How Living in Toronto (Slowly) Burns You Out Mentally | Financial & Social Issues

In this video, I get into how living in Toronto can mentally burn you out. Having spent over 10 years in the city, I've noticed the gradual toll it takes on mental health. While my priorities have evolved, Toronto's lifestyle has remained largely unchanged.

I discuss the financial challenges of living in Toronto, where even a six-figure salary from a 9-5 job doesn't seem to be enough to strive out here due to soaring inflation and high living costs. I explore the intense competition and career pressure, which add to the mental strain. I also address the exhausting traffic and long commutes, and the difficulty in maintaining social connections due to the city's vast size. While Toronto has its pros and cons, everyone's experience is subjective.

I'll see you all in the next one,
-Frank
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🕒 TIMELINE
0:00​​​​​​​​​​ INTRO
1:50 FINANCIAL
4:00 COMPETITION & PRESSURE
6:22 TRAFFIC & COMMUTING
8:11 PROXIMITY & SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
10:28​​​​​​​​​​ CONCLUSION
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TAGS:
#toronto #movingtotoronto #canadahousing #canada #canadajobs #torontoculture #realestate #canadanews #canadalife #costoflivingincanada #ontariorealestatemarket #ontario

[FrankHuynh]

Question: How do you feel about living in Toronto over the last few years?

[alextrip]

Moving far away from Toronto was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Grow a pair and move out too. You can love Toronto all you want, but it will never love you back, it will chew you up and spit you out into homelessness or give you life changing injuries.

[vanillacoke]

It's an over-rated city. Thinks it's a global elite city like LA, NY, Paris, London, etc. But has none of the economic/job opportunities of those* cities, but has the inflated prices.

[sunsetfromvenus]

I was born and raised here, I’ve never lived anywhere else. I feel like Toronto used to feel like a small town, everyone knew each other and no one outside of Canada even really knew about it. But since it’s grown into a big grown up internationally known city it’s trying to be something it’s not. Like the nerd in high school who started hanging out with the cool kids and started dressing and acting different all of a sudden and forget who his real friends are

[retrogamer]

Cost of living, traffic, never ending construction, homelessness, drug addiction, crime just to name a few

[CowboyPants-hp]

Born in Toronto 1953, lived in the area all my life. In 2019, I the wife and I retired and moved to rural Nova Scotia. We've never had so much spending money in our lives. We have zero debt and zero stress. We LOVE it out here SO

[sophiewalsh]

I live in Hamilton and go to school in Mississauga but have no car, so I take Go transit. I’m in fourth year now and I feel like I’m collapsing. I can’t stand it anymore. I used to be more school focussed and school was all I cared about when I was younger, but I’ve grown and changed and now I care more about my health, having time to workout, having time to cook and grow some of my own produce, having time to spend on my relationship. I have my internship semester coming up in the fall, and I need 420 hours of work in a writing or publishing job in order to get my degree, but I’ve been applying to places all semester and I’ve heard nothing back. It’s getting really bleak. Most of the jobs are in Toronto and would require a 2.5-3 hour commute in one direction for me. I can’t do that and maintain the life I have, not even just for one semester. I can’t afford to move to Toronto either. Most of the internships are unpaid, too, or if they are, they pay an honorarium which comes down to less than minimum wage. But again, I’m in fourth year and I need this in order to graduate, and without my degree, I really can’t do much at all. I’m just having a tough time with that and Toronto housing costs and the traffic issue just make me feel insane. I don’t want to sacrifice my relationship, my health, my joy, and my life savings in order to work a job for free, or at best, minimum wage, in a city that although can be very interesting and beautiful, i won’t even have the time or energy to explore.

[amymarieca]

I’ve lived in Toronto for 17 years and I’m moving to a small town next month. I couldn’t be happier with my decision. I love Toronto, but you are right- it mentally wears you down!

[natj-vs]

It’s all Canadian big cities, if not all big cities everywhere in the world. I’ve lived in Vancouver for 13 years, moving back home to Mexico at the end of the week. We’re done with the soul-sucking place that Vancouver has become. As a woman, I feel safer in Mexico than I ever do walking alone in Vancouver with needles, homeless people high chasing me before, screaming and yelling, and the random stabbings. Healthcare is a joke, housing is a joke, the job market is nonexistent if you’re looking for anything you could try to call a career. Education system is captured. And the Canadian government has proven they will grasp at power and control no matter what party is at the top. Leave while you can. We worked our behinds off and saved up for 3 years just so we can leave.

[Happy..Laura..]

Great video Frank. You nailed it right on the head about GTA/Toronto lifestyle burnout. It does make one think about how we want to spend our precious life minutes. Keep up the great content!

[jptrainor]

Toronto is a hell hole. Face it Toronto. I've lived in big cities and small cities in Canada and for short periods in Europe. Toronto takes the cake. It's unlivable. Even just having to drive through on the 401 is miserable.

[RealAmarSheth]

Frank: this is an incredibly well thought out and articulate video. I've never seen you - glad the algo brought me here.

You've hit the nail on so many issues.

Your transformation from an "old" version of yourself to a new one is great to see.

Be happy. Wish you the best.

[CameraDiscipleJosh]

Let me tell you my story.

I'm 25 and live in Mississauga (just next door west of Toronto, still in the GTA). I currently work at Home Depot which thankfully is extremely close to my apartment in Mississauga. 5 minutes via e-scooter (funny enough they're legal here in Sauga but not Toronto). Alternatively it's a 1-3 minute bus ride or if I wanted to on a nice day it'd be a 15-20 minute walk. Work life balance is excellent. I get hour lunches so I can come home to chill, eat or even take a short nap and feel refreshed.

I always used to have FOMO because I wasn't in the "heart of it all". People online used to talk down on me just because I wasn't from Toronto.

That made me very insecure about where I live and it made me wish "I had it all". That I'm young, I need the rush, I need to get ahead.

Don't get me wrong. Being in a big city (aside from the high cost of living) I feel would inspire one to be more competitive simply because you're surrounded by people who are on their hustle and grind. That energy is contagious.

Now with me struggling mentally with depression, anxiety and other stuff, I'm EXTREMELY grateful to be where I am in Mississauga. Especially where I live with my mom and our apartment is $1433/month for rent.

Especially with my job being in extremely close proximity to home, I feel quite content here.

Maybe I don't need to have that FOMO because trying to be in the heart of it all has a great cost.

Don't get me wrong tho, I love going to Toronto for "staycations" and make sure I visit. I don't wanna go too much because I'd get bored of it.

[Sitaaraa]

You did a great job summarizing life in Toronto as a young professional. I used to commute 2 hrs each way when i worked in Toronto. Ive since moved to a smaller town and now i get to work in 13 mins. I gwt so much more time with my family! I would never go back.

[chopaface]

Let me adjust that question for myself: How do I feel about living in Toronto for all my life?

I feel like life is meaningless. Work just dulls the pain temporarily. I am so desperate to leave. Toronto are where the jobs are at… everywhere else feels so shitty. I am in a better position compared to others without a support system.

[TonyMontanaDS]

Left 15 years ago and never looked back. There's a whole world outside the city.

[kevin]

I rented a condo downtown in Cityplace for a year and a half working from home. My life felt mundane, predictable and I wasn’t saving any money. I decided to end my lease at the end of last year, moved back with my parents and then went down to Medellin Colombia for a few months to work remotely, where my dollar goes 3x as far, the weather is actually nice all year and it is easier to meet people and engage in social activities. Sure you trade a little bit of safety, but the quality of life is substantially better. With the poor weather, bad traffic and lack of community in Toronto, I can’t justify paying as much as I was to live there

[depressedkermit]

Born and raised in Canada. I work full time and a house is 100% out of the question. It’s sad that entire generations are going to miss out on home ownership just so they can rent a tiny space for a ridiculous amount.

So many factors here for this I just know whatever the government is currently doing is only making it worse. Importing so many people from one country also didn’t help our housing situation. I’m not blaming immigrants but the government that allowed so many to come in at once while we have non existent infrastructure and services.

[lulo]

I work two jobs to make over 100k, that still only puts me in a situation where I can afford to rent a run down apartment and a car. Any extra that I am able to save I had to pay it back in taxes as the goons in the hill claim I made too much money. You can't win no matter what you do. Canada is finished! Moving to another city thinking it will be better is delusional. Leaving this country is the only way to save your sanity and attain a better quality of life. No change will ever happen in Canada until a complete overhaul of the establishment takes place. Libs and PC are the same.

[alic]

I m born and raised in and live in Toronto and this is the most honest realistic perspective I have seen so far your humour made it so relatable thank you 🙏🏾 ❤