After spending a month in Canada, one tourist from the Philippines took to TikTok to express her shock at the cost of living.
In a video from earlier this year titled “My experience/opinion in Canada,” Banessa Raya shared her observations about life in the Great White North.
“Canada is so expensive,” said Raya in Tagalog. Daily Hive has translated it to English. “The food, for example, is $19, $20 — 800 pesos per dish. The servings are big; sometimes it’s good for two people, but it’s so expensive here.”
She said that while it might seem like some Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) may look like they have a lot of money, it is probably going toward food and other expenses.
“So however much they earn, that’s how much they also spend because of the cost of living,” she said.
And the difference is staggering — a two-piece order of Jollibee burger steak with rice costs around C$2.96 in the Philippines. The exact order costs $10.99 in Canada.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the average monthly wage in the Philippines was 18,423 pesos (C$458.54) in 2022. In Canada, where the federal minimum wage currently stands at $17.30 per hour, you can make that much by working just 26 hours.
Despite the higher pay in Canada, many are still struggling amid the cost of living crisis. So much so that some people are back to living with roommates well into their 40s and others are skipping meals to afford food.
Watch the video below:
@banessaraya_My experience/opinion in Canada 🙈🇨🇦♬ original sound – banessaraya on IG
In addition to dealing with the high cost of living, Filipino workers often send money to their family members in the Philippines.
The Philippine Statistics Authority stated that from April to September 2022, an estimated 1.96 million Filipinos worked worldwide. During the same period, Filipinos sent a total remittance of 197.47 billion pesos ($4.7 billion).
“Maybe it’s a bonus to be able to send money to the Philippines, but I don’t think I can live here,” she said. “If I lived here and I’m making what I’m making in the Philippines, there’s no way I can afford the lifestyle here because it really is so expensive.”
However, she sees one significant benefit of living in Canada: the healthcare system.
“My uncles and aunts said that sometimes they don’t even pay anything for their check-ups. Sometimes their companies pay for their medicine,” she said.
While Canada does provide workers with plenty of opportunities, especially for those supporting their families back home, Raya observed, “As an OFW, your enemy here is loneliness and homesickness. Even though I’ve been here for a month, I miss my friends and dogs.”
This article was originally posted on January 9, 2024. It has since been updated.