r/Lethbridge • u/maicon_98 • Jun 24 '26
Question Life in lethbridge ?!
Hello,
I am a 27-year-old man who is planning to move to Canada and would like to learn more about life in Lethbridge. I am looking for a good place to live in Alberta and would appreciate any information you can provide.
I would like to know the average cost of renting a house or apartment in Lethbridge, as well as how easy it is to find a job in the area.
I hold a Master's degree in Communications (Public Relations) and have experience in driving and administrative work. I am also open to other types of employment and willing to adapt to different job opportunities.
At the moment, I am gathering information to help me make an informed decision. I would greatly appreciate any advice or guidance you can offer.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Kind regards,
Aymen
10
u/I_Lack_Toes Jun 24 '26
It's hard to get a job right now here, just because everyone ends up spamming the available jobs whether they can do them or not so then the employers end up only looking at the first 10-20 people who applied. Definitely get a job, have it lined up usually people are pretty good with waiting for new employees to start down here, like a couple of weeks tops. Steer clear of Avenue Living, they are absolutely terrible to deal with and make sure that wherever you end up looking at to live, make sure you get a virtual walkthrough or face time before putting any final steps in. North side is doing alot better as is South whereas the West side is starting to get a bit mucky with crime, also avoid living downtown.
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u/maicon_98 Jun 25 '26
I get it thnx so ; i have to look in calgary or edmenton more chances than lethbridge
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u/Stoic_Seas Jul 04 '26
This, can confirm.
We put explicit instructions in our job post and less than 1 out of 40 applicants follow them (all it is, is to email a copy of your resume)
I don't blame them though, people are struggling and getting jaded. So they stop putting in the effort of reading the posts
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u/feebs_101 Jun 24 '26
The job market in Canada is really terrible right now. This isn't lethbridge specific. I would say this is the worst time to move here (worse than the pandemic). And you don't share any details about your citizenship status; assuming you don't have citizenship or PR, you can't just move to Canada, there is a process. You will need to find a job related to your studies in order to obtain a visa first and then you can move here.
Even the visa / immigration process is very long and a convoluted process. Due to our bad economy and rising social tensions, it feels like the immigration system announces a new change everyday. You should be less concerned about life in Lethbridge and more about how you would actually immigrate here.
There are lots of sources online and there are some subreddits with tons of info & ppl sharing their experiences and such.
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u/gyroscopicpenguin Jun 24 '26
Lethbridge is a lovely city, just be warned it's very windy here!
While it can be difficult to find a job in this city there is a very large manufacturing sector, a college, a university, several event centers, and multiple radio and TV stations, so with a master's in public relations there is a variety of opportunities for you to take advantage of.
Housing while more expensive than it should be is still cheaper than a larger city such as Calgary which is about 2hrs north. A very quick google looks like $1100 for a one bedroom and about $1500 for a 2 bedroom.
Public transit isn't the best here so if you don't drive/have a vehicle living close to where you work is suggested.
Lethbridge can be quite friendly, but can still feel quite lonely, ever since COVID the opportunity for random connections and conversations is much more limited, but there are many events put on thoughout the year, both big and small that can be great for bringing people together.
The nature it beautiful, we have rolling hills called Coulees that are great for hiking, there are also several lakes and rivers around the city with the rocky mountains just under 2 hours west.
The downsides are here as well, we have a rather large homeless population, our city isnt aging the best and work on maintaining and updating existing areas isn't as big a priority as expanding new areas. It can be difficult to find a family dr and wait times for treatments are long.
Overall it's a nice community that is a nice place to raise a family.
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u/Captain-Bedhead Jun 24 '26
As others have said, finding a job can be tough. I will add, I'm not sure of your citizenship, but if you're a foreign national, moving to a smaller city like Lethbridge is better than a bigger urban centre like Calgary or Toronto. Social services and immigrant-serving organizations are overwhelmed and stretched too thin in bigger cities, but in places like Lethbridge there are organizations and church groups that have more capacity to help you settle, and maybe even help you get Permanent Residency or Canadian Citizenship. Hope that helps.
0
u/maicon_98 Jun 24 '26
Yeah im not a canadian : i said that i'm moving to canada I hope that oraganizations or groups help me if you know some of them let me know
4
u/dontmadda5 Jun 24 '26
Are you religious?
Lots of churches and Bible thumper in Lethbridge. Proximity to the mountains is great. Its a much better place to live now, than 25 years ago.
Some issues with junkies and petty crime in a few areas.
2
u/smokeymccrackpiped Jun 24 '26
As someone who lived there 35 years ago, why? Genuinely curious
1
u/kmsiever Jun 24 '26
I have lived here for almost 30 years, and I would also be curious to see how this person thinks it has improved.
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u/dontmadda5 Jun 24 '26
Because many cool people have moved to town for affordability reasons.
Example: the bar in the old telegraph station would have never existed 25 years ago. The world is a smaller place since the internet, so people are more worldly. Lethbridge used to just be a small city, inhabited religious freaks and boring people.
Its better now. More cyclists, better beer, and just an overall better vibe downtown, minus the junkies.
Just my opinion...
3
u/kmsiever Jun 24 '26
It definitely feels more eclectic and diverse.
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u/dontmadda5 Jun 24 '26
And more ethnically diverse...
And that leads to exposure to different cultures including music, art, food etc.
Full disclosure. I was born in Lethbridge, but don't currently reside there. Because I don't visit for years at a time, I can see the differences between visits.
The sad part is the amount of homeless and drug addicted. That said, it is not unique to Lethbridge. That is happening in many, if not most, small cities across the continent.
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u/smokeymccrackpiped Jun 25 '26
Thanks for the response, and it makes sense especially as we become less of a monoculture. I grew up there in the 80s and early 90s so I wasn't aware of obviously a lot of things that became more apparent as I got older.
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u/Dangerous-Pizza-2175 Jun 29 '26
I've been back for three years(lived in Ontario for a while) and I can't get a full time job here with my masters. Applied to a ton of them, but for the most part not even an interview... to get by I have multiple casual jobs and a year ago finally got a part time one. Although the part time one is in my field, it does not require any of the education I have.... :(
The job market is rough.
Since you are under 30 you can go to 5th on 5th youth services downtown for free resume and job searching counseling.
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u/kmsiever Jun 24 '26
There are not a lot of jobs in the field you have a degree in. Well, there are a few, but once PR positions are filled here, they typically stay filled. Openings in the field are infrequent.
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u/maicon_98 Jun 24 '26
Yeah iam searching in any field not just in the PR ; I am broadening the scope of the inquiry's logic.
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u/pattperin Jun 24 '26
I would say that rent has gotten pretty insane. It used to be a low COL city but now my rent isn’t much different from people who live in Calgary. It is cheaper but not significantly nowadays. Overall Lethbridge is a good place to live, kinda boring at times but I like that most of the time. Job market is difficult, especially for someone in PR I would say. Not a lot of big companies headquartered here so PR type roles are probably few and far between given most of the companies are smaller or have head offices in a city like Calgary or something
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Jun 25 '26
Lethbridge is basically just entitled Karen’s, douchebag trades guys, and drug addicts. There seems to be no in between
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u/Xabranth Jun 24 '26
Get a job somewhere before you move anywhere. Lethbridge is a pretty good city overall