Canada vs. Australia - Which Is Better?
Trying to decide between living in Canada or Australia? I gotchu, boo.
I grew up in Canada but lived in Australia for almost 8 years, so I’m happy to dive into my personal experience and the pros and cons of both countries.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Lifestyle is a personal preference, and everyone’s living circumstances are different. Some people might love a tropical climate but can’t move somewhere warmer because of work, family, financial reasons, etc.
Whatever your situation, you’re in charge of your adventure. I’m just here to give you some tips!
Canada - Pros & Cons
I love Canada—I grew up and spent a large portion of my adult life there, but I’ve also always craved to move somewhere a little more exciting.
With that in mind, here are the main pros & cons I’ve noticed about living in Canada:
Pros
Affordable cost of living (compared to Aus)
Healthcare is OK (but not as good as Australia)
Easier to buy a house!
Lower rents
Lower crime rate than Australia!
More diverse job opportunities
Closer to other countries (for travel, for work, etc.)
Accessible education, more options
More varied climate (e.g. winter sports)
Relatively easy to immigrate to!
Cons
It gets freezing, y’all—you’re indoors for like, 6 months. Seasonal depression is a thing.
Canada has a higher overall prevalence of psychological distress (compared to Australia with a difference of 0.9%)
“Long-term supplemental health care can be lengthy, especially in large cities”—aka it can take up to 6+ months to see a specialist
Cities like Vancouver and Toronto can be quite expensive to live in
This is specifically for Quebec, but the French language barrier is a thing, and it can be quite isolating to live in Quebec if you’re anglo!
Salaries aren’t very good!
Some of the systems in Canada (or maybe it’s just a Quebec thing) are very archaic. Cash only places still exist, etc.
Australia - Pros & Cons
If I didn’t love living in Australia, I wouldn’t have stayed here. I love living in Australia and I will be building my life in Australia, so obviously keep that in mind for this list.
This doesn’t mean that I think Australia is better - I just prefer it!
Pros
Really good and affordable healthcare
Great lifestyle - climate, food quality, safety, etc.
The climate is 100000% a plus
Not having immediate neighbouring countries sometimes feels like a pro to me - you’re not so volatile/susceptible to your borders being vulnerable
Good education system
Decent job opportunities
Smaller economic ecosystem, which I feel is sometimes a good opportunity for opening businesses, because there’s not as much competition
Great salaries + job perks
Tech is pretty convenient - governmental systems are super easy to access, everyone has Eftpos, no need for cash on hand, etc.
Cons
Cost of living is quite unaffordable
Rents are high
Very hard to buy a house
Isolation from other countries makes it a large effort (both logistically and financially) to travel anywhere
Job diversity is not great and all the good jobs are in the major cities
Not as many diverse industries to work in/job opportunities
Very hard to immigrate to
This is not a comprehensive list by all means, but these are some of the basic things I’ve noticed over the years. I could go on and on about the specifics but both countries are actually quite similar in the way they operate.
Hope this helps someone who was looking for answers!
