcs/phones.shtml Internet - http://consumer.telus.com/portalWeb/appmanager/cpPortal/consumerPortal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=high_speed_index Income tax - There is Canadian tax - as well as many benefits, too, for use as credits (for example, you get a credit for children, the university student or you can claim tuition expenses, moving expenses, etc.) http://www.taxtips.ca/tax_rates.htm Medical - Hopefully, your employer will have a medical insurance plan, for which they pay a portion, and you pay a portion. This is for things which aren't covered under the federal plan - may include prescriptions, eye exams, hospital stay, accident insurance, dental, chiropractor, phisiotherapy, etc. In Canada, health care is free. However, there are certain charges which individuals are responsible for, which varies between provinces. Alberta currently has a charge per month, which apparently is going to be eliminated next year - http://www.health.alberta.ca/resources/stats-facts.html Cars - average family type car - new, probably $25-30k. Great thing about buying a car new is you get a great warranty, usually for five years. However, used cars are available at great prices as well. The city- actually it's a beautiful, awesome city. River running through it, which is always lovely for a city to have. Lots of green - parks, etc.; great for festivals and the arts, music, food - many cultural events. And, of course, the West Edmonton Mall! http://www.edmonton.com/tourism/portal.asp?page=4 Safety truly depends upon where you live in the city.... I have family living in the Capilano and Bonnie Doon areas, and they are nice, family areas to settle in. Some families like to live in small communities nearby Edmonton; I have family in St. Albert, about a 20 minute drive away. They just love it there, and travel time is the same as living in the city itself! However, the community is smaller, so nicer. Some others' opinions - http://www.travel-mediainfo.com/Edmonton/74160.htm http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=102409 Good luck to you, in your journey to our wonderful country!