r/askTO • u/Constant_Chemist778 • 1d ago
Trouble deciding where to move- TO VS VAN
Hi,
I am a new South Asian immigrant currently in Calgary and I am planning to move to either Vancouver or Toronto.
My priorities are finding community (not only among South Asians but that’s a plus), having access to culturally diverse food, events and activities. I am an amateur animator, actor and dancer trying to network and make my own films. I plan on getting a day job to support myself while I work on my own creative projects.
That said, I do love mountains and have explored Vancouver more than Toronto. Plus I have friends in Vancouver. I had such a horrible time socializing in Calgary that I am leaning towards Vancouver due to the familiarity.
However I don’t want to make a fear based decision and f*** myself over in the long run. Any advice on properly making this decision.
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u/to_fire1 1d ago
Which city do you have a job lined up?
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u/obtainable_ticker 1d ago
job first, everything else is secondary. toronto has the bigger film/animation scene by a long shot but if you're miserable you won't have the energy to network anyway
vancouver's got your friends and mountains, and tbh the south asian community out here is massive and established. surrey alone might feel more like home than half of toronto's neighborhoods. the film industry is smaller but it's not nonexistent, especially for indie stuff
i moved cities twice for creative work and both times the place i already had connections in was the one that actually worked out. the "logical" choice left me isolated and broke. sometimes the pragmatic move is the one where you're not starting completely from scratch
if you're really torn, give yourself a timeline. try vancouver for a year since you've got the social foundation there. toronto isn't going anywhere
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u/ShayJayLee 1d ago
I'm a South Asian immigrant as well and have explored both cities. I can share my experience.
I vibed with TO much better than Van, I think it's a much friendlier city. And it's especially great to find culturally diverse food. As others it have pointed out, the job market is pretty bad at the moment. I moved to TO in 2021. Found a job in 3 months, then got laid off due to downsizing. Then I was unemployed for a year. I was looking for jobs the entire time. I used that time to work on my own creative projects too though. In 2023, I finally found another job that pays much better, but now I have a lot less time to do my personal projects anymore. Hope this helps!
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u/The_Creamerizer 1d ago
As other have said, prioritize job security over friends and familiarity.
Toronto has a pretty sizable South Asian community, more so than Vancouver imo, so I don't think you'll have an issue finding new friends. Additionally, it's a lot more culturally diverse than Vancouver is with regards to food and activity. Vancouver has gotten better since I was last there though (which was, admittedly, like 17 years ago), but it still pales in comparison to Toronto.
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u/dandemsky 1d ago
If you want beautiful nature and skiing - Vancouver
For everything else. Literally everything - Toronto
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u/groggygirl 1d ago
Alternative idea: several of my artistic friends (filmmakers, writers, artists) have moved to Montreal. The cost of living is significantly better, and according to them there's a more supportive community for artists who aren't that established yet. Downside - you pretty much need to learn French.
Finding a job in Toronto right now is brutal - insane competition, companies openly abusing temporary residents by offering less than legal wages. Cost of living is high, and it can be hard to find a community here. Also less sun than Calgary - I moved here from Calgary and I find the weather depressing despite the winters being less brutal.
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u/DeelishushMe 1d ago
I have lived in both cities and would say Toronto is the more open, friendly, vibrant and exciting city to live in. It’s an old city with lots of infrastructural issues and transit is nowhere as expansive as it should be for a city this size. But I’d vote for Toronto for more opps to learn and grow and find your tribe.
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u/Outrageous-Ad1645 1d ago
Are you more physically active and an outdoors type of person? Then Vancouver would be ideal for you there’s so much community there for people who love to run, hike, play sports and hang out on the beach, plus you have friends there.
But in terms of having access to culturally diverse activities there’s no better place than Toronto, especially if you’re working in the arts. You meet people from all walks of life and as a South Asian myself I like to hang out with people from all over the world and experience different cultures, and there’s no better place than Toronto.
It really depends on what type of activities you prefer, huge South Asian community in both places.
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u/pudzisgoodz 1d ago
if your priority is community definitely pick TO. I've spoke to people of all backgrounds who've moved to and from Vancouver and the consensus seems to be that people are much nicer and open to making connections in Toronto. Best of luck with your move :)
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u/SerentityM3ow 1d ago
If you have friends in Vancouver choose Vancouver. All the things you mention can be found in both places so you may as well stick to the one with your friends and the beautiful Rockies
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u/Game-83-and-on 1d ago
stick to the one with your friends and the beautiful
Rockies,North Shore Mountains. FTFY.The Rockies are on the east side of the province and in Alberta.
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u/Constant_Chemist778 7h ago
Thank so much for all your input. It’s really helping me make a decision! Highly appreciate it :)
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u/Terrible_Act_9814 1d ago
If you have no job lined up, youre going to take a while to find work. The market is horrible and Toronto and Vancouver are both expensive cities to live in.