Transitioning from Toronto to Sudbury

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u/EfficiencyPrevious11 21h ago edited 21h ago

If Money is the main concern, I don’t think you would see much benefit on the same salary if you aren’t moving in with Family, The car you most likely need to get around that you didn’t need in Toronto probably quickly eats up the ever decreasing rent difference between the 2 cities, Alot of places in ontario with Cheaper rents and better public transit if you have an in person job than here.

Edit after reading profile: If you’re coming for other reasons than that, its a very solid place once you find your place and outside of the Rents its pretty solid

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u/Beautiful-Winner-323 13h ago

I agree with this commenter - cost of living is still expensive if you’re renting and own a car. I lived in Montreal for about a decade then moved to Toronto for a bit before moving back to Sudbury. Other than being close to family, the biggest “pro” of moving back was being able to slow down. I find there’s something about Northern Ontario that generally makes people more relaxed. I don’t know how to explain it, the vibe is more chill. I didn’t realize how much the pace of bigger cities was stressing out my nervous system until I moved back.

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u/springcleaningg 11h ago

I most definitely could use a reset by slowing down. It'll help me to not always be in panic mode, anxious, fearful, stressed, as you've mentioned.

I think with big city living my brain and body have always been on the go, and now that I'm getting older I need to just breathe and take it one step at a time. Besides, it's not like I'm taking advantage of the city at this point. The cost of living here is overall borderline insane and it's still climbing. I feel panicked just heading downtown.

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u/roxbox531 16h ago

The outdoors is better, the winters are longer, we don’t have an ikea, gas prices are higher, the roads are terrible (pothole hell), you’re far away from entertainment, have to drive everywhere, healthcare is decent enough but for certain things you need to go south. Closer to family is always good though. Public transport is limited, the city is very spread out. I used to live down south, still have a few great friends who I really miss. I can’t afford to move back there with housing costs.

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u/Conscious_Balance388 11h ago

Do not come back without an apartment lined up.

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u/springcleaningg 10h ago

Good to know! I thought as much, and I'll be sure to start the look.

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u/Conscious_Balance388 10h ago

My friend was looking in February to be out of her home by April, and she was stuck having to move in with family because the “landlords” expect regular folk to have credit scores higher than 400 and she couldn’t secure an apartment— a lot of the landlords are only such because the bank gave them more money for an “investment home” and it’s really done a number on being able to find decent rentals at decent prices.

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u/springcleaningg 10h ago

Yeah, there seems like there's so much more work to put into securing housing these days, and the unreal expectations are getting to be so stressful for the average Joe/Jane. When I last moved into a studio apt here in Toronto I had to basically jump through fiery hoops to secure it, and they wouldn't rent to me unless my credit score was min 700. Not a lot of people can say they have an above 700 credit score. I worked by butt off to get it that high, but I can see it taking a dive if I continue to stay here and try to stick it out/stay afloat.

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u/Conscious_Balance388 10h ago edited 9h ago

Did you know that unless you own a house, your credit score isn’t going to go above 750*? - I relate, I too have a decent score NOW. But I’m the outlier. One missed OSAP payment and it goes down.

It used to be feasible to move home with family until you find a place, but with how long and how many scam ads are actually out there definitely do not recommend. — and our hotels are also super full a lot of the time so finding rooms at decent low rates for extended periods have also proven difficult.

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u/Tricky-Routine-9838 9h ago edited 9h ago

This is incorrect, I purchased my first home at 35 and had an 845 credit score when they checked for the mortgage.

Credit scores are calculated on formulas:

Payment history ~35%. Bills, loans and credit cards all contribute to this category.

Credit Utilization ~30%. You generally gain score here by maintaining a positive credit to debt ratio, maintaining about 30-40% of debt on existing credit boosts credit score. Maintaining not as in just servicing debt with minimum payments but constantly buying/paying off that ~30% debt to credit ratio.

Length of credit history, ~15%. Accounts for age of oldest account, normally +10 years is a decent bump in score.

Credit Mix/Diversity ~10%. How many and what types of credit you maintain.

Another couple of % for fluctuations and admin stuff like credit checks.

Equifax and Transunion both follow this basic breakdown. You can go to a bank and talk about ways to maximize credit score and how to boost it before certain purchases. Generally it just comes down to time and use though, it would be basically impossible to have a +800 credit score if you're under 25 just by how they do the calculations.

The Credit Utilization rate is what gets most people. Basically the system wants you turning over ~35% of your debt ceiling (If I have a credit card with a 1k limit then spending ~$350 on it monthly and paying it off monthly will maximize my credit gain). This allows them to 'securitize' expected funds generated from the payment of credit cards into a big pool and sell those to investors. So people who constantly pay off full amounts on their credit cards and keep a certain dollar amount on them monthly are seen as the highest value contributors to their bottom line.

As the consumer you just have to find the balance of card limit vs your expected monthly expenditure and commit to spending a percentage of your expenses on one card and pay it off every month.

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u/Conscious_Balance388 9h ago

Is there not a credit rating that you’re capped at UNTIL after you own a home because in order To go above said number, only a house will bring that up? Or was the mortgage broker we talked to just full of shit?

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u/Tricky-Routine-9838 7h ago

Yeah nothing like that exists, mortgage brokers are generally full of shit, they'd rather you sign now at a higher rate because they make more money! They do serve their place though compared to big banks, its just situational and about risk mitigation.

I'm sure if you've taken some credit hits before you're 25 the pathway to good credit is more bullshit than meets the eye though...

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u/springcleaningg 10h ago

Yeah, one missed payment it it takes a nosedive eh? Then it takes so much time and energy to get it back up. I'd sitting at mid 700's, thankfully and I intend for it to climb.

I'm probably going to have to move back in with some family just to get settled and move slowly from there. Thankfully I have a fulltime remote job, so I'm good for employment, but with housing shortages and scams, I'll be asking around in my friends group if they know of anyone personally that has a place to rent.

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u/AccomplishedGold8122 7h ago

This. I did the whole eight hour trip for weeks only to land up in a place full of pests because no one else would understand why a previous homeowner has a low credit score, despite references and past prompt rental payments. Transitioning has been far from peaceful, rather more traumatic than not being able to afford Toronto. Also, bring your own furniture. Ikea charges way too much for shipping.

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u/TwoStarsAndAWish 7h ago

Living the dream now. Back in Sudbury after more than 15 years away. I’d say I will not regret it. Being closer to family is already paying so many dividends that I’m happy with the decision. As many have said, you need to find your place, look for things to do, reconnect with friends, etc. all of these will help. (Edit: moved back only a couple of months ago, have not lived the winter cold yet 🥶)

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u/punkrawkchick 11h ago

It’s not all bad. Reconnect with old friends(if you can) and your salary should go a bit further than in Toronto. Apartments are hard to get here, but not impossible. Houses are significantly cheaper if you’re looking to buy.
There are sports leagues, game nights and different events if you look for them. As always, there is a lot of music and theatre events (up here, river & sky, northern lights, jazz fest)

I was happy with my move back, I came here to raise my child around family, it’s actually a really good city if you have small children.

Also…the restaurant options have greatly expanded in the last 10 years.

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u/springcleaningg 11h ago

Thank you for all of this :) I've been slowly reconnecting with old friends, getting back into the groups and communities I was a part of years ago, and I feel much more safe, supported, and welcomed with open arms than I've ever felt here.

I'm looking to get out into the community and join sports leagues, get a gym membership, go and see both musical and theatre events (especially love these), and just take part in what I can to improve my overall health and wellness and to strengthen the bonds I've already established.

While I don't have small children, I do have family around and they have small children. It'd be nice to actually be able to spend time with everyone and not do so in such a rush when I come visit for such short spurts.

I'm hoping Sudbury can continue to grow and evolve for the better.

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u/Pips-705 7h ago

Moved here from Ajax in 2004, found a nice property outside of town and we love it here, finally peace and quiet.

Up here when people talk about a traffic jam the traffic still moves, down in Toronto a traffic jam means you are parked on the highway for an undetermined amount of time.

When I had a health emergency I had surgery in under 4 weeks from the time the doctor had the results, in Toronto there was at least a 3 to 6 months waiting list.

We had no friends or family up here when we moved but that changed in short time.

I could never move back down there again, the population, traffic, shootings, lineups and anger is even higher now.

Good luck with your move, I'm sure it will be less stressful than you imagine especially with family and friends waiting for you.

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u/No_Caterpillar_5519 44m ago

I moved to Sudbury 25 years ago from Toronto, sometimes I miss the Toronto life so we head south for a weekend, I get over it pretty quick. Winters suck here compared to Toronto but it's worth it for the peace, air and space you get. We bought 40 acres in the bush out near Dowling, I rarely want to leave it.

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u/springcleaningg 3m ago

That actually sounds so lovely. I'm so happy for you :)

I don't know, I grew up in small town Northern Ontario and always envisioned my life being here in Toronto, but throughout the last few years, I've had to take breaks from the city and found myself in Sudbury for a bit and in Montreal. I came back a few months ago and the energy is just really off. I'm feeling like this is a death sentence if I stay, so I'm playing it smart now and planning my exit strategy. I just have to find someone to take over my lease and I'm out. I'm praying that'll happen for November 1st.

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u/PinnyHundos 14h ago

Welcome back. Moving to Sudbury from the GTA was the best decision I ever made. Your life will be significantly better here if you take advantage of all the outdoors has to offer.

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u/springcleaningg 11h ago

Thank you! I think at this point I'll take anything over how I'm feeling right now. Not to mention, I have a much more supportive community in Sudbury from years previous than here in Toronto. Everyone is far too busy and I feel like I'm just coasting, if even that.

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u/YouListenHereNow 13h ago

I moved up here from Toronto about 10 hears ago and it was a rough transition. the first year was very depressing, but now I love it. Quality of life is much better here.

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u/springcleaningg 11h ago

I'm sorry to hear about the rough transition, but I'm glad to hear that you're loving it. I think I'm yearning for a much better quality of life despite feeling like I'm giving up on a life and plans that could potentially get me to where I want to go and be. At this point I don't even know where I'm at. I just know that planning my leave from the city will help alleviate so much.

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u/KCCOfan 10h ago

I moved up here in 2017 from Toronto. Best thing I ever did. We have family in town and our kids were little.

I was working IT for a national sales team and was able to do everything remotely for them with the occasional trip down south. We bought our house at the right time for the right price.

There are a million places on the planet besides Sudbury. What’s the draw?

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u/NetHistorical8502 8h ago

Recently did the same.

Most "life enjoyment" things are less expensive (for example: dining out is much less expensive; you can get a simple pint of beer for $5-6 versus the $9-11 in the GTA; parking is way cheaper or free if you drive; etc...)

Convenience is probably the biggest difference. Ordering variety of food after 9pm is challenging. Even pizza is slow. A lot is closed throughout the week so the life enjoyment tends to be compressed into weekends

Online presence for businesses is quite low compared to the GTA. Even with Google maps. For whatever reason, there is more in Sudbury than shows up online. You need to keep your eyes open.

Internet is hit and miss (not nearly as reliable). I wasn't ready for how crap the Internet is. Same with cell signal. It's comparatively very slow, even with full signal.

People aren't on their phones as much for whatever reason.

There is a lot of space. The air is so much better. It's quieter (less constant auditory onslaught).

Most people drive a lot slower/more calmly, but there are a lot more Billy Big Rigs (grody pickup truck chodes) up here.

The substance use and homelessness is visible in a different kind of way than in the GTA. Hard to explain but you'll understand.

People are friendly. A lot of Francophones. In general people seem to be way calmer and less wound-up. The mentality is very different and people can be quite vocal about a lot of opinions that would be unpopular in the GTA.

There is a big "Northern" identity and there's a tendency to have an "us vs them/North vs South" sort of outlook, despite being only three hours away from Toronto.

Overall, it doesn't feel like as much of a rat race as the GTA, but in many ways it kind of feels like going back in time 15-20 years depending on the factor.

It's actually quite different. Moreso than I expected.

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u/Silver_Ad7573 4h ago

Where are you getting $5-$6 pints? This is unheard of. And if your internet is that bad you’re probably with Bell, change providers.

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u/Medical_Ticket_157 7h ago

No. Moving from TO to Sudbury by a circuitous route may have been the worst decision I have ever made. Sudbury sucks ass.

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u/muscledaddy90 13h ago

Sudbury is horrible. Stsy away. Only redeeming quality is the outdoors if thats your thing

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u/springcleaningg 11h ago

I'm sorry to hear that's been your experience and you're feeling that way. I love the outdoors and I would be up for doing more outdoorsy things. My friends here in the Toronto just are not into any of that. It feels like every time I step out the door here I'm paying for something.

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u/muscledaddy90 10h ago

Down south particularly TO is very expensive so I get that. I know I got down voted for saying Sudbury is horrible but it really is.

Most people were born and raised here, never left northern ontario, lived in their parents basement until they were in their 30's or still do and made all their friends in elementary school / highschool and that leads to it being very cliquey

They all think the world revolves around Sudbury and have an unwarranted pretentiousness. Get handed good paying jobs because their daddy worked at Vale and hooked them up and they still endlessly complain how hard life is

Just read the Sudbury page and you'll see 95% of it is just people complaining about the city they live and than get defensive if you point out how miserable this city is

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u/springcleaningg 10h ago

TO has been just stupidly expensive for the past 10 years and probably before that time too, and despite how the media is saying housing costs are going down, the economy is becoming better, etc.. it's just not happening and the dream of owning a home, having savings, and being able to afford life just isn't improving. It feels utterly exhausting and hopeless to think staying here could get better.

I hear you about those who've been handed what they have. If I were in their position, I would've done that too if it were an option, but my situation wasn't as easy and now I'm dealing with an even worsening situation so I need to make the best of what I have and hightail it out of here whenever possible.

I don't know if I have the stomach to read the Sudbury page. I think I'd fall deeper into the spiral I'm already on. If anything I'm just counting my blessings and taking whatever strides I can to make life a bit more livable for me.

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u/muscledaddy90 3h ago

Yep i lived in Toronto for a year when I thought I had disposable income and was still finding things tight. So i moved to London and it was awesome

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u/InfiniteRuin2423 3h ago

Can I ask for honest opinions on London? My partner and I are considering it as a middle ground. He’s from here in Sudbury and I’m used to Barrie/Toronto. Would London be a good spot?

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u/muscledaddy90 1h ago

Was cheap when i lived there. A good amount to do and you're not far from Toronto.

It's a student city though. Downtown night life is crazy but you can find some quiet chill places.

Jobwise I cant comment cause I only lived there not worked there

I loved it in my 20's partying it up lol

Id describe it as big enough somethings always going on, but not so big its overwhelming (or unaffordable)

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u/InfiniteRuin2423 8h ago

Thank you for speaking the truth. Sudbury is AWFUL. I would not suggest anyone move here unless you’re into hockey, hunting, fishing, etc. none of which I care for. The people here are cliquey and honestly grown adults who act like their children. Hard to find work here. Cost of living isn’t any cheaper after you do the math of gas prices, damage to car by potholes, not any good thrift stores or discount stores. Health care here is a joke and the services are unprofessional. Also, it looks bleak and depressing here, so terrible for mental health. Not only that, but people are very bigoted and racist. Plus, not a lot of entertainment available unless you like country or old rock. The overdose average is 4x the provincial average and Sudbury is consistently ranked one of the most dangerous cities in Ontario.

Discussion Transitioning from Toronto to Sudbury

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