If you’re considering moving from Canada to Spain, one TikToker who has been there and back gives insight into life in both countries.
Kristen Mandala, who works in social media management and ecological education, recently had to return to her hometown, Toronto, after a seven-month stint in Valencia, Spain.
In a video posted to TikTok in June, Mandala shared some differences she’s noticed between Eastern Canada and Spain’s city by the Mediterranean Sea.
“The city is tense right now,” she said of Toronto.
Mandala sees tension in the mounting complaints about the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the city’s public transportation agency, traffic, bike lanes, construction, and more.
“It seems like there are 7,000 unfinished construction projects, and yeah, the vibe is low,” she said.
@kristen.mandala Is anyone else feeling this way too? #toronto #torontolife #yyz ♬ original sound – kristen 🌞
Canada vs. Spain — cost of living
Mandala says that across the board, she and her partner preferred living in Spain rather than Toronto.
The main difference she observed is the cost of living.
She says living in Valencia was very affordable, so she noticed the “skyrocketing” cost of living in Toronto even though she had only been gone for a short time.
“I went and got a regular drip coffee and an Americano, and it was $11,” she recalled. “I honestly couldn’t believe it, and I still had to tip 20%. Well, I didn’t have to, but, you know, the shame that comes from not.”
Mandala feels like there’s a chasm between people who can afford to live in Ontario’s capital city and those who can’t.
Whether their housing arrangements aren’t ideal or they’re working at a job they don’t love, the TikToker says Canadians can’t afford change because the economic uncertainty is too great.
“I have a lot of friends that are feeling like either they’ve made it, and because of generational wealth or other circumstances, they’re living in great situations,” explained Mandala. “Or the more lion’s share of that is people feeling like they’re very much stuck at this level where they can’t advance even at our age, which is in the early 30s overall.”
The content creator acknowledges that Spain, being much more affordable than Canada, is quickly changing because of foreigners like her who are moving there.
“Spain, overall, is more affordable in a lot of ways than Toronto, but it has a real consequence [for] the locals,” she said.
Walkability and transportation
@kristen.mandala Replying to @Richard Lam ♬ original sound – kristen 🌞
Another reason Mandala prefers Valencia over Toronto is its walkability and accessible transportation.
She says it’s hard to replicate the amazing walkable cities in Europe here in Canada.
“Coming back from Europe and really deeply missing the walkability, the transit, obviously, being close to the Mediterranean Sea, these are things that can’t be replicated necessarily, but it is really frustrating living in a place like Toronto that should have at least some of these things,” she said.
Mandala jokes that Toronto can’t have lousy transportation, no walkability, lots of construction, bad traffic and unsafe bike lanes all at once.
Contributing to Valencia’s excellent walkability is its smaller size, which she prefers.
“We really like the fact that if we wanted to get anywhere, we could walk there in about a half hour,” explained Mandala. “If you walk anywhere in a half hour in Toronto, you’re not going to obviously get very far unless you’re really only operating within the super downtown core.”
Things that Canada does better than Spain
While the sunny Spanish weather and slower pace of life are also pluses for Mandala, she still loves plenty of things about Toronto.
She says the food scene in Toronto is far superior to Valencia’s.
“The high-quality international food scene in Toronto is really, really spectacular,” she said.
“So you can get really incredible Thai food, Indian food, Italian food. You can get a wide variety of international cuisines in Toronto that you wouldn’t be able to access in Valencia.”
However, the caveat to Toronto’s fantastic food scene is how expensive it’s getting, she added.
Mandala says she also missed the diversity in Toronto.
“Growing up here my whole life, you’re just really used to being around and surrounded by people that don’t look like you and hearing lots of different languages, and you feel really immersed in this melting pot, which is something that I feel very comfortable in, and that I have come to really appreciate,” she explained.
According to the TikToker, Valencia is more homogenous.
Lastly, she misses Toronto’s activism scene.
As someone who champions sustainability, Mandala says she loves that there seem to be a lot of passionate advocacy groups in the city. Since she grew up in Toronto, it’s easier for her to find those organizations.
She says she may not have been in Spain long enough to find those communities.
Despite this, Valencia still wins.
“I really felt like my entire nervous system was a lot more relaxed while being there.”
@kristen.mandala Replying to @Sly Fox III ♬ original sound – kristen 🌞
Mandala isn’t the only Canadian who has preferred a life abroad amid the country’s cost-of-living crisis.
This BC couple shared the cost of living differences after moving to Scotland. Another Canadian woman and her family decided to move back to the US, and she says she won’t miss “spending so much on just breathing the air.”
Have you lived in a city outside of Canada that you prefer more? Email us at [email protected] to share your experience for a possible story.