Moving from the UK to Canada feels a little like switching from “tea-and-queues mode” to “snow-and-small-talk mode.”
The accents are familiar-ish, the monarchy is still on the money, and people apologize like it’s an Olympic sport.
So you think you’ll glide right in.
And thenbam. Your first grocery run costs more than your last holiday to Spain, the cashier asks if you want to tip
for someone handing you a muffin, and you realize you’ve been confidently driving on the wrong side of the road
for the last 20 years.
If you’re researching UK to Canada differences (or you’re already a British expat in Canada wondering
why “washroom” sounds like a spa service), here are 12 real-life surprises that tend to hit firstplus how they
play out in everyday living.
1) Canada Is Big. Like, “Oops I Accidentally Booked a 6-Hour Flight” Big.
In the UK, a “long drive” might mean crossing three counties and arguing over who forgot the snacks.
In Canada, you can drive for hours and still be in the same province, staring at the same beautiful trees,
wondering if you’ve somehow entered a wilderness screensaver.
What this changes day-to-day
Weekend trips become a strategy meeting. You learn the difference between “nearby” and “Canadian nearby.”
And you start respecting people who say, casually, “We popped over to the next city,” and it’s a three-hour drive.
2) Weather Isn’t Just Small TalkIt’s a Lifestyle, a Hobby, and Sometimes a Hazard.
The UK does rain like it’s committed to the bit. Canada, depending on where you live, can do
deep winter, humid summers, sudden temperature swings, and snow that arrives like it owns the place.
What surprises a UK mover most
You discover the concept of “proper winter gear,” which is not a cute scarf and good intentions. You learn that
sidewalks can be icy, car doors can freeze shut, and your eyelashes can develop opinions about windchill.
The upside: winter can also be stunningbright, crisp, and weirdly magical when you’re not trying to open a frozen mailbox.
3) Healthcare Feels Familiar… Until You Try to Use It.
A lot of Brits arrive thinking, “Greatanother public system. I get it.” Canada does have publicly funded healthcare,
but it’s organized provincially, and the practical steps can be different than the NHS experience.
The common “wait, what?” moment
You may need to apply for a provincial health card, and some places have waiting periods for new residents.
Many people also carry extra private coverage through work for things that aren’t always fully covered
(think dental, vision, prescriptions, and paramedical services).
Another surprise: navigating primary care. Finding a family doctor can be easy in some areas and tough in others,
and wait times can vary based on where you live and what you need.
4) Sales Tax Is a Sneaky Little Plot Twist.
In the UK, the price you see is generally the price you pay, thanks to VAT being baked in.
In Canada, sales tax often gets added at checkout, and it can differ by province.
So that $4.99 item becomes $5-and-change and your brain goes, “Excuse me, what was the plan here?”
How to stay sane
Mentally add a cushion when you shopespecially at first. And if you’re budgeting as a newcomer,
remember that different provinces handle sales taxes differently (some combine federal and provincial taxes).
5) Tipping Isn’t Optional. It’s Practically a Second Currency.
In much of Canada, tipping norms feel closer to the United States than the UK.
Sit-down restaurants, haircuts, taxis/ridesharestips are expected, and the suggested amounts
can be higher than what many Brits are used to.
The moment you’ll remember forever
The payment terminal flips around with four giant buttons: 18%, 20%, 25%, and “Sell a kidney.”
(Okay, not that last one, but it feels like it.) You hesitate. The server is smiling politely.
You press something. Your British soul leaves your body for a second.
6) You Drive on the Right… and Everything Feels Backwards for a While.
This one sounds obvious, but it’s the kind of obvious that still makes your first week feel like a video game tutorial.
Lane discipline, turning habits, roundabout instincts, and where you look when crossing the street all need recalibration.
Bonus surprise: rules can be provincial
Road rules vary by province. Some things you assume are universal might not belike exactly how certain turns work
or what’s allowed in specific cities. It’s worth reading the local driver handbook even if you’ve driven since the Stone Age.
7) Distances Are Kilometers, Temperature Is Celsius, but People Still Talk in Feet and Pounds.
Canada is officially metric, so you’ll see kilometers, liters, and Celsius. Greatsame as much of Europe.
But everyday conversation can mix in imperial measurements, especially for height, weight, oven temperatures,
and describing a room (“It’s about ten by twelve.” Ten what? Emotional units?).
How it plays out in real life
You learn to be bilingual in measurements. You’ll set your thermostat in Celsius, buy produce by the kilogram,
and then hear someone say they’re “five-ten” and you’ll nod like you didn’t just do math in your head.
8) Banking Has Its Own Personality: Meet Interac and the E-Transfer Culture.
Canadians can move money around domestically with a casual efficiency that feels like magic the first time you see it.
Splitting rent? Paying a friend back? Group gift? E-Transfers are common, and people talk about them like texting.
The “I miss this when I travel” effect
Once you get used to quick digital transfers and debit culture, you’ll wonder why every country
doesn’t make small payments this painless.
9) Your Credit Score Doesn’t Follow You, and the Range Is Different.
Many newcomers learn the hard way: your sparkling UK credit history doesn’t automatically translate.
You might feel financially responsible and still get treated like a mysterious stranger with a trench coat.
What to do early on
Start building Canadian credit as soon as you canoften with a starter card, a phone plan, or a bank product designed
for newcomers. And yes, credit score ranges can differ from what you’ve seen elsewhere, so don’t panic if the numbers
look unfamiliar at first.
10) English Is English… Until Someone Offers You a “Toque” and Tells You the “Washroom” Is Over There.
Canadian English is a fun mash-up: some spellings feel British, some vocabulary feels American, and then there’s a set
of distinctly Canadian terms that appear without warning like polite jump scares.
Mini translation guide
- Washroom = restroom/toilet (not a laundry room, thank you)
- Toque = a knit hat you will absolutely need
- Pop = soda (you’ll adapt, or you’ll stubbornly say “fizzy drink” and suffer)
- Eh = punctuation for friendliness, not a cry for help
Spelling can also be a mixed bag. You may see “colour” and “centre” more often than in the U.S.,
but you’ll also notice American influence in other places. It’s like the language packed two suitcases and brought both.
11) Holidays and Long Weekends Don’t Match Your UK Calendar.
You’ll still get your beloved long weekends, but some of the big dates shift.
Canada Day is July 1. Thanksgiving happens earlier than the U.S. version (and can surprise Brits who aren’t expecting
a turkey moment in autumn).
The real surprise
The holiday rhythm changes your social calendar. You find yourself learning what “Victoria Day weekend” means,
why everyone is suddenly camping, and how certain Mondays become unofficial national moving days.
12) Politeness Is Real, but the Social Vibe Feels More “Open-Plan Friendly” Than “Reserved Polite.”
British politeness can be subtlean art form of understatement, soft diplomacy, and saying “not bad” when you mean “excellent.”
Canadian friendliness often feels a bit more direct. People will chat in elevators, compliment your coat,
and apologize even when you bump into them.
What a UK expat in Canada learns quickly
You don’t have to change who you are. But you may find yourself becoming more conversational in public,
more willing to do neighborly small talk, and more comfortable with friendliness that isn’t coded in sarcasm.
(Don’t worryCanada has sarcasm too. It’s just wearing mittens.)
Final Thoughts: The Best Surprises Are the Ones That Become Normal
The biggest “living in Canada vs UK” lesson is that a shared language doesn’t guarantee shared routines.
Canada can feel familiar and foreign at the same timelike meeting your cousin’s friend who looks like you,
but keeps putting maple syrup on everything.
Give yourself time. The first month is full of tiny culture shocks: taxes added at checkout, tipping prompts, new banking habits,
winter logistics, and words that sound like English but land differently. Then one day you’ll catch yourself saying “toque”
without irony, planning a long weekend like a local, and feeling genuinely at home.
Extra: of Real-Life “UK to Canada” Experiences (The Stuff No One Warns You About)
Let’s talk about the emotional side of movingbecause culture shock isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s just…
continuous mild confusion, sprinkled with joy.
The first few weeks, you may feel weirdly confident. You can read all the signs. You can order in English.
You can understand most accents. Then you hit your first “systems day”: you try to set up a phone plan,
open a bank account, and figure out what paperwork you need, all before lunch. By 2 p.m., you’ve spoken to three customer service agents,
learned a new acronym every ten minutes, and realized adulthood is just collecting IDs with different fonts.
Then there’s winter. Not the Pinterest winterthe practical winter. The winter where you discover why boots have “traction ratings,”
why people own windshield scrapers like they’re family heirlooms, and why everyone has strong opinions about layering.
You’ll also have a moment when you step outside and the cold feels so sharp your face briefly forgets how to be a face.
But you’ll also get the rewards: crisp blue skies, city lights reflecting on snow, and that cozy satisfaction of coming home to warmth
like you’ve earned it.
Socially, Canada can be refreshingly easy. A neighbor might welcome you with a smile and a quick chat.
Someone might tell you where to get the best coffee without making you prove you’re worthy.
That said, making close friends can still take timeespecially in big cities where everyone is busy.
The trick is consistency: join a class, show up to the same community thing twice, become a familiar face.
(Canada loves familiar faces. It’s like a national hobby.)
Food is another slow-burn surprise. You might miss specific UK comfortscertain biscuits, crisps, the exact right kind of sausage.
But you also discover new staples: poutine when you need carbs and joy, better-than-expected international food in diverse neighborhoods,
and grocery aisles that feel like a field trip. Over time, your “I miss home” cravings become less frequent, and your new favorites grow quietly.
And here’s the weirdest part: you’ll change in small ways you don’t notice until later. You’ll stop calling it “going to the loo” in public.
You’ll start mentally converting distances without thinking. You’ll learn which coat is for which temperature. You’ll realize you’ve become the person
who gives other newcomers advicekindly, confidently, and with the exact tone of someone who once tipped 25% by accident and lived to tell the tale.