Top 10 Places to Retire in Canada
When you’re thinking about retirement destinations, do you think about Canada?
Canada may not come to mind as readily as, say, Mexico or the French Riviera, but plenty of people do retire to Canada from other countries.
And many others, particularly Americans, choose to live in Canada part-time during their retirement years.
Why retire to Canada?
A reasonable cost of living, good weather (yes, really!), and of course, readily-available health care are all advantages of choosing Canada as a retirement destination.
MoneySense magazine considered these factors and more — including low taxes, low crime rates, ease of getting around on foot, and affordable homes — in their recent ranking of Canada’s 10 Best Places to Live: Retirement.
Five of the Top 10 are in BC
Five of the top 10 Canadian places to retire are in British Columbia — perhaps not unexpected, since BC has the country’s mildest climate.
The city of Victoria topped the list, with Vancouver, Courtenay (on Vancouver Island), Vernon (in the Okanagan), and Salmon Arm (on Shuswap Lake in central BC) making the Top 10.
But weather isn’t the only factor. The rest of the Top 10 best places were in Ontario or Quebec.
Kingston, Ontario came in at Number 2, and Ottawa, the nation’s capital, ranked third.
Here’s the entire list:
- Victoria, BC
- Kingston, ON
- Ottawa, ON
- Vancouver, BC
- London, ON
- Courtenay, BC
- Vernon, BC
- Cobourg, ON
- Joliette, QC
- Salmon Arm, BC
For more information
You can read more about retirement-related immigration issues in the “Getting Started” section of this website.
For more resources about retiring in Canada, visit the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) and Seniors Canada.
Photo ©Carolyn B. Heller
Can’t wait to move back to Canada!
DON’T LET THE HIGH PRICES IN VICTORIA SCARE YOU OFF, WITHIN A HOUR YOU CAN BE LIVING IN SMALL TOWNS IN THE COWICHAN VALLEY, A PLACE RENOWNED FOR A CLEAN SAFE LIFESTYLE, AND THEIR ENJOYMENT OF ‘ISLAND TIME’
CHECK OUT LAKE COWICHAN, FOR AFFORDABLE LIVING AND NATURAL BEAUTY YOU CANT BEAT IT
Oh there we are! Yes, we have LOTS of retirees here.
I’am a 60 year old single retired from the MTA/NYCTA subways/ metro and looking to live in Quebec-Monteregie Region east of Ile De Montreal .I have a Passport and Je puis parle un peu francaise.Where can I find exactly what I need to know in order to move to Canada.It can’t be as simple as renting a place and then filling papers with the government for temporary and permanent residence ?? The government web sites only explain about people looking for jobs and then citizenship.Someone I can communicate with in help in looking for a place ( Masion Mobile,Mobile home,small house no upstairs all on ground floor and pet friendly cats with as few neighbors as possible due to my back condition which keeps me awake all night long.A certain area of Monteregie or a certain Realestate would be helpfull. Merci Robert Johnstone 179 Kiswick St Staten Island New York 10306