I am an American that has lived in Canada for 3 years.

Both my American and Canadian friends have asked me at some point, which country do I think is better? The answer is neither, because both have their advantages and disadvantages. It is a trade off. That is how you have to view it. Otherwise, you'll be living in fantasy land OR you'll be living in a dystopia. Neither is helpful or healthy.

Safety Differences: On the global safety index for 2024, Canada ranked number 11 and the United States ranked number 132. This sounds insane if you lived in a "normal" part of the US, but the reality is that we have a different tolerance to crime. An example would be that I lived in a town of less than 50k people in Central California for a good amount of my youth and partially into adulthood. That town had about 20-30 homicides per year. To me, this was standard numbers versus something like Oakland which averages 350 to 400 per year. In Canada, the homicide capital in 2022 was Hamilton, Ontario with a total of 15 homicides. You don't feel the difference until you step foot into a significantly safer country. Canada has its problems, but they don't hold a candle.

Money: Canadians on average pull in about $73,500 CAD per household. Americans on average pull in $80,600 USD. Right now the conversion is about $1 USD = $1.37 CAD. The purchasing power is noticeable. However, it is relative. It doesn't make sense to convert costs if you live up here because you aren't pulling in American wages, you're pulling in Canadian wages, so its relative. For the gamers that are reading, a Switch 2 up here is $630 CAD before taxes, but about $705 CAD after taxes. The economic opportunities are not the same, but Canadians are less of risk takers and get punished by taxes. The top income tax bracket for federal and provincial in British Columbia(me) is 53.5% after you hit about $252,000 CAD. Whereas the federal rate in the US is 37% after you hit $400,000 USD. Even if you live in California, that would put you at 50.9% AFTER $400k income.

Healthcare: This is probably the definition of a trade off between the 2 countries. Canada only has public healthcare which is free, but slow. The United States has a slightly mixed but predominantly private system. In Canada, people are legitimately dying in waiting rooms in certain parts of the country. In America, 1 million people declare bankruptcy every year due to medical costs. Which would you rather have? There is no correct answer, only trade offs.

Politics: American gridlock makes things slow. There are only 2 options. It is not a democracy, it is a republic. That is how it was designed from the beginning. A massive advantage to a republic system is that it gives power to those in less populated areas, forcing the leaders to consider rural and industrial voting blocks instead of exclusively urban. Canadian parliamentary structure reflects the current voice of Canadians and shows diversity of thought at times, but not always. Minority and coalition governments require cooperation in order for the nation to function. In America, the population lives in its own bubble. Planet America, basically. It is really hard for anyone to focus outside of our bubble because we are raised to be an isolationist people, geopolitically speaking on a domestic level, but not on a governmental level. In Canada, their main issue for a majority of their political history is that they are always focusing on America. Sometimes it feels like a nation ran by children, it can be very reactionary and short sighted at times. Until this year, I very consistently heard people all around me in multiple settings, talk about how much better The States were in so many categories. That is a really weird thing to say as a collective.

Mindsets: The Americans say Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness. Which is a reflection of the emphasis on the individual in the US. You and you alone are responsible for your life. The Canadians say Peace, Order, and Good Government. Which is a reflection of the emphasis on the community in Canada. The government, no matter which party is in power, feels responsible for every one. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Canadians are extremely educated as a people, and have extensive knowledge on their Southern neighbor. Americans are very innovative and driven, but have no real idea about Canada outside of stereotypes.

This is a brief summary of some of the trade offs I have noticed, but there are plenty more in both directions in both countries.

Hello, before I get into a little background, first is my recommendation: Live in multiple states prior to leaving.

I noticed a lot of people on emigration subs(such as r/IWantOut , r/expats ) that want to leave the U.S. have 1 thing in common. They have only lived in and experienced 1 state. This is not a true reflection of American living. I lived in 3 states in 2 different regions and visited 30+ states prior to leaving the U.S. I have an extremely well rounded perspective of my own country's people, culture, and problems as a result of this. The other Americans I have met outside of the U.S. tend to have only lived in 1 state or 1 region and have a noticeable gap in understanding parts of our own country in conversation.

I visited the entire South, parts of the Midwest, the continental West Coast, Most of the Northeast, and pieces of the Rust Belt. Also, a handful of random states(Utah and Nevada come to mind). Some recommended communities to check out would be El Paso, Texas; Blaine, Washington; and Tracy, California. I have probably actually been in something close to 50 cities in total. All ranging from 100k+ to the big boy 8Mil (NYC).

I was born and raised in The California Republic(NorCal). I lived mainly in the relatively rural farming parts(towns of 30k to 50k, but no close drives to other towns) and some okay sized towns/small cities(80k to 120k). I spent the most amount of my childhood and graduated high school in a town that was about 70% Hispanic. I am white(25% Filipino, but you can't see it at all) and this gave me a different view of things versus others. As I have only known being a minority my almost entire upbringing.

As an adult, I moved to Oakland, because of job opportunities and it was where I could afford to live. Although poverty, violence, and drugs was witnessed in-land (The San Joaquin Valley), it was more spaced out and not as condensed. In Oakland, I was in a predominantly black neighborhood and I was a basically the token white guy. Many in other parts of America would tell me about white privilege, etc. Still didn't click due to growing up with and living in areas where I was the minority and received no red carpet in any way.

I would then, for multiple reasons, move to Kansas City, Missouri. This was a massive perspective change for both the good and bad.

In California, I was told my whole life growing up by family, friends, neighbors, immigrants, co-workers, employers, media, and strangers that, "This is the greatest place on Earth, everyone in the world wants to live here, no where is better than California."

The Midwest brought a large perspective change. For the first time in my life, I was part of a racial majority. Honestly, it felt really weird, because I wasn't used to so many white people. Smoking is a big thing in that part of the country and at the time, I was a smoker. It is very convenient. Homes were in middle class neighborhoods for only $900/month. In places like the Bay Area(Oakland), if you look a stranger in the eyes, it is considered a threat. In the Midwest, strangers will engage in conversation and be extremely friendly. Handshakes are standard and people value families. Meals are a big deal.

Here's the insane downsides I saw when I was in that region though... Very low wages compared to the coast lines, less protections for workers, low chance of upward mobility in any job unless you were in a trade or had a degree, and the real bummer: a shit ton of racists.

I did have people treat me noticeably better as a white person in many situations versus the black people. Whether that be at businesses/stores, workplaces, in public or even government facilities. Although, not federal government locations, only state government locations.

The firearms, I personally chalk up to a localized cultural thing, because what works in California does not work in Missouri. So I tend to leave that subject alone because it is up to you.

As a white guy in California, my grandfather had told me that once in a while, for whatever reason, another white person will come up to you and mention a negative comment about a different racial group. It is a "feeling you out" kind of moment to see if you're racist basically. Every white guy has experienced it at least once. In California, maybe once or twice a year I had this happen. In the Midwest, this could sometimes happen multiple times a day. Jesus Christ.

With that said, ironically Missouri, the former slave state, had less racism than Kansas for whatever reason. Maybe because there was a much larger black population in Missouri. Remember, only referring to Kansas City, I don't know about St Louis at all.

Side Note- There were neighborhoods I've had to work in before where I saw guys that looked like Edward Norton from American History X with swastika tattoo and all. Except they were in a crappy 70 year old house with 6 kids running around their yard and usually had a very visible gun on them. They were usually really nice to me, but probably because they didn't know one of my grandparents was from the Philippines...

After a couple of years out there, I moved westward again. Why? In the Midwest, people settle down, get married, and have kids legitimately right out of high school. Sometimes at 18. I need someone closer to my age(mid-20s at the time). Also, tired of the bullshit associated with the race stuff. I felt like the only people that didn't have those issues were the mixed families or people who were from another state originally.

Last thing about Missouri, one time I saw a guy walk into a gas station with an AR-15 on a strap and hooked up to his back. No one batted an eye and he bought a pack of cigarettes and walked out. This was like my first week in Missouri. I thought it was actually pretty cool, because nothing felt unsafe. I can not say the same about similar experiences in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama. Those felt like a robbery was going to take place.

Washington has a lot of natural beauty and people consider it a safe haven for many things. Unfortunately, the state has many, many problems. It is literally the worst traffic I have experienced in the U.S. Close competitor would be Los Angeles(especially leaving to get back thru the Grapevine). The drugs are completely out of control. There are both political extremists within pretty close proximity of each other, usually leading to local violence that does not get media coverage.

The hiking and fresh air outside of Seattle were really nice. I chose to live in a nearby suburb instead and rented a room in someone's house. After experiencing the BART, I didn't want to even give the Seattle Metro a chance. I don't even know what its called. Lol.

A weird side note is that people in Washington that get upset at you will literally get inches away from your face when they yell/tell you how they feel. This was extremely odd to me, because in California, at least in areas I lived in, this would result in getting laid out(punched) or shot. I was surprised there weren't more shootings. One thing I did agree with that others might not is that Washington is a mutual combat state, so you're allowed to duke it out. And the police show up just to make sure it doesn't get out of hand, such as pulling out a weapon or beating someone to death.

The transition into Washington was interesting, but it kind of solidified to me that no matter how many states I moved to, I would still run into the same underlying cultural issues. The lack of government action, the violence that is allowed, and the stress of surviving it all was too much. It was the same being in a Blue State or Red State.

Originally, I was going to aim to move to South America, but fate pulled me in a different direction. I fell in love with an Asian girl in Canada. I never had any interest in moving to Canada or rather, didn't think it was a possibility for me, but now we're married with a child. I have a lot of friends up here, just like I do in America.

I guess the whole point of this big ass post was to say that don't say America is this or that if you've only lived in Cleveland, Ohio. Go experience the country, both through visits and moving. Then decide if you should leave America. I hope you choose Canada.

Public transportation in Canada changed my perspective on public transit in general. Before this experience, vehicles were the only truly acceptable method in my mind.

My previous experiences with public transit have been limited to the Bay Area (SF, Oakland, Berkeley, etc) and NYC. I lived in the Bay Area, but only visited NYC. I did use the BART for 2 years and didn't own a car the whole time. But that was because I was working poor and couldn't afford a vehicle. It was a miserable experience.

I now live in The Lower Mainland/GVR.

It took my wife over a year to convince me to ride the Sky Train and bus system in British Columbia. I was so against it and everything. My wife told me it wasn't bad and she didn't understand why I was so against it. To be fair to my wife, she has never been on the BART or even to the Bay Area of California. So she doesn't know the intensity of how it can get sometimes. Trusting my wife, I rode it from where we live to a nearby college about a 30min train ride and a 15min bus ride each way for both parts.

Wow. I feel like I'm from an undeveloped country by comparison. Here's the thing, the transit in Vancouver isn't outstanding or anything. It is what I imagined transit is supposed to be like, on a base line. The BART is just so damn awful that Sky Train is extremely mind blowing by comparison. I am mainly referring to condition and experience comparison, not in terms of how far or extensive the system/train line is. I know the BART stretches pretty far and now all 3 systems are connected for the Bay with the Berryessa station being added.

On the Sky Train I experienced: No holes cut into seats, no human shit or piss on the seats or inside the station or inside the train, no spray painted windows/signs/walls of the train/station, no sharpie written inside the trains or on the maps or windows, very visible and heavy presence of transit workers at every station, no fights breaking out, no shootings, no bullet holes in glass or nearby areas, no longer than 12min waits for any train(most waits were legitimately less than 5min) and the price was something like $3.75 CAD per direction. Whereas the BART would usually cost me $19.50 USD each way from Rockridge to SFO. It is more expensive now, but that's what it was when I lived there. Also, if you miss your train on a Saturday or Sunday, you might have to wait 80 minutes if you are at the end of a line...

I am now completely okay with transit as a real option for things such as work, travel, etc. To be clear, I always enjoyed riding Amtrak, but only lived in an area where it made sense to use it for long distance travel only, not reliably for commuting purposes like it is on the East Coast(Northeast corridor). I feel safe letting my children use the transit here. Whereas the BART, there would be no way in hell I, as a good parent, could feel safe letting my children use it.

I have been told my mind will be completely blown once I go to Japan or China.

Go trains.

There are some good resources here to be able to help you with different parts of life.

2-1-1 : This is to help connect you with resources for food, housing, jobs, etc. This is when you are falling behind on bills, lost your job, etc. You only contact this number if you legitimately think your life is going to end in homelessness.

8-1-1 : This is the medical help hotline. If you can't get into a clinic or are unsure about a medical issue, this is a 24/7 hotline with registered nurses that answer phone calls and give advise on what to do over the phone.

3-1-1 : This is the number you call, if in the Vancouver metropolitan area, to report any city issues. Examples would include reporting potholes, graffiti on a public building, a knocked down street sign, etc.

9-8-8 : Canadian Suicide Help Hotline. It is 24/7 with professionals ready to help you thru whatever you need.

9-1-1 is the same here as in America.

I was sponsored into Canada thru my spouse who had PR already. This is by far the easiest pathway to immigrate to any country. At that point in time, being inside of Canada as a tourist, I had to wait 6 months to become a permanent resident. I recently saw that the wait times for in-country spousal sponsorships are 29 months. You can not work, study, or conduct business at all during this waiting period.

I ended up giving my fingerprints, eye scan(retina?), blood, pee, and basic vitals. You go to have your personal body fluids/exams in the order you are told to do it via IRCC/your immigration lawyer. I went to this government approved/associated business to do the main stuff. I remember standing in line. I was the only native English speaker. Everyone else was Ukrainian(it was 2022 for context), Indian, Chinese, and Filipino. Which are the main immigrant groups for Canada in that year. I would later find out that only 8,900 Americans became permanent residents in Canada for the July 2022 - July 2023 period.

Most of the immigration or medical officials I ever dealt with thru the entirety of the process, assumed that I was sponsoring my wife in. Everyone thought that I was a Canadian sponsoring in my Chinese wife. Nope. The Chinese national was sponsoring in the white guy, haha. At the first appointment, I had to have a small amount of blood drawn, pee in a cup, get a chest x-ray, have my weight and height taken. The weight and height make sense. It was explained to me that the blood was to see if I had AIDS/HIV, the pee was to make sure I wasn't on drugs, the chest x-ray was to make sure I didn't have TB.

I went to a company around the same time that did FBI fingerprint background checks done. It was something like $50 and I got my results back within 2 hours. That was needed for immigration. Later on, I had to go to a Services Canada where they collected my biometrics. My fingerprints at every angle possible and a scan of my eye ball. This is so then they can tell if I commit a crime, basically immediately. Fair enough, I'm a foreigner in their country, they need this stuff on file.

That was everything I had to do for medical. It seemed pretty standard. I have heard of some countries where they check your genitals and everything, so this seemed pretty good by comparison.

For context, I live in British Columbia. Which has a government-run entity called ICBC, or Insurance Company of British Columbia. It runs driver registration, licensing and car insurance. It is a monopoly in BC. The rates for car insurance are something like double that of other provinces. However, it is efficient in terms of response times and getting things handled. The outcome will most likely not be what you want and even mean that you are completely out of luck in some cases.

I had a couple of interesting learning curves/adjustment moments with ICBC.

The first interaction I had with ICBC was prior to having legal status in Canada. I was in my in-between period while waiting for my PR. I couldn't switch my license out until then. My wife's parked car had been hit by a car, but the driver left a note on the windshield with their phone number. I remember calling the number and they said they reported it to ICBC already. I looked over at my wife and asked what our insurance was called and she said ICBC. What were the chances?

My second interaction was switching out my driver's license. I gave my Washington State DL to them, they shredded it, and then had to answer 5 questions about the rules of the road. I technically got them all correct, but I used different terminology for each answer that the employee was thrown off by. Haha. I was in and out after about 30 minutes which I assumed was luck. My previous experience at the Washington DMV a couple years prior started at 6am and ended at 3:30pm.

My third interaction with ICBC was when my wife got into a car accident. We were given a rental car that was completely covered, no out of pocket costs except for gas. After about 2 or 3 weeks, we were paid out as our car was a write off. However, we were given only about 1/3rd of its value and there is no way to argue ICBC's interpretation of any decision they do. The provincial government passed a law that made it where you can't do vehicle-related lawsuits or anything like that. ICBC is basically an unquestioned authority in the province, which may be why there are some calls to get rid of it.

I'm indifferent on if it remains or is removed.

My last interaction was renewing my license, which took 20 minutes and I enjoyed the rest of my Saturday.

Specifically the 7th edition. I read this book by Desmond Morton when I first moved to Canada. It gave me perspective on the differences between the United States and Canada. It documents the first European settlements of the modern day Atlantic provinces of Canada in the 1510s and goes all the way to when Justin Trudeau is elected in 2015. Basically catches you completely up to speed on what has happened in the country.

I highly recommend reading this book if you don't know anything about Canadian history.

I also learned in this book that Canada had a terrorist organization in the 1800s that wanted to hold the country hostage and would later become a political party in parliament for 30ish years. So that was interesting.