The Cost of Living in 2024 🇩🇪 Germany VS. Canada 🇨🇦 

A lot of people use public transportation here in Germany, but most adults with a real job take the car. Even in big cities

@@RoyalDudeness I don't think you know many people with a "real job" if you believe what you are writing...

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That’s very true! It was interesting that my mom had NO idea the cost of a transportation ticket, because I don’t think she’s ever needed one in her life in Canada - we almost all drive! VS. In Germany, in most cases, it’s so much easier to take public transport to avoid traffic and get there quicker

@@mogon721 I have a "real" job and mostly use the car, but I started to use my bike more often. I have several colleagues (including my boss) who only go by bike or public transport because it is easier for them. Some don't have a car or the wife uses it for the children and her job.

That's very true! I guess for my mom, she never really goes out to restaurants, so we forgot to mention the tipping culture in this video. And property taxes, YUP! And yet, more Canadians still choose to buy homes than Germans. I personally find Germany an amazing country to buy property in. 🤩 PS: I just got your e-mail about the fake telegram message! It definitely wasn't me, but I can't seem to find it in any comments on my channel. Seems RU-vid may have caught them before I did. Thanks so much for the heads up though! Best, Jenna (the real one haha)

P.S. Greetings to your mom!

They really have! It’s wild! I hope you are all doing well! 🥰💛 sending all our love from Düsseldorf!

it’s probably even cheaper to eat out at the end of the day! Crazy thought, huh?!

Theoretically, you can travel from north to south in Germany with the regional train for 49 Euros. But that will take you 24 hours and afterwards you'll be ready for the loony bin. Don't even think about it... 😂

@@janpracht6662 🤣

🤩🥰 sounds like an amazing adventure!!! Enjoy the next few months!! France in the summer is magical! 🩷🩷 My mom ended up filming a few more videos with me before she flew out the other day, so I’ll definitely be sharing more 🥰🤩

@@janpracht6662 ICE muenchen hamburg 6.5 hours from 49 euro. by car 8-9 hours and almost 800km. i think the train is more than competitive for one person. a car full of people would, of course be cheaper. Hamburg Muenchen special from 17.90 euro....... It all depends on where you go. population center to population center, train is good. if you have to switch trains 3 times, not so much.

Canadian doller though is a week currency i have a canadian friend xD whos visiting this year. Pluss she didnt even resercgednthe cheepest cost per squeremeter so living cN be a hdl lot cheeper tvsn whst she just said spesking of squeremeter down to 6 euro in a smaler or former east germsn city on tve outskirts if the neightborhood is a little bit shabby 😅 But then still inlive in a part of town here in leipzig relitivly on the edge thst was once verry posh partialy is still posh and i pay around 7 per squeremeter😅 its a verry save neightborhood and i hVe a lot of crocery stores walkable or bikeable distance 25 minutes into city center with the tram While from what i hesrd in canada u cN be verry isolatet and still psc a hell lot more .......kinda sounds like bavaria

Hey there! 🙂 You’re totally right - some places are good about providing tap water, but in my situation, most bill you for the bottle and decline the tap water (unless I say I need it for medication or my kids). I also love that eggs here can be packaged in 6, also cheaper than the 12 pack in Canada though (per egg) All my price comparisons were from Aldi, so there’s a good chance prices are higher with brand names at Edeka or something similar. And I hope I can re-convince my mom one day!

@germany_ All the Markets in Germany have also a cheaper Brand Products chain like "JA", "Gut und Günstig" and several others. The quality is actually the same, the main difference is that they are "daughter" companies of the bigger Brands that are selling products cheaper under a different name. :) I wish you the best of luck on convincing your mom and be able to spend as much time with her as you can. Unfortunately my mom passed at the 29th November 2023 so I don't have the "luxury" to have her around me anymore. :( Have a great weekend! :)

@@fm95master I’m so sorry that you have lost your mom 😢🫶💛 I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through over the last few months. The one thing that always keeps me looking up is to always make sure I have something to look forward to, someone to love, and something to do (a hobby that brings me joy - makes me feel productive).

I think a lot of the averages also consider towns though, which wouldn’t come even close to 2,700 per month for example! Although sometimes the prices in Toronto shock me for what people are getting! It’s insane! 😣 I mean… it’s crazy in Germany too, but the quality of the apartment you’re getting vs. the price you’re paying is much different than in Canada!

Our version here nowadays would be Action where many things are less than 1€ 🤩 I’ve found over the past decade that dollar stores in Canada have become more like 5-10$ stores 😔

@@lifeingermany_ Depends, but even with things costing more than a $1 is still a very good deal ... Plus we get paid more with more opportunities. Currently working in France, making 1/3 of what in would in Québec. But took it for the European experience and Travel.. All pros and cons and compromises hihihihi. The best place is , whatever place is best for that person.

Thanks 🥰 Me?! Or my mom? Haha I love my electricity provider - they’re super cheap and allow me to manage my electricity consumption each and every day via app! 🤩

@@lifeingermany_ I pay 30 cents per kwh, that's why I said.

Yes! Tipping in Canada is absurd! 😣🙈 I tip like a German now when I’m there and they look at me so strangely - whoops!

Yeah, I think Ontario is one of the biggest on this - Alberta does something similar too I believe, but totally dependent on your province/territory

Thanks 🥰 And it depends where in germany you are! But in NRW we reach about -10 coldest and in summer 25-30

Right?! 🫶 Sometimes I look at house prices and think… would I be work buying and fixing it up? They’re so affordable!

Loved your thorough response 🤩 and you’re right! The more creative & savvy you become, the more you can save! I just invested in smart heaters so I can turn off all rooms we aren’t in with my app (lazy, I know! But it’s the only thing that works when I’m a full-time working mama of 2 😂) Also, my electricity provider app helps a ton by actually showing me when I’ve used more and lets me come up with creative strategies to try and lower it the next month! 🤩 I also wanted to install a smart meter but my WiFi connection in the cellar isn’t strong enough 😔 this would have been a really neat way to see what times are cheapest! I soak up tips like a sponge and LOVE testing them out in my home so thanks so much for your tips!!

​@@lifeingermany_ In my 60sqm appartment, luckily, my router is strong enough. ;-) But actually, I use a simple old digital meter plug and an excel list. The latter has helped a lot to see what is effective. I also have smart plugs that also measure the consumption at some spots, but for the heater, I still use the oldfashioned meter. The manual action of resetting it every day makes it a good habit to consciously think about my energy consumption. ;-) For the WIFI, I would recommend a WIFI extender. They are not expensive and usually work without problems. Installed a cheap one for 15 euros (20 when not on offer) from Action at my girlfriend's. They also have smart plugs with metering capacity for just 7 euros, by the way. I'm a privacy fixated German, so I only give those plugs access to a guest network in the router and the Tuya app runs more or less isolated on my de-googled Fairphone. ;-) Apple or Google have no place in my home. ;-) I'm a bit p...ed about myself that I didn't try out the heating thing much earlier. Moved in here in 2010 and have full control over the central heater in the apartment ("Etagenheizung"). Unless my girlfriend is here or I have guests, I always only heat one room and otherwise turned off the gas heater completely when not used. So I thought, I already was conserving energy as much as possible. Everybody tells you how inefficient conventional electric heating is, and in most use cases, it probably is. I would never have thought that it could save as much as it does for me. The small quartz heater under my desk is just a cheap thing for 20 euros, but it's almost always enough to keep the temperature in the room at the same comfortable level as before. If not, I temporarily start the second one. Should have tried that long ago and could have saved many tons of carbon. The price is not the issue here, as it didn't cost the world in the past either. Even the switch to 99% homeoffice in 2020 didn't change much. Sure, who doesn't like to save a few hundred bugs per year. But for me, aside from the smaller carbon footprint, it's become a sport now to minimize the money that's flowing to the likes of Putler, the Saudis, or Trump's Texan friends. To each their hobbies. ;-) Take care! P.S.: If you still have your camping trailer, you probably have the same problem of conserving water as most campers have. My tip, try out a 2 l "Pflanzenpumpsprayer", a pump sprayer. With a little practice, 2 l of warm water are enough for showering, optimally with solid shower bars (less chemicals, better for skin and environment). Now my waste water tank of 40 l im my little camper lasts at least a week before I have to go to a waste water station. Probably not as big a problem if you are on a camping ground, but somebody usually has to refill the water. ;-)

the cleanest water in Germany is tap water, not bottled water. However, when you go to restaurants they don't serve tap water that's the problem.

Cheddar in Canada is the cheapest option- it’s like our Gouda here in Germany comparatively

Yes! Tipping culture has gone up to 15/20% in Canada .. it’s insane! But the public toilets will forever be free in Canada I’m sure! We also have so many chain restaurants that would never question you going in to pee and leaving! It’s just normal there and not considered rude at all

I have watched a few comparisons and if you come here with a family you might save more money after all your bills are paid than in North America. If you have a good job and no family it is probably financially better to stay in North America.

You’re definitely right! There’s always pros and cons! Although, in many jobs, especially in my families case, jobs are higher paid in Germany (teaching, dentistry, even my freelance work is higher paid in Germany) so it definitely all depends 🙂

@j.a.1721 I saw the same thing and I agree, between kindergeld, cheap or free childcare, and many social politics, having a family in Germany is easier. Even though in my case my salary was MUCH higher in the US, snd that made up for cost of living and more, especially because I don't have student loans. (But I still love European life more, money is not everything...)

@lifeingermany_ that's interesting! As a veterinarian US and Canadian salaries are even 3 times than in Europe... 😬

@@lifeingermany_ I thought NA was the oyster for dentists, now I'm curious how much do dentists in Germany make.

Wait… 13$ for a little Caesar’s medium pizza?! When I left it was 5$ 😭

😂😂😂😂🫶🫶🫶 I won’t argue with you about that! But, I do fancy an Alt every now and again

I agree!! And great question- we apparently just love buying in bulk 🙈😂 we also have much bigger fridges in Canada typically

Hahaha she’s got a really bad plan even for Canadian standards I think! 🙈 But yes! Outrageous!

I believe it would only work if you had a smart meter to measure the prices at certain times, but I could be wrong! I know 8-12 and 17-19 are the peak times in Germany but I’m not sure which contracts increase the bill for usage during these hours.

We used to have that system in Germany over 25 years ago. No smart meters back then. I have not seen a contract with those specifications for a looong time

We’re comparing Düsseldorf and Toronto because that’s where we are from. It would be extremely difficult to compare all cities/towns… but I actually think the comparison is rather fair. I would compare BC to Munich prices and Toronto to Köln, Düsseldorf or maybe even Frankfurt.

I need some more ideas on how to convince her 🙈 I feel like my idea well is draining fast

I’ve heard from my friends and family lately 😰😰😱😱 it’s terrifying!

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@@lifeingermany_ 🇩🇪🇪🇺🇨🇦