Moving from Ontario to California

Preparing for a long distance move from Ontario to California? There is 3,123 km from Ontario to California, which makes this operation very complicated and risky. Therefore, before you start searching for movers and planning the move itself, you need to make sure that moving from Ontario to California is the right decision. To help you with your task, Centennial Moving Canada prepared some of the most important things that you need to pay attention to before you start this process.

Many Canadians already moved to California

California is one of the most desirable moving destinations for many Canadians. Actually, it is the number one moving destination for Canadians when we look at our southern neighbor. According to data from 2016, there are 132,101 Canadians in the entire state of California, which makes up 16% of the entire Canadian immigrant population in the USA. So, you are not the first that came to the idea of moving from Ontario to California. So, what are the things that you need to think about before moving from Canada to USA, particularly California?

Find a perfect place to live
Think about the living costs
Find reliable long distance movers Ontario team and organize the move

a man enjoying the beach after moving from Ontario to California

Moving from Ontario to California seems like a popular thing

The best places to live in California

Even though California is known as a sunny place with great beaches, a laid-back lifestyle, and plenty of job opportunities, it is actually a very diverse place. So the first thing you need to do is to choose a place to live. Naturally, it all depends on your needs. If you are looking for a job in the IT sector, you will choose one of the places in Silicon Valley. If you want to enjoy beaches, you should move to Malibu, Santa Monica, or maybe San Diego. For people moving with families, San Jose should be the obvious choice. For retirees, the best option, again, would be San Jose or maybe even Santa Rosa, Stockton, or San Francisco. On the other hand, if you want to have a little bit of everything, moving to Los Angeles is probably the best idea.

Cost of living in California

Another important thing that you need to consider before long distance moving is the cost of living. And that is the biggest obstacle that you will need to come across during this process. The state of California is the third most expensive state to live in in the US. Only Hawaii and New York are more expensive than The Golden States. The cost of living index in California is 142. Translated to actual numbers, the average cost of living in California for one person, with rent, is CAN$ 3,264. For a family of four, the average cost of living in California is CAN$ 7,184.

Housing costs

When it comes to housing costs, that is the number one obstacle that you will need to deal with before relocating to California from Ontario. California is notorious for high housing costs, which is one of the main driving forces for people leaving this magnificent state. At the end of 2022, the median home value in California was around $834,400 (CAN$ 1,131,773) – 20% more expensive than in 2021.

Houses in California are pretty expensive

When it comes to renting prices, the median rent in California for a studio apartment in 2022 was $1,538 (CAN$ 2,086). The average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment is $1,854 (CAN$ 2,514). For a 2-bedroom apartment, you will probably have to pay around $2,274 (CAN$ 3,084). If you are looking for more spacious homes, rents for 3-bedroom apartments average around $3,006 (CAN$ 4,077). While rent for a 4-bedroom apartment will cost around $3,578 (CAN$ 4,853) on average. Naturally, you can find cheaper and more expensive homes depending on the location. When it comes to utilities, the average utility bill in California is $375 (CAN$ 508).

Living in senior living communities in California

If you are a senior, you might also want to consider moving to senior living communities that can be found throughout California. You have independent living communities and assisted living communities at your disposal depending on your needs. The average monthly cost of living in independent living communities in California is $2,814 (CAN$ 3,816). If you want to live in an assisted living community, that will cost you $5,250 (CAN$ 7,121) per month on average

Organizing the move

Now that you know all the important things, it is time to think about organizing the move. As we already mentioned, there is 3,123 km from Ontario to California and that requires some serious planning and professional assistance. So the best thing to do is to go online and find reliable long distance movers that can handle such a difficult process. The most important part will be to relocate your vehicle. If you are relocating your car from Ontario to California as well, we suggest you find some reliable car shipping companies Canada has to offer and see whether they can help you.

Find movers that do car shipping

Getting from Ontario to California

Once you find your movers, it is just a matter of getting from Ontario to California. Luckily, you have plenty of options at your disposal. Here are some great options if you are traveling from the city of Toronto:

Flying from Toronto to San Diego – US$200 – US$300
Flying from Toronto to Los Angeles – US$110 – US$600
Train&Bus combination from Toronto to Los Angeles – US$306 – US$492
Bus from Toronto to Los Angeles – US$281 – US$434
Train from Toronto to Los Angeles – US$365 – US$542