What does emigrating to Canada cost?
Answer three questions and you get an honest range for your situation. For every item it says whether it's a checked rate or an estimate. The application is clearly priced. The money is in the ocean in between and in the car you leave behind here.
Looking for the whole route to Canada, not just the costs? See the steps, the order and the paperwork →
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 13.800 – € 34.300
Where does that difference come from?
- Selling the car and buying again€ 3.000 – € 12.000
- Buffer until the first income€ 6.000 – € 12.000
Below you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 2.000 – € 2.700
- De verhuizing
- € 3.300 – € 12.900
- De eerste maanden
- € 8.500 – € 18.700
Every item, one by onePer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Permanent residence application fees€ 1.000 – € 1.200
- Biometrics€ 55 – € 60
- Educational credential assessment (ECA)(estimate)€ 200 – € 350
- Language test€ 250 – € 650
- Medical examination€ 300 – € 400
- Certificate of conduct, certificates and apostilles€ 70 – € 200
De verhuizing
- Flights(estimate)€ 350 – € 900
One way from Amsterdam to Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. The amount depends on when you book: far ahead outside the season is the bottom, last minute in summer the top. The west coast is structurally higher than the east coast.
- Selling the car and buying again(estimate)€ 3.000 – € 12.000
A car bought in Europe cannot enter Canada. It does not meet Canadian safety standards, and there is no exception for immigrants; only vehicles fifteen years and older are allowed. So the car stays here, and in most provinces you need one again straight away. The range runs from a cheap second-hand car to a solid family car. What your Dutch car fetches comes straight off again.
De eerste maanden
- Health insurance until your provincial cover starts(estimate)€ 0 – € 700
The amount depends on the province, because provincial health insurance does not start immediately everywhere. A treaty route via the CAK, the Dutch body for health care in a treaty country, does not exist for Canada. In British Columbia it takes the rest of your arrival month plus two months; the province itself advises a private policy for that period. Quebec has a waiting period of up to three months. Ontario and Alberta no longer have that waiting period. The range therefore runs from zero (Ontario or Alberta) to a policy of almost three months for the whole family.
- Deposit, temporary accommodation and furnishing(estimate)€ 2.500 – € 6.000
Without a Canadian credit history, landlords ask for a higher deposit or a guarantor. The rules differ per province. In Ontario a damage deposit is prohibited and only the last month's rent may be asked in advance. In British Columbia half a month's rent is allowed, plus possibly the same amount again as a pet deposit. On top of that come temporary accommodation until you have a home, and the first furnishing while your container is still on its way.
- Buffer until the first income(estimate)€ 6.000 – € 12.000
Count on several months of fixed costs before a salary comes in. Canada already asks you at the application stage to show that you can support yourself: well over CAD 15,000 for a single person up to well over CAD 28,000 for a family of four. That money may not be borrowed. That requirement is also a good rule of thumb for your real buffer.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 2 to 5% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 5.000 to € 12.500.
The percentage depends on the province. Canada has no federal transfer tax, but it does have a land transfer tax per province. In Toronto a municipal one comes on top of the provincial. Add to that a notary or lawyer, title insurance (which covers you against defects in the ownership) and an inspection. Together 2 to 5%, with Ontario and British Columbia at the top end.
Note: buying isn't simply allowed here
This is the most important rule, and it is temporary. The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act bars non-Canadians from buying a home in the urban areas until 1 January 2027. Those are precisely the areas people move to. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are outside it. There are also exceptions for some work permit holders who meet residence and tax filing conditions. So do not assume you can buy while your permit is not yet settled.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 16 August 2026.
Ready to get started with Canada?
The whole journey in the right order, with your documents, your costs and all your cancellation letters. € 499 one-off, no subscription.
Also want to know whether your departure date is feasible, and where you start? Take the departure scan for Canada →
One thing you can sort out today
Closing down the Netherlands is the same work for everyone, wherever you're going. With the letter pack you enter your details once, and every cancellation and notification letter is ready: health insurance, rent, employer, bank, pension fund. Each comes with the date by which it has to go out. € 49 one-off, and it's also included in every plan.
In Vertrekklaar you get the complete picture of your own costs, with your route, your documents and your deadlines.
From range to your own budget
The calculator above works with three questions, but the journey itself knows more. In Vertrekklaar the same model calculates on your real situation: how many family members, which household contents, which province. And it watches the deadlines that start running after your invitation. A one-off € 499, no subscription.
Leaving with AOW or a pension? Compare how countries tax your pension
Every step on one list, free
Not ready to start yet? Then you get the departure checklist for Canada: every step in order, to print and tick off. With it, five mails in a week and a half about the pitfalls and the real costs. If the rules for Canada change, you'll hear about it. After that we ask once where your plans stand, send one offer, and now and then one thing that fits your moment. No newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
Ready to begin?
64 journeys are fully ready: your step-by-step plan, your documents and your costs in one place, and the plan keeps an eye on your deadlines. You pay once, and then it's yours.