The campaign has now moved on to its next phase, targeting residents in the eastern provinces and other parts of Ontario, but did the ads work? I can’t say for sure, but I know of half a dozen people in my social circles who have packed up and moved out west in the last year. I don’t blame them—the subway ads really had me thinking, too.
I moved to the big city in 2021 to study journalism. Before that, I was living with my parents north of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), working remotely in a corporate job and saving up for almost a year. Even with my savings and part-time job income, I struggled to afford my monthly rent, groceries and other necessities as inflation soared. I have a full-time job now, but thinking about the long term, I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to afford to buy my own home here—at the end of 2022, the benchmark price for a home in Toronto was just over $1 million.
Statistics Canada estimates that 29,422 people moved from Ontario to Alberta in 2021/2022—more than to anywhere else in the country. This is a 132% year-over-year increase. It’s not just Ontarians moving there. Approximately 28,238 British Columbians moved to Alberta over the same period—a 105% year-over-year increase and a 20-year record high for B.C.
Should you consider moving to Alberta? Before you start browsing real estate listings in the Princess Province, you’ve a lot to think about. I spoke to two experts—a realtor and a financial advisor—about how to weigh your options. I also talked to two Canadians who moved to Alberta (one from the GTA and one from British Columbia) to learn about their experiences, how they’re doing now and whether they have any regrets.
Nine things to consider before moving to Alberta
Why move to Alberta?
Moving to Alberta might help you stretch your money a bit farther, as mechanical engineer Emily Martin and her partner found out. (Name has been changed by request.) They moved from Vaughan, a city just north of Toronto, to Calgary in September 2022. The biggest reasons for the move were the lower cost of living, more affordable housing and the draw of the active lifestyle in Alberta, Martin says.
Housing costs in Alberta
In Calgary, Martin’s housing costs, including utilities, are $600 cheaper per month ($7,200 less per year) than what she was paying in the GTA. She lives in a 1,400-square-foot, multi-level unit in a house, paying $2,100 per month, including utilities, internet and parking. Her condo in Vaughan was 800 square feet and cost $2,300 per month plus around $400 for utilities, internet and parking ($2,700 total).
“We are saving around $600 a month and have nearly doubled the size of our living area,” Martin says. She adds that Calgary has “lots of options, especially downtown, in terms of apartments, condos, basement units, houses and townhouses to rent.”
Martin says she and her partner plan to buy a home in the next two years. “We knew if we stayed in the GTA, we wouldn’t be able to come up with a down payment. It would probably take us like 10 years,” Martin says. “At the time, we were both mechanical engineers and made more than the Canadian average salary. But it’s still not enough to pull that off.” (The Canadian average annual salary in 2021 was $54,000.)