An intense online debate sparked from the suggestion that the USA is better off than Canada for the average person.
In a Reddit thread on /r/CanadaHousing, user infodonut made that suggestion with various factors in mind, like housing costs, telecommunication services, Loblaws, and the cost of cars.
The topic led to intense debate among Redditors in a thread that has received well over 500 comments, with people weighing in on both sides of the argument.
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One of the more agreed-upon financial realities that stemmed from the debate on the topic was the notion that the USA is a better place to be wealthy but a worse place to be lower-income.
“The poorest Canadians are better off than the poorest Americans,” one user suggested.
Whether or not that’s true depends on various factors, but no general consensus exists on the topic.
While stats suggest that poverty rates in the US are relatively high, reports indicate that America has good poverty reduction programs. So does Canada, albeit with lower rates of poverty.
What about the idea that things are cheaper in the US?
“Things are cheaper in the US because the US has the entire world subsidizing its existence,” was one user’s theory.
Some of those things include cars, mainly because the USA is a hub for manufacturing.
According to this report, there’s approximately a 20% difference in car prices between the US and Canada, favouring our American neighbours. Canadian exchange rates and taxes don’t help.
What about wages? Infodonut shared a link that showed average wages worldwide between 2000 and 2022 from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In 2022, average wages in the US amounted to $77,463, and in Canada, $59,050. The US ranks at #3 in the world, while Canada comes in at #10.
Housing affordability, a crucial issue in Canada, seems to be less of a problem in the USA, with most reports suggesting that a standard house in Canada is much, much more expensive than in the USA.
An area of debate that seemed to favour Canada was healthcare, mainly — and maybe obviously — when looking at women’s health.
“Healthcare for women in this country is so far ahead of healthcare for women in the US. ESPECIALLY women who want to have children. Parental leave is all but non-existent in the US,” said one user.
Someone said it best regarding how a growing financial crisis impacts Canadians and Americans.
“All of North America is fu**ed.”
Where do you side in this debate? Let us know in the comments.
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