A British woman who relocated to Canada shared a breakdown of her monthly costs – and one thing stood out
Moving abroad is a huge commitment, and comes with its fair share of financial surprises. But one British expat has revealed there was a particular bill she simply couldn’t get over after relocating to Canada.
Louise Ware-Armstrong, a lifestyle and travel vlogger who moved from the UK to Niagara Falls in Ontario, recently shared a TikTok video breaking down her monthly living costs. While rent, utilities and household expenses were largely in line with what she expected, she said one essential service was significantly more expensive than back home.
“One of the most expensive bills in Canada is your phone plan,” she said in the video which has attracted more than 11,000 likes. “You cannot find a cheap phone plan anywhere.”
Louise explained that her mobile phone, home internet and TV package cost around 400 Canadian dollars (£215) combined per month. She added: “For my phone and my internet in my house and my TV package, so for all three of them comes to around $400 a month, which is literally crazy.
“You couldn’t find a phone plan when I first moved here for less than $60 a month without the phone.” This revelation sparked discourse between viewers in the comments, who agreed this is a huge cost of living issue in Canada.
According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), mobile prices have fallen in recent years, although international comparisons have continued to rank Canada among the more expensive markets for wireless services.
Price comparison platform WhistleOut claims the average Canadian mobile phone bill is around CA$64 (£34) per month, significantly higher than in the UK, where regulator Ofcom has previously reported average monthly mobile spending at around £15 to £20 depending on the type of contract.
Industry studies have repeatedly ranked Canada among the more expensive countries for mobile phone services, largely due to a less competitive market and higher infrastructure costs.
The content creator was sharing her overall monthly budget after moving from the UK to Niagara Falls. She revealed that she pays 1,650 Canadian dollars in rent for a two-bedroom home, alongside separate costs for electricity, gas and water.
However, it was the cost of her phone and internet services that stood out most, with Louise describing the bill as one of the biggest financial shocks of moving abroad.
