To many people, the better life they seek lies in moving abroad, to a country with better opportunities and standard of living. Many Indians are in this bracket, as the number of Indians immigrating to Canada for a better life continues to soar.
However, given that moving from India to Canada can be difficult and expensive, people often ask whether an India to Canada immigration route is worth it.
This article will answer this question by highlighting the pros and cons of living in Canada vs. India.
Pros & Cons of Living in Canada vs. living in India
| Pros of living in Canada (from an Indian’s perspective) | Pros of living in India |
| · High standard of living
· Free healthcare · Safe and peaceful · Better education system |
· Low cost of living (compared to Canada)
· Favorable weather (less cold winters) |
| Cons of living in Canada (from an Indian’s perspective) | Cons of living in India |
| · High cost of living
· Cold weather |
· Low standard of living
· Costly to access quality healthcare · Not safe to live in · Poor public education system |
Living in Canada vs. Living in India
The following will help you decide whether living in Canada or living in India is better.
1. Standard of Living
Standard of living is a term that describes the level of material wealth available to an individual. Thus, a high standard of living refers to:
- High employment opportunities
- High income
It is relatively easier to find employment in Canada than in India. In fact, one reason Canada has accelerated its immigration push is to admit qualified immigrants to meet labor shortages. Thus, one is more likely to be out of a job in India than in Canada.
Also, jobs in Canada pay relatively more than in India. For example, the minimum hourly wage rate in Canada ranges from $11.81 to $16.00 depending on the province.
However, in India, the daily wage rate ranges from 160 rupees ($2.65) to 423 rupees ($7.01). Thus, Canada gives you a better chance of earning enough to take care of yourself and your dependents than India.
2. Accessing Quality Healthcare
Canada is consistently ranked high in WHO rankings of countries’ healthcare systems. Not only does the country have a high-quality healthcare system, but accessing healthcare is easy.
The Canadian government funds health insurance, so most of the services you’ll receive in a Canadian hospital are covered by government insurance and free.
It can be argued that India also has high-quality healthcare as it is a popular destination for medical tourism. However, there is a huge gulf between the quality of healthcare in the private and public sectors, and high-quality private healthcare is relatively costly to the average Indian.
Thus, while the average person in Canada can easily access quality healthcare, the Indian living in India may not have the same access to quality healthcare.
3. Safety
When considering safety or peace of mind, you’ll want to live in Canada over India because Canada has consistently been ranked as a safer and more peaceful place to live.
A trusted ranking of countries’ peacefulness and safety is the Global Peace Index (GPI). The ranking considers 23 indicators of peacefulness including:
- Political terror scale/political insecurity
- The degree of militarization
- The number of internal conflicts
- The number of homicides
- The level of distrust, etc.
In the 2022 Global Peace Index, Canada is ranked in 12th position while India is ranked 135 among the 163 countries surveyed. This means that in 2022, Canada is one of the most peaceful and safest places to live, while India is one of the least safe places.
4. Education System
Comparing the education system of Canada and India is not straightforward but Canada is a clear winner in this regard.
First, both countries offer free education. In India, education is free in public schools for children between 6 – 14 years old. However, the public schools are not highly rated. Students in private schools have better learning outcomes.
Canada also offers free primary and secondary (high) education for children in public schools. However, depending on the province, this covers children up to 16 -18 years old.
Also, the Canadian public school system is highly rated. The quality of Canada’s free education is so sound that only about 5% of students forgo public schools for their private counterparts.
Lastly, Canada’s tertiary institutions are some of the best in the world. So, if you want top-notch post-secondary education for yourself or your kids, living in Canada will serve you better than living in India.
5. Cost of Living
Cost of living refers to the amount of money required to cover necessary expenses such as food, accommodation, clothing, transportation, education, etc.
That said, living in Canada is more expensive than living in India. Everything you’ll pay costs more in Canada than in India. For example:
- Consumer prices 184.57% higher in Canada than in India
- Rent prices are 473.6% higher in Canada than in India
- Restaurant prices are 286.27% higher in Canada than in India
- Groceries prices are 162.94% higher in Canada than in India
However, the local purchasing power is 34.55% higher in Canada than in India.
6. Weather
India is a very warm country. The country is warm all year round and posts an average annual temperature of 30 degrees.
However, Canada is a very cold country. In fact, it is one of the coldest countries in the world as only Antarctica and Russia are colder than Canada.
Moving from one of the warmest countries to one of the coldest (or vice versa) will be challenging for most people. Thus, an Indian living in India will cite the cold Canadian weather as a huge con to living in Canada.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! As an Indian, living in Canada comes with a better standard of living, easy access to quality healthcare and quality education, and peace of mind. However, you’ll contend with the higher cost of living and the cold weather.
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