本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Times & Transcript | Atlantic Canada
As published on page A1/A5 on February 14, 2004
Is it really cheaper to live here?
The lottery ads say it is, but how does the cost of living in Atlantic Canada really compare with the rest of the country?
JAMES FOSTER
Times & Transcript Staff
The old adage says a dollar goes farther in Atlantic Canada, but is it actually true?
Ask just about anyone living on the east coast and they'll tell you that prices for most things are lower here than in much of the country.
It's even the focus of some sales pitches, such as when recruiters seek candidates for jobs in Atlantic Canada, and even figures prominently in the Atlantic Lottery Corporation's current advertising campaign that purports that million-dollar winners at this end of the country can do so much more with their winnings than those in some other parts of the country.
The campaign is based on the premise that "a million dollars goes as far as it should" in Atlantic Canada, and it has garnered prestigious marketing and advertising awards for Moncton-based ALC.
"It's got a great response," spokesperson Darlene Doucet says.
"It does hit the pulse of what Atlantic Canadians think, and it did
"It's got a great response," spokesperson Darlene Doucet says.
"It does hit the pulse of what Atlantic Canadians think, and it did strike some interest outside of Atlantic Canada, too."
But is it fact or fiction?
Both, but mostly fact.
Foremost is the price of real estate, typically a family's biggest household expense.
Not only are housing prices in the Maritime provinces the lowest in Canada, they are also lowest when one compares the cost of home ownership by percentage of household income.
"My mortgage payments are double of what they were when I lived in Moncton," says former resident Jim Keeping, now living just outside of Toronto.
"So yeah, I'm earning more pay here, but it's quickly wiped out, and more, by how much I have to pay for my home."
Other big-city expenses can be more than the cost of living in smaller Maritime centres, Keeping says.
"My insurance bill for my seven-year-old car is about $2,000 and it wasn't nearly that much when I left Moncton a year ago, so that's another big expense. Mind you, I'm paying less for things like heat, lights, some groceries and, from what I'm hearing, gasoline, but even if you add all that stuff up, it doesn't equal what I'm paying extra for my mortgage."
There are other less tangible costs that must be thrown into the equation as well.
For example, there is no provincial sales tax in Alberta, though they do pay the federal GST of eight per cent. Since almost everything in the eastern provinces is taxed at 15 per cent, that can make a significant difference in the final tally of living expenses.
As well, housing costs are only 1.4 per cent more of a family's pre-tax income on the Prairies when compared with Atlantic Canada. But factor in government-run auto insurance in places like Manitoba that has slashed hundreds of dollars annually off consumers' costs of driving and some would argue whether it is cheaper to live in Brandon than in Berry Mills.
Figuring it all out is mainly a function of determining where your family spends the bulk of its money and comparing prices for those particular items.
Yes, a movie that costs $11.25 in Dieppe will cost you a mere $8.25 in Corner Brook. However, a litre of gasoline in that Newfoundland city usually costs more than in Metro Moncton, though the prices are almost identical this morning.
Yes, regulated gasoline prices usually mean much lower driving costs in Charlottetown, but what about their notoriously high electricity bills in comparison with what New Brunswickers pay.
The lottery corporation's television campaign that touts Atlantic Canada as the place "where a million dollars goes as far as it should" keys on the generally much lower real estate prices on the right coast of Canada, because that's usually a person's biggest lifetime purchase.
And by any measure, housing costs are far lower here than almost anywhere in the nation.
"It's kind of the logic that went into it, the price of real estate," Doucet says.
"It's something we Atlantic Canadians know. Real estate is a clear example of the difference."
Keeping hasn't seen the commercials, because they promote an Atlantic regional lottery Atlantic 6-49 and they aren't shown in Ontario.
But he's convinced the old adage is true: a dollar usually goes farther in the Maritimes than in a lot of other places across Canada.
"And if I win the million dollars, I'd probably come right back home the very next day."
----------------------------------------
Let's compare
Does it really cost less to live in Maritime Canada than in the rest of the country? Here's a look at the cost of some common household commodities across Canada:
Six pack of domestic beer:
Nfld: $10.10
P.E.I.: $9
N.S.: $8.90
N.B.: $8.98
PQ: $9.25
Ont: $9.75
Man: $8.80
Sask: $8.80
Alta: $9.35
B.C.: $9.05
Source: Brewers Association of Canada, Dec. '02
Average price of a pound (454 g) of cheese:
Maritimes: $4.48
PQ: $5.17
Ont: $4.49
Prairies: $4.36
B.C.: $4.64
Canada: $4.72
Source: Agriculture Canada, 2001 figures
Cost of a single residential kilowatt hour of electricity:
Nfld: 7.185 cents
N.S.: 8.61 cents
N.B.: 7.69 cents
P.E.I.: 8.88 cents
Ont: 4.3 cents
Man: 5.78 cents
Sask: 7.95 cents
Alta: 5.985 cents
B.C.: 5.77 cents
Source: Provincial utilities.
Cost of a litre of skim milk:
B.C.: $1.29
Alta: $1.65
Sask: $1.49
Man: $1.65
Ont: $1.49
PQ: $1.49
N.B.: $1.57
N.S.: $1.64
P.E.I.: $1.41
Nfld: $1.99
Source: Various retailers.
Percentage of pre-tax household income going towards home ownership:
B.C.: 42.8 per cent.
Prairies: 28 per cent.
Ont: 30.7 per cent.
PQ: 30.5 per cent.
Atlantic: 26.6 per cent.
Source: Royal Bank
Approximate cost of $2 million in auto liability insurance:
Corner Brook, Nfld: $1,325
New Glasgow, N.S.: $1,400
Moncton: $1,750
Sherbrooke, PQ: $850
Barrie, Ont: $2,600
Brandon, Man: $790
Lloydminster, Alta: $900
Penticton, B.C.: $1,000
Consumers Association of Canada, Sept. '03
Cost in cents per litre of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline on Feb. 10:
Moncton 83.9
Corner Brook, Nfld: 82.8
Truro, N.S.: 81.6
Charlottetown: 72.7
Bathurst: 72.4
Sherbrooke, PQ: 81.5
St. Catharines, Ont: 74.5
Brandon, Man:74.5
Red Deer, Alta: 68.9
Victoria: 79.9
Source: MJ Ervin & Assoc. Ltd.
A month's worth of basic cable:
Moncton: $21.99
Corner Brook: $21.99
Sydney, N.S.: $16.68
Charlottetown: $20.72
Barrie, Ont: $25.75
Restigouche, PQ: $25.64
Brandon, Man: $20.44
Regina: $19.95
Camrose, Alta: $20.19
Gibsons, B.C.: $19.95
Cost of one month basic telephone service:
Nfld., N.B., N.S., P.E.I.: $22
PQ, Ont: $17.95
Man: $25.25
Sask: $22
Alta: $23.86
B.C.: $23.86
Movie tickets:
Moncton: $11.25
Dartmouth: $11.25
Charlottetown: $10.00
Corner Brook: $8.25
LaSalle, PQ: $10.50
Kingston, Ont: $10.95
Winnipeg: $7.75
Saskatoon: $11.75
Kelowna, B.C.: $11.25更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
As published on page A1/A5 on February 14, 2004
Is it really cheaper to live here?
The lottery ads say it is, but how does the cost of living in Atlantic Canada really compare with the rest of the country?
JAMES FOSTER
Times & Transcript Staff
The old adage says a dollar goes farther in Atlantic Canada, but is it actually true?
Ask just about anyone living on the east coast and they'll tell you that prices for most things are lower here than in much of the country.
It's even the focus of some sales pitches, such as when recruiters seek candidates for jobs in Atlantic Canada, and even figures prominently in the Atlantic Lottery Corporation's current advertising campaign that purports that million-dollar winners at this end of the country can do so much more with their winnings than those in some other parts of the country.
The campaign is based on the premise that "a million dollars goes as far as it should" in Atlantic Canada, and it has garnered prestigious marketing and advertising awards for Moncton-based ALC.
"It's got a great response," spokesperson Darlene Doucet says.
"It does hit the pulse of what Atlantic Canadians think, and it did
"It's got a great response," spokesperson Darlene Doucet says.
"It does hit the pulse of what Atlantic Canadians think, and it did strike some interest outside of Atlantic Canada, too."
But is it fact or fiction?
Both, but mostly fact.
Foremost is the price of real estate, typically a family's biggest household expense.
Not only are housing prices in the Maritime provinces the lowest in Canada, they are also lowest when one compares the cost of home ownership by percentage of household income.
"My mortgage payments are double of what they were when I lived in Moncton," says former resident Jim Keeping, now living just outside of Toronto.
"So yeah, I'm earning more pay here, but it's quickly wiped out, and more, by how much I have to pay for my home."
Other big-city expenses can be more than the cost of living in smaller Maritime centres, Keeping says.
"My insurance bill for my seven-year-old car is about $2,000 and it wasn't nearly that much when I left Moncton a year ago, so that's another big expense. Mind you, I'm paying less for things like heat, lights, some groceries and, from what I'm hearing, gasoline, but even if you add all that stuff up, it doesn't equal what I'm paying extra for my mortgage."
There are other less tangible costs that must be thrown into the equation as well.
For example, there is no provincial sales tax in Alberta, though they do pay the federal GST of eight per cent. Since almost everything in the eastern provinces is taxed at 15 per cent, that can make a significant difference in the final tally of living expenses.
As well, housing costs are only 1.4 per cent more of a family's pre-tax income on the Prairies when compared with Atlantic Canada. But factor in government-run auto insurance in places like Manitoba that has slashed hundreds of dollars annually off consumers' costs of driving and some would argue whether it is cheaper to live in Brandon than in Berry Mills.
Figuring it all out is mainly a function of determining where your family spends the bulk of its money and comparing prices for those particular items.
Yes, a movie that costs $11.25 in Dieppe will cost you a mere $8.25 in Corner Brook. However, a litre of gasoline in that Newfoundland city usually costs more than in Metro Moncton, though the prices are almost identical this morning.
Yes, regulated gasoline prices usually mean much lower driving costs in Charlottetown, but what about their notoriously high electricity bills in comparison with what New Brunswickers pay.
The lottery corporation's television campaign that touts Atlantic Canada as the place "where a million dollars goes as far as it should" keys on the generally much lower real estate prices on the right coast of Canada, because that's usually a person's biggest lifetime purchase.
And by any measure, housing costs are far lower here than almost anywhere in the nation.
"It's kind of the logic that went into it, the price of real estate," Doucet says.
"It's something we Atlantic Canadians know. Real estate is a clear example of the difference."
Keeping hasn't seen the commercials, because they promote an Atlantic regional lottery Atlantic 6-49 and they aren't shown in Ontario.
But he's convinced the old adage is true: a dollar usually goes farther in the Maritimes than in a lot of other places across Canada.
"And if I win the million dollars, I'd probably come right back home the very next day."
----------------------------------------
Let's compare
Does it really cost less to live in Maritime Canada than in the rest of the country? Here's a look at the cost of some common household commodities across Canada:
Six pack of domestic beer:
Nfld: $10.10
P.E.I.: $9
N.S.: $8.90
N.B.: $8.98
PQ: $9.25
Ont: $9.75
Man: $8.80
Sask: $8.80
Alta: $9.35
B.C.: $9.05
Source: Brewers Association of Canada, Dec. '02
Average price of a pound (454 g) of cheese:
Maritimes: $4.48
PQ: $5.17
Ont: $4.49
Prairies: $4.36
B.C.: $4.64
Canada: $4.72
Source: Agriculture Canada, 2001 figures
Cost of a single residential kilowatt hour of electricity:
Nfld: 7.185 cents
N.S.: 8.61 cents
N.B.: 7.69 cents
P.E.I.: 8.88 cents
Ont: 4.3 cents
Man: 5.78 cents
Sask: 7.95 cents
Alta: 5.985 cents
B.C.: 5.77 cents
Source: Provincial utilities.
Cost of a litre of skim milk:
B.C.: $1.29
Alta: $1.65
Sask: $1.49
Man: $1.65
Ont: $1.49
PQ: $1.49
N.B.: $1.57
N.S.: $1.64
P.E.I.: $1.41
Nfld: $1.99
Source: Various retailers.
Percentage of pre-tax household income going towards home ownership:
B.C.: 42.8 per cent.
Prairies: 28 per cent.
Ont: 30.7 per cent.
PQ: 30.5 per cent.
Atlantic: 26.6 per cent.
Source: Royal Bank
Approximate cost of $2 million in auto liability insurance:
Corner Brook, Nfld: $1,325
New Glasgow, N.S.: $1,400
Moncton: $1,750
Sherbrooke, PQ: $850
Barrie, Ont: $2,600
Brandon, Man: $790
Lloydminster, Alta: $900
Penticton, B.C.: $1,000
Consumers Association of Canada, Sept. '03
Cost in cents per litre of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline on Feb. 10:
Moncton 83.9
Corner Brook, Nfld: 82.8
Truro, N.S.: 81.6
Charlottetown: 72.7
Bathurst: 72.4
Sherbrooke, PQ: 81.5
St. Catharines, Ont: 74.5
Brandon, Man:74.5
Red Deer, Alta: 68.9
Victoria: 79.9
Source: MJ Ervin & Assoc. Ltd.
A month's worth of basic cable:
Moncton: $21.99
Corner Brook: $21.99
Sydney, N.S.: $16.68
Charlottetown: $20.72
Barrie, Ont: $25.75
Restigouche, PQ: $25.64
Brandon, Man: $20.44
Regina: $19.95
Camrose, Alta: $20.19
Gibsons, B.C.: $19.95
Cost of one month basic telephone service:
Nfld., N.B., N.S., P.E.I.: $22
PQ, Ont: $17.95
Man: $25.25
Sask: $22
Alta: $23.86
B.C.: $23.86
Movie tickets:
Moncton: $11.25
Dartmouth: $11.25
Charlottetown: $10.00
Corner Brook: $8.25
LaSalle, PQ: $10.50
Kingston, Ont: $10.95
Winnipeg: $7.75
Saskatoon: $11.75
Kelowna, B.C.: $11.25更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net