Moving to Washington from Canada
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Canada to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Canada to Washington, you would find that Washington is 32.7% more expensive than Canada overall. A CA$106,234 salary in Canada would need to be roughly $82,929 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Canada to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
CA$106,234 → $82,929
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 23.1% more
Groceries
pay 18.3% more
Transportation
pay 12.6% more
Housing
pay 30.9% more
Childcare
pay 2.2 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.6% 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.
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 Washington cost about 35% more than cities in Canada.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Washington
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Canada to Washington, and how the trend has changed.
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
How Canada and Washington stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Canada performs better than Washington across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Washington performs significantly better than Canada 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
Washington 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 Washington across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Ottawa | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/10°F (-3°/-12°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/45°F (18°/7°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 41°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Ottawa | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/4°F (-6.1°/-15.3°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 25°/8°F (-4.1°/-13.3°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 36°/19°F (2.2°/-7.1°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.6°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 66°/46°F (19.1°/7.7°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.7°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 80°/60°F (26.5°/15.4°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 77°/57°F (24.9°/14.1°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 67°/48°F (19.5°/9.1°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 54°/37°F (12.5°/3.0°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 41°/27°F (4.8°/-2.8°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.1°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Service of Canada,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
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 Washington than Canada?
Day-to-day costs in Washington run about 11% higher than Canada on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a CA$106,234 comparable salary, that's around $20,732 in Washington for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Washington?
Working remotely from Washington's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Canada and Washington.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to Canada?
Canada performs better than Washington across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to Canada?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 52°F in Ottawa. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Ottawa gets 37.1 in.
What language do they speak in Washington?
The official language in Washington is English. In Canada, the official languages are English and French.
