Moving from Europe (Netherlands) to Richmond --> salary indication

Hello everybody,

it's a couple of weeks that I'm in touch with MDA corporation in Richmond.
THey are keeping on asking my salary expectations, which for me is completely a foggy question.
I'm currently earning 60k€ (around 78k Can $) NET....what do you suggest???
We're in 4 (2 kids of 5 and 2 y.o.) + a dog...

How much should I ask?
How much a 4 bedroom + 2 bathrooms + garden house would cost (rent) in richmond or surraunding areas???

Thanks a lot

Marco & Co.

I would recommend you not do dollars to Euro conversion since it is a very relative calculation. Having been to Europe several times (Germany, England and Holland).

For instance, if a person makes $75,000 in a city in Canada, that translates to less than 60,000 Euros. However, when you calculate the cost of necessities such as, houses, cars, daily items etc., you will need to convert the cost of those things as well to make it relevant. For example, a bottle of milk (4 Liters) with taxes costs $4.00, which is around 2.90 Euros at current rate.

You will quickly realize that the cost of living here is a lot cheaper than most, if not all European countries.

Having said that, in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver, you can expect a professional job with no experience needed to start around $50,000 - $60,000. Mid level experienced (5 - 7 years) make around $70,000 - $85,0000. The most senior level professionals make around $100,000 - $140,000 and the most senior executives make over $200k.

Of all these cities, Calgary happens to be the cheapest and it has the fastest growing economy. Oil and gas is the biggest export of the province. However, in recent years the economy has diversified a lot.

Anyway, hope that gives you a good ide.