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Expat Insider - The World Through Expat Eyes

Toronto Offers a Great Place to Work & Easy to Deal with Admin Topics

Toronto offers expats easy administration and a great work life. Not everything’s perfect in the Canadian city, though.

Toronto ranks 19th out of 50 cities in the Expat City Ranking 2022 and makes it into the top 10 of the Expat Essentials Index (7th). Expats find it very easy to navigate Admin Topics (5th), such as dealing with the local bureaucracy (70% happy vs. 40% globally) and opening a local bank account (91% vs. 64% globally). While the Digital Life Subcategory (6th) is also rated highly, Toronto only comes 37th in the Housing Subcategory. This is mainly due to expenses: more than three-quarters of expats (76%) find housing unaffordable, compared to 43% worldwide.

High costs are also reflected in the Personal Finance Index, where Toronto ranks among the bottom 5 (46th). “Toronto has become totally unaffordable for a lot of people,” shares a Russian expat. In fact, 26% of expats are unsatisfied with their financial situation (vs. 21% globally), and 40% say that their disposable household income is not enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 28% globally).

The Working Abroad Index (13th), on the other hand, is another highlight of expat life in Toronto. Expats are particularly satisfied with their job security (66% happy vs. 59% globally), the local job market (64% vs. 47% globally), and their personal career opportunities (61% vs. 58% globally). The city also ranks tenth in the Work Culture & Satisfaction Subcategory, since the majority of expats agrees that the local business culture promotes independent work (74% happy vs. 45% globally) and supports flexibility (83% vs. 60% globally).

Lastly, Toronto performs well in both the Ease of Settling In (20th) and Quality of Life (21st) Indices. While expats enjoy the natural environment (94% happy vs. 83% globally), 35% are unhappy with the climate and weather (vs. 19% globally). They also feel welcome (77% happy vs. 66% globally) and find it easy to get used to the local culture (69% vs. 62% globally), ranking the city twelfth in the Culture & Welcome Subcategory. It might help that 72% consider the locals generally friendly towards foreign residents, compared to 65% globally.

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