Suggestion please: Canada or India (Imp)

[sheena1983]

suggestion please - very important decision but hard to make: Thinking of moving back to India...please advise...

We recently moved to Canada on a PR visa from India. got a very good job with $80K full time employment. This is my 3rd job in 2 months - i didn't like the first 2 though the salary was almost same in all 3...

Now its been couple of months in Canada- Canada is good & Beautiful country, but we're not liking it here, apart from big cultural shock (specially at office) we're making end of month almost same money what we used to make in India. (household income in India was close to $4K pm & in Canada is little above $4K pm)...

It is not about Canada vs India - it is 'My' life in Canada vs 'My' life in India.

India:
Car+Driver provided by company for free to commute to office daily (almost every Indian MNC provides this facility)
Work from home - whenever I want to
Maids (cheap n easy availability)
Inexpensive day care
Relative support (only Indians will understand )
Visit any relative/friend whenever feel like
Weather - little extra hot for 2 months of the year - but manageable due to AC in car/home/office. Amazing weather for 10 months
Traffic Jams - yes, a lot.
Specialist doctor - waiting 0-7 days
Que discipline - followed 60% of the time
Roads - 60% of the roads are good
Office & housing (we use to live in a big housing society) infra - same or little extra advance than Canada.

Canada:
TTC is good - but jammed during office time, hard to find space to stand as well.
Work from home - not easy - have to convince boss and can't ask every time.
No maids - but human operated Washer, Dryer, Vacuum, etc. available. Yeah - cooking no option- have to cook.
Day care - average $1000 pm (subsidized day-care for lower household income ppl)..
No relative support...
Lot of respect for time & privacy = hence no bumping in a lot
Weather: 4 to 5 months good rest is winter & harsh winter - yes, heaters everywhere.
Traffic jams - yes - but not like india.
Specialist doctor - waiting 2 to 12 months, if emergency - dial 911
Que discipline - followed 95% of the time
Roads: almost 99% of roads i have seen are good

India:
Rent 2 bedroom condo: $200 PM
Car : $ 200 PM with insurance
Hydro: $ 10 pm
Maid: $ 20 pm
Day Care: $ 100 pm (subsidized due to our company Tie-Up)
Internet + Phone: Free (company provided)
Daily office commute: Free (company provided)
Groceries: $ 100 PM
Insurance - Company provided
Misc: 100
Total:730

Canada
Rent: 1+den $ 1620 PM (Heat, water, hydro, Parking & house Insurance included) (they don't give 1 bedroom condo on rent in most of the good buildings to family of 2 adult with 1 small kid, u have to take minimum 1+den)
Internet: $ 45 pm
Phone x2: 90 (60 + 30 for 2 phone)
TTC: $141 pm
Car: 350 (Car & Insurance) I see it cheaper to commute office daily to downtown by TTC rather than parking ur car in downtown.
Groceries: 500 PM
Insurance : half paid by company other half is $110 pm ($53 Per pay)
Misc- 144
Total: 3000 PM

We're thinking of moving back to India - why:
1. Almost same income
2. more savings in India
3. Cultural shock (yes, we overlooked it while moving) in office and in general
4. expensive vacations/outings
5. No friends..
6. Started feeling like we have no life.
7. Missing India
8. missing all the luxuries we had there (driver+maid+work from home+things easily available by paying extra)
9. No relatives (If I get my parents here - it will not be easy to get their PRs now-a-days...they only need working people i guess ...)
10.Not "much" difference in (daily) routine life when compared with India (except weather).
11. we're in our mid 30's, so life is little tough at this phase & age of life to adjust in a new country.
12. Except few things like good road, infrastructure, etc. almost everything is available in India. obviously no clean air n water in India - and for that we have water purifiers and AC in home/office/car. And Air is not really that bad except few places in India where we don't live.
13. good investment options in India (Bank FD's rate is around 8 to 9 % per year and lot of mutual funds doing good with average 14% per year)
15. Education is also not bad - can debate - i see lot of Indians doing good here in Canadian corporate world with Indian education.

List can go on since I am from India and not Canada. And that is why I am here on this forum seeking advice.

So, shall we move back to India or stay in Canada is the biggest question of our life right now.

We're very tensed and confused - I need advice please... like why India or Canada...why go back or don't go back....I welcome everyone's comment but I think Indians will be able to understand our situation more....

withing few months I got 4 offers and worked for 3 companies and left 2 of them working for 1 to 2 weeks and continuing with the 3rd one - so the job market is good and not that tough i would say like India.

Overall - We're comfortable here but not happy and in India we're living luxuries life with full of happiness or say happening events every day every-where. And yes, lot of people are scaring us with -40 degree weather coming soon...

I spoke to few people here in Canada:
Some say Canada is amazing - it is the best place in world - India is not good - not safe, Canada is safe, etc.etc....Hence, let me reiterate - this is only my experience and am no-one to comment/say anything about Canada/India. It is just my life in India vs my life in Canada. I am not saying India or Canada is good or bad. People say based on their experience -

Some said: I am incapable and incompetent to live in Canada - o'common I have a job, house, car, cash in account, etc. I have got really good feedback in just 1 month at work...In fact - this is the advance version of myself. I am working for more than 7 hours a day in office continuously (4 hrs was max in India) and I keep reading books and I am also managing my own finance and cooking and cleaning and a lot f things - which is good - but I've never done so many things myself in India - I had CA for finance - maids, drivers, well lets not get into that - then someone said its good to be self capable but why when we have options...
Some said we're consumer driven country not do savings like India.. I said - how do u manage to save like India here when our basics are so expensive. And if India is not a consumer country - then there is something wrong with Apple, Moto, HP, Dell, Toyota, etc. etc. all take Indian market into consideration before coming up with their next version/product....

Trust me - the way i am living n working here - If I wud have been same in India - i would have saved lot of money and would have grown personally & professionally as well. Imagine kinda efforts we put in for Documents-IELTS-PR-Packing n Moving-Job Hunting-House hunting-trying understand whole new world-etc.etc... I realize if i wud have put in these efforts in something else......

Sometimes I feel we had whole time in the world with friends and relatives everywhere in India...and I have wasted so much time by just going here n there in India and had fun entire day and laughed for 100 times a day...Whereas here - i lost my real laugh.....

I am here on this forum - because I wanted to know why am not able to enjoy my life here...Am i doing something wrong - or My salary is very low where I just meet my basics and save around $1K pm and I should not save that money as well and go on vacation or spend on something which might make us happy??...but then I will not have some emergency funds.... I donno if I should go back or not....please advise.....

Or, maybe this immigration is for the people who are not doing good in India or they don't like India....just a guess...

 

[skdubai]

What was your motivation to move in the first place? seems like you were doing spectacularly well in India if you were making 3.2 lakhs a month.

 

[Br33zer]

Can you tell us why would you choose to go to Canada at the first place when you had the same salary in India?

And the salary of $80k is what you both earn each, right?

 

[ht7]

Just curious, are you in Canada with your spouse? Are both of you making 80k per year?

 

[kryt0n]

Also your Canadian rent seems very high. Where are you located? You're salary is also very high.

I think when in Canada I was on $30k while I am on £30k in the UK.

For me it was the quality of life in Canada that was so much better. We hike and snowboard so Canada was perfect for us.

 

[ashpkgo70]

Most of the people go to Canada from India are the ones who are really not satisfied by their life or quality of life in India. Yes you won't get that much family support and the freedom you Have here in India. But generally people are used to give that up because they are not malong enough money. With no future or savings. Most of them rely on their parents even in late 30s. If I would have your salary here in India then I wouldn't have left India in the first place.
But that is just my opinion.Go where you feel happy. Money which you already have, is secondary.

 

[DelPiero07]

Also your Canadian rent seems very high. Where are you located? You're salary is also very high.

I think when in Canada I was on $30k while I am on £30k in the UK.

For me it was the quality of life in Canada that was so much better. We hike and snowboard so Canada was perfect for us.

He's in Toronto.

 

[kryt0n]

He's in Toronto.

Yea, I didn't read the WHOLE post. Ain't nobody got time for dat

 

[Mallikaasharmaa]

If you don't care much about new experiences and change in general, I guess you would never like it much there.
In my personal opinion staying in one place for a long time limits personal growth. But that's just me. Being single it's easy to make such decisions, but for you since you are married you have to see what makes both of you happy. As they say home is where the heart is, if your heart is still in India... you know what's best...

 

[Mallikaasharmaa]

Yea, I didn't read the WHOLE post. Ain't nobody got time for dat

Gawddd!!! I used to love that song...

 

[sheena1983]

Thank you for responses -
Thats just my Salary Per Year - $80K
In India - our house hold income with FD's & MF's and few other investments plus salary was close to 2 lacs pm (not 3.2) in hand after tax...
We were satisfied - its just we thought we will make more money + living in Toronto + all those things on internet and movies and all 'Hawa' of being NRI + exciting places + snow...that is why we moved here...

Rent is high - because we live in Downtown Toronto - but more or less - the rent of condo 1+den is between 1200 to 1400 with easy access to downtown in good buildings....in downtown - it starts from 1600+. I know couple of friend who live in Scarborogh - they pay 1250 PM...

 

[nidakh]

For me and my husband it is not about money...My husband had a better salary there and I too had a job which I'm still searching here.... It is quality of life, value for money, freedom for our daughter, Not worrying about her when she is alone out enjoying with her firends as a teenager, no judgements based on the religion or the caste you belong to, free health care, Having 911 5 minutes away, education ( my brother has gone to the top schools in New delhi but still has to go to private tutions with no idea whether he will get admission into any decent college)....And this is just based on 6 months of us being here! I'm sure down the line we will find many more reasons.

We miss our family too.....a lot and are dying to meet them....We miss celebrating festivals with our family....We miss being at the Cousin's marriage which all our family went to, enjoyed but we missed!

I guess it all depends on one's priorities in life! All the best with your decision but will suggest give it some more time!

 

[Br33zer]

@Sheena: I don't get it. You still can get the interest on your FDs and other deposits while being in Canada. So it really boils down to the point that you need friends/relatives around you. It's not about money since income of you both will be way higher than what you guys would get back in India.

But then if you love relatives and friends to be around you then yes, India!

 

[DelPiero07]

Thank you for responses -
Thats just my Salary Per Year - $80K
In India - our house hold income with FD's & MF's and few other investments plus salary was close to 2 lacs pm (not 3.2) in hand after tax...
We were satisfied - its just we thought we will make more money + living in Toronto + all those things on internet and movies and all 'Hawa' of being NRI + exciting places + snow...that is why we moved here...

Rent is high - because we live in Downtown Toronto - but more or less - the rent of condo 1+den is between 1200 to 1400 with easy access to downtown in good buildings....in downtown - it starts from 1600+. I know couple of friend who live in Scarborogh - they pay 1250 PM...

You just moved to Toronto, your salary is double of what the average Canadian earns, give it time.

There is a huge Indian community in Toronto, you should try to find some kind of club to meet people of your homecountry, maybe that will make you feel more comfortable.

Cheers

 

[Pippin]

Well I had time and it is apparent he or she put a lot of thought into the post. We all had the same idea about "initial motivation" after reading it. Many people choose to emigrate because they see a better future for their children. My Mum emigrated from England. She left behind all family and friends, too. It's a long story, but a good one. While I get the feeling I have to go back to England regularly to visit Aunts and cousins, I have never wished to grow up anywhere other than Canada. I hope you can take a reasonable length of time to give Canada a chance. All the best.