Currently I live and work in Vancouver as a Visual Communications Designer who came to BC from Toronto and was a bit shocked at the differences that designers in Toronto and Vancouver are valued. This got me to think about which city in Canada is the best for a designer, taking into consideration such as demand, cost of living, pay (salary), benefits, lifestyle, etc…
Below are my rankings from best (1) to worst (7) based on the above criteria.
1. Toronto
- huge city with many large corporations
- a large market that is also very competitive
- overall highest salary for a designer compared to other
Canadian cities
- overall one of the best benefit plans
- high cost of living
- great lifestyle for designers
2. Calgary
- excellent salary
- low cost of living
- growing city
- demand for designers are growing
- one of the best benefit plans in Canada
- a bit boring and not much to do for a creative mind
3. Mississauga
- fast growing city
- many companies are starting to develop here because its
close to Toronto and at the same time has land to expand
- a bit boring, however, close to Toronto that its not an issue
- demand is growing
4. Montreal
- artistic capital city of Canada
- large city
- many small/medium companies
- benefit plans are pretty good
- salary is average
- great lifestyle for designers
5. Vancouver
- very high cost of living
- a large and competitive market
- many small/medium companies
- salary isn’t as high as Toronto
- benefit plans are pretty good
- great lifestyle for designers
6. Ottawa
- large city
- relative high cost of living
- small market
- benefit plans are pretty good
- not much to do for a designer in the city
7. Victoria
- the highest cost of living in Canada
- a very small market
- not many companies in the city
- beautiful city, but not much to do
These are my thoughts on the best cities for a designer to live and work in base on various criteria. I understand there might be some who would totally disagree with my thoughts and I encourage anyone whether you agree or disagree to comment.