I am European and have lived in both USA and Canada. Since I am on this subreddit, you can take a guess where I live now and where I plan to stay for a while :). I’ll compare between WA and BC since that’s where I spent most of my time on both sides.
You say that you hate Canadian taxes and some of its social infrastructure. My question would be: have you actually looked at the US tax structure? US and Canadian federal tax brackets are very similar. In fact the US has higher federal tax brackets in the upper range. Where you really gain an advantage money-wise is states with no income tax and/or because they pay higher wages for your profession (which can be significantly higher for sure).
Have you looked at the practical non-existence of their “social” infrastructure? A state like Washington has no state income tax. Yay. At what cost? Super rundown neighborhoods and roads, everything being sad to look at outside of certain bubbles like Microsoft’s surroundings etc. City of Medina where both Gates and Bezos live has budget issues… Driving in Seattle proper makes Vancouver roads seem like the F1 track quality.
Property tax in King County (Seattle) is 1.05%. That’s 3x the property tax rate in Vancouver, BC.
Public transit isn’t a thing in America. Right now, I walk downstairs and take the train to wherever I want to.
My coworker’s wife was a school teacher in Seattle. They had active shooter drills as part of normal school days. This specifically made me really wonder if that’s the life I wanted to be a part of.
Not saying what is better, but just saying that it isn’t as simple as looking at 3-4 things and wondering why stay in Canada. There is a lot more to it.
Why am I in Canada, despite earning less money and having shittier healthcare? Quality of life, diversity, less crazy politics, better social safety net, less guns and almost non-existent publicly visible gun culture, less obsession with religion and what women can and can’t do etc.
Would I be in Canada if I was earning less than enough to afford life in Vancouver? No, but I wouldn’t be in the US either at that point. Amsterdam ftw :).
Like that top comment says: try it out and see for yourself. Move there and re-evaluate how you feel after a year. That’s the best way to know what you really want long term.
And yes, I still keep my US credit cards cause Canadian cards suck. Gotta make the best of both worlds, right?