20 Essential Things You Need To Know Before Moving To Toronto (2026)

Are you moving to Toronto? You are in the right place!

After the great feedback on our moving to Vancouver post, we put together the things we wish we had known about Toronto, with lots of help from the Irish in Toronto and Brits in Toronto Facebook groups. We have now updated every fact and price for 2026.

Many of us come over on a two-year IEC working holiday visa, and it really helps to know something about a new city before you arrive. Toronto and Vancouver are the two most popular places to start an IEC visa. Some people spend a few months in Toronto and then move to Vancouver, or the other way round.

If you want to chat to others making the move, join our moving to Toronto Facebook group.

Okay, enough talk: 20 things you need to know before moving to Toronto

Jump to:

• 1) Sort your clothes before you arrive
• 2) Sort out somewhere to stay before you arrive
• 3) Buying alcohol in Toronto
• 4) Public transport is great, and paying is easy now
• 5) You can organise a lot on day one
• 6) Switch to an Ontario driving licence within 60 days
• 7) Sending money to Canada the cheapest way
• 8) Opening a bank account in Toronto
• 9) Planning on buying a house in Toronto? It’s very expensive
• 10) Rent is ridiculously expensive
• 11) Follow the PATH
• 12) Finding a job in Toronto
• 13) How to get a credit card as a newcomer
• 14) You will eat some of the best food of your life
• 15) Expect to tip 15% or more
• 16) Nightlife doesn’t really start until 11pm
• 17) You will quickly find the real “Irish pubs”
• 18) Milk in bags? Why?
• 19) Sort out health cover: OHIP plus private insurance
• 20) Travelling to the USA? Get an ESTA

1) Sort your clothes before you arrive

Once you have your plane ticket and travel insurance for Canada sorted (we use True Traveller, and BestQuote lets you compare IEC policies), it’s time to pack.

If you are moving to Toronto in winter, bring some decent winter clothes. It can get really, really cold. Summer, on the other hand, is the complete opposite: hot and humid.

You can of course pick a lot up when you arrive, but it won’t be cheap. Toiletries are oddly expensive here, so stock up before you leave. There is no Boots or Penneys (Primark) in Canada, so it’s worth doing a shop at home first.

Groceries are pricey too. Bulk Barn is unreal for saving on things like spices, nuts and baking basics.

2) Sort out somewhere to stay before you arrive

Ideally you will have friends who can put you up for a few nights, but that’s not always the case. We would recommend booking somewhere for a few weeks while you settle in. It costs a bit more, but it makes the move a whole lot easier.

A hostel can work for a week or two, or you can find hotels and hostels on Booking.com (expect to pay top dollar for hotels).

Most rentals start on the 1st of the month, though there are exceptions. When you do find a place, it will probably be unfurnished, as most are. Facebook Marketplace is great for picking up furniture cheaply.

3) Buying alcohol in Toronto

Buying alcohol in Ontario used to be strange. For years it was mostly the LCBO, which is run by the government, and The Beer Store. When we first wrote this guide, grocery stores had only just started selling beer, wine and cider.

That has changed a lot. Since autumn 2024, convenience stores, supermarkets and big-box stores can all sell beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink cans. The LCBO is still the place for spirits and a bigger choice.

The drinking age in Ontario is 19.

BlogTO is an excellent resource for everything from restaurants and bars to things to do in Toronto.

4) Public transport is great, and paying is easy now

Don’t worry about getting around. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) runs the subway, streetcars (basically trams) and buses.

When we first wrote this guide, you bought tokens (small coins) at the stations. Tokens were scrapped in 2019. Now you pay one of these ways:

• PRESTO card: a reloadable card you tap on. Adult fare $3.30. Since April 2026, money you load online or in the app shows up instantly (it used to take overnight).
• Tap your debit or credit card or phone: also $3.30.
• Cash: $3.35, with no free transfer.

When you tap, you get a two-hour transfer, so you can hop between routes within two hours without paying again.

Monthly passes ended on 31 August 2026. Instead, from 1 September 2026 there is fare capping: after 47 paid trips in a calendar month, the rest of your rides that month are free. You need to use the same card or phone every time to reach the cap. See the TTC fares page and the fare capping page for details.

You can also rent bikes around the city with Bike Share Toronto, and Uber and Lyft both operate here.

5) You can organise a lot on day one

Our article on what you can do on day one in Canada has you covered. It mentions a few Vancouver things, but it all applies to Toronto too.

Quick summary: get your SIN (Social Insurance Number) first. It’s the nine-digit number you need to work in Canada and access government programmes and benefits. You can apply at the SIN@Landing desk at Toronto Pearson if it’s open when you land, online, or at any Service Canada centre.

Then you can open a bank account, get a SIM card and start job hunting and all that fun stuff.

For buying and selling second-hand stuff, Facebook Marketplace is where everyone goes now.

6) Switch to an Ontario driving licence within 60 days

After moving here, you have 60 days to swap your licence for an Ontario driver’s licence.

If your licence is from a country Ontario has a reciprocal agreement with and you have at least two years’ driving experience, you can usually exchange it straight away. More information is on the Ontario government page.

7) Sending money to Canada the cheapest way

We used CurrencyFair many times to move money, on our working holiday in Australia and when we first moved to Vancouver (it’s how we sent money from Ireland to our new TD accounts). Using a specialist instead of your bank saves you a lot, because banks build a big margin into the exchange rate and may add sending and receiving fees on top.

Today we would point you to Wise, or TorFX for larger amounts (TorFX has no transfer fees; their margin is built into the exchange rate). Our guide on the best ways to send money to Canada compares the options.

Sending money to Canada is easy. Sending it out of Canada can be more of a pain, so check your options before you need to.

8) Opening a bank account in Toronto

You will want a bank account as soon as possible. It’s a simple process and takes about 30 minutes. Some banks will ask you to book a “meeting” and make it all official, offering you this and that.

Shop around for newcomer offers. Banks charge for everything, so a no-fee account is worth having. At the time of writing, TD, RBC and Scotiabank offer around one year with no monthly fee, BMO two years and CIBC up to 24 months for eligible newcomers. These offers are time-limited and have conditions, so check the dates. We compare them in our best bank in Canada guide.

Once your account is open, set up Interac e-Transfer. It’s how everyone in Canada pays rent, splits bills and pays back friends, using just an email address or phone number.

9) Planning on buying a house in Toronto? It’s very expensive

If you plan to stay for good, you may be thinking about buying. The housing market is very competitive and very expensive.

There are also two big rules for newcomers. The federal government has banned most non-Canadians from buying residential property until at least 1 January 2027, with limited exemptions for some work permit holders. And Ontario charges a 25% Non-Resident Speculation Tax on foreign nationals buying homes anywhere in the province, on top of the normal land transfer tax. See the Ontario NRST page.

If you are moving to Toronto permanently, it is wise to wait until you become a permanent resident.

10) Rent is ridiculously expensive

Just like in Vancouver, you can expect to pay a fortune for rent in Toronto.

In September 2026 the average unfurnished one-bedroom in the City of Toronto was about $1,973 a month, and Downtown is higher. The good news is there is more choice than there used to be: the purpose-built rental vacancy rate was 3% in October 2025.

House sharing is probably your best bet for something cheaper. People will argue over exact prices, but just know that it’s expensive. Some will pay more and some will pay less.

11) Follow the PATH

When you first walk around Downtown Toronto you might say “where is everyone?!” The chances are they are underneath you.

PATH is a huge underground walkway with around 30 kilometres of shopping, services and entertainment and more than 1,200 shops and services. It’s great when it gets to minus 20 in winter.

It feels like a maze at first, but don’t worry, you will get the hang of it. Here’s a little video to give you an idea of what it looks like.

12) Finding a job in Toronto

Chances are you will want some sort of job straight away. People rarely land their dream job right away, so don’t stress if your first job sucks. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones!

Ontario’s minimum wage is $17.95 an hour from 1 October 2026, and there is no lower rate for liquor servers any more. Search the government’s Job Bank as well as Indeed and LinkedIn. Plenty of Facebook groups post jobs too, or ask in our moving to Toronto Facebook group.

One thing we found: recruiters here can be very slow. They expect you to chase them, which isn’t the case in most places around the world.

13) How to get a credit card as a newcomer

When we arrived, TD would only give us a secured card, where you freeze a deposit equal to your credit limit. When we moved from TD to CIBC, we got a normal credit card with no problems and no fees for the first year.

It’s easier now. TD, CIBC, RBC and Scotiabank all offer unsecured credit cards for newcomers with no Canadian credit history, subject to eligibility. Shop around before you decide.

It’s worth having one: booking hotels and car rentals can be a pain without a credit card, and it starts building the credit history you will need for rentals later.

14) You will eat some of the best food of your life

The food in Toronto is incredible! The city is hugely diverse, so you can find pretty much any cuisine you can think of.

If you have yet to try poutine, you need to. It certainly won’t help your waistline, haha. And if you are on the PATH, you will find many, many fantastic places to eat.

15) Expect to tip 15% or more

We moved from Ireland, where tipping was occasional at best. One big adjustment when moving to Toronto is learning that you need to tip, not just for a fancy meal but for nearly everything. Trust us, you will learn quickly what happens if you don’t, haha.

If you don’t have cash, don’t worry. The card machine asks you to add the tip before you put in your PIN. Some might argue that 10% is fine, but 15% and up is the norm. As a result, the service is top-notch (in most cases!).

16) Nightlife doesn’t really start until 11pm

The band starts at 9pm. You arrive to find two other confused people. Two or three hours later everyone turns up, and then, guess what, they stop serving at 2am. Congratulations, you just had your first night out in Toronto, haha.

There are late-night spots after 2am if you know where to look. Ask around.

Don’t worry, you will be taken to a seat by a lovely server. Forget about standing at the bar: it’s just not done.

Also, if you are Irish, people will often confuse you with being English (especially London, it’s the only place they know!). And people don’t really dress up for a night out. It’s just normal clothes, nothing major.

17) You will quickly find the real “Irish pubs”

A lot of pubs in Toronto don’t have much atmosphere, at least compared with home. There are plenty of Irish pubs: in some you will say “aw, this is great!” and in others “what is this place?”

There are great bars in Toronto. It just might take some searching to find one that suits you.

18) Milk in bags? Why?

Nothing better than milk from a bag… not.

Another “what?” moment you will have is when you walk into a supermarket and see a bag of milk. That’s all we have to say on the topic.

19) Sort out health cover: OHIP plus private insurance

Ontario’s public health plan is OHIP. Work permit holders can qualify if they work full-time for an Ontario employer for at least six months, and Ontario has removed the old three-month wait for eligible people. Not every working holiday maker will qualify, especially if you are temping or working part-time, so check the OHIP eligibility page before you rely on it.

Either way, keep your private travel insurance for your whole stay. Your IEC work permit is only issued until your insurance expires, so it matters. Our travel insurance for Canada guide explains what you need.

20) Travelling to the USA? Get an ESTA

Lots of US cities are only a short flight from Toronto. If you travel on a Visa Waiver passport (Irish, UK or Australian, for example), apply for an ESTA on the official US government site a week or two before you go.

An ESTA is not a visa: it’s a travel authorisation that lasts two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. The fee is US$40. Only use the official site, as lookalike sites charge extra.

One more thing: you can no longer activate a new Canadian work permit with a quick trip to the US border (“flagpoling” ended in December 2024). Our IEC FAQ explains the current rules.

Final thoughts on moving to Toronto

We wish you all the best with your move to Toronto. It won’t always be easy, but enjoy the experience.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to join our moving to Toronto Facebook group.

Steve and Sabina

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Rules, fees and rates change; always check the official government website before you apply.