Independent guides for newcomers
Your life in Canada starts with a plan.
Compare four cities, build a budget for your household and prepare your first month in Canada with a practical checklist.
From choosing a city to your first month
Three practical steps. Start wherever you are in your move.
01 — Choose your city
Compare two cities: official 2025 Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for one, two or four people, plus the journeys that matter to you.
02 — Build your budget
Collect your quotes, calculate six monthly costs and save a shareable plan.
03 — Prepare your arrival
Follow the first-month checklist, check off steps and print your plan.
City guides
Four cities to start with
Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and Calgary: explore daily life, local resources and sourced budget references.
Each city guide links to official resources. The calculator starts from the official 2025 MBM threshold of that city, for one, two or four people.
What your monthly budget covers
Build a personal budget across six monthly categories. The calculator offers the official 2025 MBM threshold of your city for one, two or four people; enter your own amounts for the six categories.
References checked October 13, 2026. The 2025 MBM threshold is a basic-needs figure, not current rent or a 2026 quote. Enter your actual six expenses for one person or a couple; only the family profile has a historical category preset.
Six monthly categories
- Rent
- Groceries
- Utilities
- Transport
- Phone and internet
- Other essentials
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Why you can check our work
Primary sources
Facts about rules, fees and requirements link to the official federal or provincial source, with the date it was checked.
Editorial independence
HiCanadian is an independent project. It is not affiliated with the Government of Canada, and no government body reviews or approves this content.
Corrections
When a published fact changes or proves wrong, the page is corrected and the change is noted, not quietly deleted.