Question 1

Where do most Canadians move when leaving Canada?

SortaRich · Accepted Answer

The US is the largest Canadian-expat destination (~800K-1M Canadians, with major concentrations in California, Florida, New York, Texas, Arizona). Mexico is the largest "snowbird" + permanent-relocation destination (~50K+ permanent residents, plus seasonal residents in 6-figure numbers — the Pacific coast + San Miguel de Allende + Lake Chapala area + Yucatán). UK + Australia + Hong Kong (historic ties) + Portugal + Costa Rica round out the top destinations. The fastest-growing 2020-2025: Portugal D7/D8, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Question 2

Can Canadians use the TN visa to live in the US?

SortaRich · Accepted Answer

The TN visa (Trade NAFTA, retained under USMCA) lets Canadian + Mexican professionals work in the US in 60+ specified occupations including engineers, scientists, accountants, lawyers, computer-systems analysts, registered nurses + medical professionals. Application is at a US port-of-entry for Canadians (no pre-approval needed) — typical processing time is 30 minutes if all paperwork is ready. Granted in 3-year increments, renewable indefinitely. NOT a path to permanent residency on its own — for green card you need separate sponsorship. Significantly easier than H-1B for qualifying Canadians.

Question 3

How do I sever Canadian-tax residency?

SortaRich · Accepted Answer

Canadian tax residency is determined by the CRA's "ordinary residence" facts-and-circumstances test. To establish non-residency: dispose of (or significantly reduce) Canadian residential ties — housing (sell or long-term rent out, do not keep available), primary banking (consolidate to non-Canadian), provincial healthcare (deregister from OHIP/MSP/etc), driver's license (transfer or surrender), professional ties (ideally relinquish CDN professional licenses unless required for cross-border work). Dependents (spouse + minor children) outside Canada are a strong signal. CRA offers a "Determination of Residency Status" form (NR73) for ambiguous cases. File a final Canadian tax return as a "departing resident" — which triggers a deemed-disposition tax on appreciated assets (the "exit tax").

Question 4

Cost of living abroad vs Canada?

SortaRich · Accepted Answer

PPP-adjusted cost-of-living indices vs Canada = 100: US ~110-120, UK ~95, Australia ~110, Mexico ~55, Portugal ~70, Spain ~75, Costa Rica ~80, Panama ~75, Thailand ~50, Vietnam ~40, Malaysia ~55. Toronto + Vancouver baselines run higher than the Canadian average; Calgary + Halifax + Quebec City run lower. SortaRich anchors all destination comparisons to your specific Canadian home city — so a Toronto vs Halifax expat sees different multipliers for the same destination.

Leaving Canada?

Canadian-passport visa landscape

Where do most Canadians move when leaving Canada?

Can Canadians use the TN visa to live in the US?

How do I sever Canadian-tax residency?

Cost of living abroad vs Canada?

Top destinations

Kochi

Constanţa

Salvador

Surabaya, Java

Bangkok

Tirana

Seoul

Tbilisi

Brno

Riga

Budapest

Barranquilla

Aguascalientes

Guayaquil

Palermo

Kuala Lumpur

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Thessaloníki

Córdoba

Tallinn

Durban

Lisbon

Belgrade

Zagreb

Panama City

Montevideo

San Jose

Dubai

Voronezh

Ready to see your numbers?