Moving to Virginia from Canada
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Canada to Virginia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Canada to Virginia, you would find that Virginia is 27.7% more expensive than Canada overall. A CA$100,000 salary in Canada would need to be roughly $91,400 in Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Richmond averages 70°F vs 55°F in Toronto, making it significantly warmer.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Virginia cheaper than Canada?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 22.6% more
Groceries
pay 23.2% more
Transportation
pay 3.5% more
Housing
pay 35.4% more
Childcare
pay 2.4 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 28.0% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Virginia?
What does your salary buy?
CA$100,000 → $91,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Virginia
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Virginia cost about 27% more than cities in Canada.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Virginia
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Canada to Virginia, based on official data.
people moved from Canada to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
13.793,897
Canada
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Canada to Virginia.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Canada performs better than Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Canada performs better than Virginia across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Virginia generally does better on employment & economy, though Canada leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Canada performs better than Virginia across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2024–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), The World Factbook (2008), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Virginia vs Canada
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Toronto | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 34°/23°F (1°/-5°C) | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/49°F (18°/10°C) | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/35°F (8°/2°C) | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Toronto | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°/19°F (-1.1°/-7.3°C) | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) |
| Feb | 32°/21°F (-0.2°/-6.3°C) | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Mar | 40°/28°F (4.6°/-2.0°C) | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) |
| Apr | 52°/39°F (11.3°/3.8°C) | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) |
| May | 65°/50°F (18.5°/9.9°C) | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) |
| Jun | 74°/59°F (23.5°/14.8°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 80°/64°F (26.4°/17.9°C) | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) |
| Aug | 78°/63°F (25.3°/17.3°C) | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) |
| Sep | 69°/56°F (20.7°/13.2°C) | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) |
| Oct | 57°/45°F (13.8°/7.3°C) | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 45°/36°F (7.4°/2.2°C) | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) |
| Dec | 35°/25°F (1.8°/-3.7°C) | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Service of Canada,
National Weather Service
Can you move from Canada to Virginia?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Canada and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Canada passport holder visiting United States
Visa Free
United States passport holder visiting Canada
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Virginia than Canada?
No — Virginia is on average about 28% more expensive than Canada. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Virginia?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $22,850 in Virginia on a CA$100,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Virginia?
Usually fine from major cities in Virginia. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in Virginia compared to Canada?
Canada performs better than Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Virginia compared to Canada?
The average high temperature in Richmond is 70°F, compared to 55°F in Toronto. Richmond receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Toronto gets 32.8 in.
What language do they speak in Virginia?
The official language in Virginia is English. In Canada, the official languages are English and French.
