I apologize in advance as this will be rambly
I have very little experience traveling, in fact I have only taken a plane once, but I have recently had a potential work opportunity on the whole other side of the continent, which is interesting because it would be a good career choice to have it on my CV.
That being said, I have zero experience in the states, or living in suburbs, which is what I would find myself in if I go through with this move. The job would sponsor my visa so this part of it all would be resolved for me. I guess my biggest concern is just moving by plane… I have heard many horrors stories of people losing their luggage, So I’m wondering if it would be wise to have, say, 3 checked in luggage? Is that a risk of losing important things or is that a typical thing ?
So far this is all very nebulous, but I’m just trying to think about this whole situation now before it becomes urgent. Because in my field, it’s common to have to move and relocate to start a new job all within less than a month, so it’s a lot of things to consider… I know a lot of you probably understand this situation.
I do have savings but I know this kind of move would be crazy expensive, just thinking about breaking my lease, buying new furniture over there, moving into a more expensive housing market, etc… It’s a lot to think about.
Basically tl;dr, my questions are, is it too crazy/ambitious for a early 20s person to move and relocate from a dynamic canadian city to the american suburbs for work, and is there a true risk of losing luggage on a canada-usa flight or is that not a point to worry about?
Housing is way different in the US than from Montreal. Did you know you have to pay your first month of rent, last month of rent, and a security deposit before you move into a rental? Security deposits are illegal in Montreal but they are mandatory for every rental in the United States. Besides your plane tickets, furniture costs, etc, expect to pay at least 4k USD (5.5k CAD) just to move into a place.
On top of this, a place going for 1.5k USD (~2k CAD) a month anywhere near Portland, where I assume you are going, will not be very nice compared to what you get for the same price in Montreal. I have a nice top floor unit in a duplex in Montreal in a prime location for 1.5k CAD a month, it’s got a bedroom and an office and laundry in unit and a dishwasher and a big terasse. My apartment in Portland was 1.4k USD a month, nearly 2k CAD a month, and was an old tiny bottom floor unit in a multiplex that had no washer dryer, no dishwasher, no vent fan for the stove, there was always shady shit happening outside my building, and it was directly next to the alley with garbages and smelled all the time. It is not common for apartments to have balconies in Portland, it’s rare and you must pay more for them.
If you are in the suburbs, you will need to use your car every day. It is not like Montreal. So add a car payment to your expenses. Add car insurance. Add a lot of money for gas, which is expensive right now. Add more than you think because you will have to drive to get your groceries, to go to a laundromat, to go to work and to see any friends you might make. That’s at least 700 USD (960 CAD) a month. Hell even if you live in the city you’ll be lucky to be able to walk to a grocery store and you will still need a car multiple times a month. There are no more good car share services in Portland so don’t think you can rely on Communauto or anything like that. And if you’re moving to a suburb like Beaverton, guess what, the rent isn’t even much cheaper than in Portland proper! So don’t think the added transportation costs will balance out with the rent.
Then add healthcare expenses on top of this. Even at a full time job for not very good insurance I was to pay 380 dollars USD (520 CAD) a month for one young, healthy person. And that was with a 10k deductible per year, so to get insurance to pay for anything I would have had to spend 10k USD (14k CAD) in a year. Only then the insurance would pay out. If you need help understanding how US health insurance works, watch Brian David Gilbert’s YouTube video on the subject. His content is usually goofy but his insurance video is actually really well done and very informative. My Quebecois partner had a heart attack watching it, had no idea how awful the health insurance is in the US.
Entertainment is much more expensive in Portland metro area than even in Montreal. You can’t get an okay sandwich without side for less than 14 USD (19 CAD) and that’s at a counter place (look up the menu at Lardo). There are not as many free festivals in the summer time, not by a long shot. Most festivals you have to pay to get into and if you are lucky you get a limited amount of tokens for drinks or food, sometimes you pay for both admission and concessions. Portland is better than most US cities in that people do use parks and such but it’s nowhere near like the community atmosphere of Montreal where people are using the parks like a backyard and it’s ok to exist in a public space without paying for something.
Just my personal experience but Montreal is much safer than Portland is, Portland use to be very safe but in recent years has had a very hard time and I had many bad experiences with people almost attacking me, even in my own neighborhood which used to be one of the “nice” ones. In the last year I lived in Portland I had people threaten gun violence to me in the store I worked at, there was a bomb threat, we had to lockdown the store because a knife fight broke out in the street, someone was bleeding out in the store bathroom because they were injecting in there. I witnessed a hit and run where two teenagers were badly injured. My neighborhood bar had a shootout inside of it. Someone threatened to shoot people on the bus. Someone was actually shot on that same bus line months later. There was a stabbing at my grocery store. Someone threw a glass bottle at me from their car while I was walking to the bus stop and luckily it missed me, shattering at my feet. Again this was in a “nice” area. A friend of mine had someone break into her house multiple times and someone tried to whack her with a wood board with nails sticking out of it as she was walking her dog. I hope things have gotten better in the last year but a lot of the people I know who still live back home still seem scared, especially the women.
So, really think about these extra costs. I know the salary is probably a lot more at face value but you must realize your cost of living will be much much more than it is now. And it will be a very different style of life than what you are used to.
All that being said, I would still rather be in Portland than any other big American city. I think the values of people in Portland are similar to those of people in Montreal. Most people appreciate the arts, nature, try to live with some scrap of eco consciousness. Just be aware that, if you are trying to escape Montreal because of the affordability crisis, that crisis has already been alive and well in Portland for 15 years and it isn’t getting better.
If you have specific questions feel free to DM me.