I am a UK born East Asian female who lived in Joburg (alone) as an expat for a few years... and I really love it. Yes, there are safety concerns so you must take precautions, however, I found the locals to be extremely warm and friendly (the one thing I wasn't expecting when I arrived), the weather is spot on, it's very cheap, good quality new build apartments in places like Sandton, Rosebank, Parkhurt, Bryanston etc and AMAZING quality restaurants e.g you can get an excellent fillet steak and a glass of wine for $15 in a high end restaurant. The going out scene was a little quiet but you could definitely find bars clubs open until 2/3 am. Meeting people I found easy as all the locals want to talk to you. A nomad wanting a high quality and cheap lifestyle I think would enjoy it. With that being said, Cape Town would be the better choice for a Nomad in South Africa.
Pros and Cons of Living in Toronto, Canada
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Pros of Living in Toronto
Pretty safe Fast internet Good air quality on average Nomad List members liked going here Many Nomad List members here all year round Spacious and not crowded Very easy to do business High quality of education Great hospitals Roads are very safe Great freedom of speech Democratic Everyone speaks English Safe for women Family friendly Very friendly to LGBTQ+
Cons of Living in Toronto
Way too expensive Not much to do Cold now Gets cold in the winter Difficult to make friends Many people smoke tobacco -
Seems to be a really good place to live if you're fine with paying huge taxes for helping with inequality. However it's definitely one of the expensive destinations for working remotely. Just consider the 4g price which is one of the highest in the world.
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Literally the worst traffic in North America 6th worst in the world, grotesquely expensive, Horrible weather much of the year, Cold and distant people. Possibly the most Anti-American people In the world. Surging crime and homelessness since Orwellian government lockdown On a good note, decent waterfront in the summer and fall, if you dig around You can't find decent food though very expensive. Overall you're much better off in NYC or elsewhere. Trying to defect from here as asap.
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As for safety this city has been changing for the worse. There are multiple shootings daily culture is getting worse.
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Horrifically expensive locals have very low social skills and emotional availability (after a year and a half here ALL my close friends were recent expats, and I generally meet 10-20 new people a day), and a 7-month winter sub-zero winter (up to -40 celsius) that leaves everyone increasingly overweight and miserable. Transit system is constantly under maintenance (~4 days a week?), and there is 0 traffic shaping in the city so it's always congested.
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One of the friendliest people in the world. People are very polite and considerate.
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Not a bad city to check out. A bit on the expensive side but you can find some great communities here. Lots of international people good tech scene and tons of stuff to do. I would give it a lukewarm recommendation
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Much nicer than people would have you think. Too many locals seem to be under the impression that it's the busiest most expensive city in the world. These people clearly haven't travelled much. Not saying it's cheap, but for a big city in an English speaking country it's about what you'd expect, if not cheaper. Pros: - Hot humid summers, gorgeous orange autumns, cold snowy winters. If you like distinct seasons this is a great place to be. Winter is about 4-5 months, from Nov-Mar. Ignore everyone telling you it's 7+, total lie. - Lots of cool little neighbourhoods - Nice beaches that are actually in the city - Legal weed - Insanely multicultural - Great tenant rights (no security deposits and landlords can't stop you having pets) - Public transport is decent by North American standards - Good local salaries (though still way less than the US) - Cottage country - Loads of events going on - If you embrace winter you can have a lot of fun in the snow, ice skating, skiing etc. Cons: - People are pretty cold and hard to connect with - Big issue with people with serious mental health issues roaming the streets, like pretty much every city in NA - Everywhere outside of the downtown core is insanely boring - Nightlife is tame. If you like a few drinks in a bar it's good. If you like a proper night out you're better off visiting Montreal - Groceries are expensive as hell - Public transport is bad by European standards - Job market is extremely competitive due to mass immigration
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I'd avoid Toronto. Weather is miserable for 4-5 months a year. Nightlife is average. Taxes are high. Every conversation with someone from here devolves into how expensive it is (and honestly it's not particularily expensive... compared to other large english speaking cities). Transit isn't great. City doesn't feel particularily well planned. If you want to live in a cold city, then go to Montreal or Berlin.
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Really bad weather most time of the year - too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer lots of strong winds throughout the year. You can't effectively take advantage of the snow because you have to commute for hours for skiing. Work culture is American, so expect high workload and 2-3 weeks off in a year. People are polite but not really friendly. Dating is challenging but heavily depends on your preferences. Most young people are from India and Asia or second generation Asians. Some are from Latin America, and very few are from Europe. Cost of living is very high, while salaries are almost half of what you get in America. Local purchasing power is low. The city itself is filled with home challenged people and screaming crazies, but overall it is pretty clean and safe. They scream but don't attack basically. People are dressed either in expensive clothes or sweatpants, so mostly British dress code culture. Healthcare is difficult to access unless you're dying because of long wait times. The city is very spread out, so meeting people is difficult. Too many cars everywhere, narrow congested streets. Everybody is in a hurry somewhere. Commute is pretty bad anywhere. The subway system isn't great compared to other cities because parts of it shut down all the time and the reach isn't quite there. People don't really go for a walk here, so the streets are either packed with commuters to work or pretty empty.
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Vibrant city with lots of options : public transportation is great lots of ethnic communities and great vibes in different neighborhood. I was expecting food to be more expansive, but there are lots of cheap options. The only problem is housing. Apartments and hotels are CRAZY expansive.
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Toronto is a fantastic city with good subway transit and is a rail transit hub. Rents are about $1500 for a one bedroom and $2,500 for a 2 bedroom condo downtown. You can get cheaper as you move outside the core. There are a lot of parks and bike trails and in the summer the Toronto islands are a great venue. No more expensive than most cities, lots of nightlife, theatre, and a good music scene when Covid isn't an issue. Crime is generally not an issue unless you go looking for problems (as anywhere).
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