Life is harder immigration-wise in the US. Even if you have a clear pathway in your mind and a relatively (surprisingly?) short timeline for getting PR, things

Life is harder immigration-wise in the US. Even if you have a clear pathway in your mind and a relatively (surprisingly?) short timeline for getting PR, things might just not be that smooth - and I believe I speak for many of us who have been through that in the US. A green card process alone, assuming all priority dates current and everything in check, takes about 2 years, let alone the wait time for you to be even eligible for that. It's not that simple. Plus, you can only bring your parents if you're a US citizen, so add 5 years to the 2 years expectation, and their processing time as well. Altogether, we're talking about 10 years for that to happen. The US has amazing opportunities career-wise, though. Obviously, it pays much more than Canada or any country in Europe considering the same job level. Healthcare might also not be "better and faster" or houses "cheaper" than Canada. You excluded SF and NYC but then proceeded to compare with Toronto, which would be the "equivalent" of these two cities in Canada. So that's not a fair comparison. Prices are very much bloated in the US. Everything costs a lot of money so you also make a lot. All in all, it really depends on what you want for your life. Which country do you identify the most in terms of their values (yes, that's a real thing)? Have you met Americans and Canadians? People play a large role in how your life is gonna be day-to-day, so you might benefit from such a perspective. You can probably make money in any first-world country in the world and have more or less the same things (a roof over your head, health, education, quality food). You'll most certainly have more disposable income at the end of the month in the US.