A British woman who relocated to Canada has shared a breakdown of her monthly costs, revealing one expense that stood out as surprisingly high. Louise Ware-Armstrong, a lifestyle and travel vlogger who moved from the UK to Niagara Falls, Ontario, posted a TikTok video detailing her monthly living expenses. While rent, utilities, and household costs were mostly as expected, she highlighted that phone and internet services were significantly more expensive than in the UK.
Phone Plans in Canada: A Costly Surprise
In her video, which has garnered over 11,000 likes, Louise said: "One of the most expensive bills in Canada is your phone plan. You cannot find a cheap phone plan anywhere." She explained that her combined mobile phone, home internet, and TV package costs around 400 Canadian dollars (£215) per month. "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," she added. "You couldn't find a phone plan when I first moved here for less than $60 a month without the phone."
Viewer Reactions and Market Context
The revelation sparked a discussion among viewers, who agreed that high telecom costs are a significant issue in Canada. According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), mobile prices have fallen in recent years, but Canada remains one of the more expensive markets globally for wireless services. Price comparison platform WhistleOut reports the average Canadian mobile bill is around CA$64 (£34) per month, compared to the UK average of £15 to £20, as reported by Ofcom. Industry studies attribute this to a less competitive market and higher infrastructure costs in Canada.
Overall Monthly Budget
Louise also shared her overall monthly budget after moving from the UK to Niagara Falls. She pays 1,650 Canadian dollars in rent for a two-bedroom home, along with separate costs for electricity, gas, and water. However, it was the phone and internet bills that stood out as the biggest financial shock of moving abroad.
