What's Halifax like to live in?
What's Halifax like to live in ?
There’s a reason why Halifax is referred to as the “Gateway to Canada.” It really is a spectacular city, with so much to see and do.
Halifax is one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in Canada. It has a proud and rich history, and much of this is illustrated by the many historic buildings which remain in use today. Many of these buildings have been renovated both inside and out, so they continue to provide a comfortable living space for people who need it. Check out this guide put together by our
Epoxy Halifax team:
Where is Halifax?
Halifax is located on the East Coast of Canada, in the Maritime province of Nova Scotia. Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Nova Scotia is one of the smallest Canadian provinces, shaped a bit like a lobster claw, one of the sea creatures popular in Nova Scotia’s fishing industry.
The city sits on the Atlantic coast and, as such, hosts the beautiful Halifax harbour. On hot summer days you can take a stroll on the boardwalk, take in the ocean breeze, and maybe catch a street performer busking on a pier as part of the Halifax Busker Festival. Yours truly saved up for music lessons in high school by playing music for passersby on the harbourfront boardwalk.
Perfect to live in a city without being in a city
Halifax is a great place to live because it offers the small-city conveniences of living in a smaller city, without the overwhelming number of people found in some other larger cities like Vancouver, Toronto or Edmonton. It also moves at a slower pace than some other cities, so those who thrive on that sort of thing will also find it to be an appealing place to live.
Finding a place to live
Compared to other big cities like Toronto, having the perfect place to live in Halifax is much more affordable.
The average cost of renting a one-bedroom flat in the Halifax city centre is $1,373.00 per month, while the cost outside the city centre is $981.00. For a three-bedroom apartment, rental prices increase to about $2,200 in the city centre and $1,600 outside the city centre. Rental costs are nearly 40 percent lower than what you would experience in Toronto.
If you want to purchase a home in Halifax, the average cost of a house in Halifax was approximately $320,000, with approximately 2,000 homes on the market in the area. While this is pricey for the East Coast, it’s far below housing prices in Toronto and Vancouver.
Transportation
Transportation in Halifax consists of four simple categories: Walk, Bike, Bus, and Car.
Although the public transportation in Halifax is certainly far from the best, navigating the city is still made very easy because of its small size, allowing you to walk virtually anywhere you need to go in almost no time at all. But if you want to take a bus, a single fare for adults costs $2.75 (as of September 2021) with a monthly pass costing $82.50.
Finding a job
Finding a good job in Halifax is by no means impossible, but it is a bit more difficult than in a big city like Vancouver. This makes it a bit frustrating as the cost of living is actually quite reasonable compared to other major cities in Canada, and the housing prices are actually very reasonable compared to other places in the world. The higher cost of food and higher tax rate are also strikes against the city, though certainly not a deal breaker.
Going out
If you enjoy a good bite to eat or getting a drink at a nice bar/pub, this is where Halifax really shines! Although this is probably aided by the fact that it has a lower population than other cities in Canada,(although not by much) Halifax has one of the highest bars per capita in the Country. This isn't just a matter of quantity, as many of the restaurants and bars around Halifax are of extreme quality. And with new places opening up all the time, there is not a chance you will get bored of exploring.
What's Halifax like to live in ? Conclusion
Finally, what matters most about living somewhere is the people who live there with you, and this is where Halifax really takes the cake. People generally like to think of Canadians as some of the nicest people around, and nowhere is this more true than in Halifax. You get such a strong sense of community living in Halifax. Everybody gives a true interest in wanting to get to know one another.
You might also like
