United Kingdom vs Canada: take-home pay compared
This is a frequent check for UK professionals eyeing Canadian immigration through Express Entry or a work permit, and for Canadians looking the other way. Canada's figures below are federal-only, and provincial tax is the single biggest variable in the real answer.
Net salary side by side
Figures are calculated using this site's own tax engine for each country - click through to the full calculator to adjust for your exact situation.
| Gross salary | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom net/mo | 🇨🇦 Canada net/mo |
|---|---|---|
| 40,000 / 65,000 | £2,693/mo (19.2%) | C$4,413/mo (18.5%) |
| 55,000 / 90,000 | £3,538/mo (22.8%) | C$6,077/mo (19.0%) |
| 75,000 / 120,000 | £4,505/mo (27.9%) | C$8,064/mo (19.4%) |
| 100,000 / 160,000 | £5,713/mo (31.4%) | C$10,581/mo (20.6%) |
"Gross salary" is shown in each country's own currency at matching nominal amounts, not currency-converted - useful for comparing two job offers quoted in local currency. Effective rate shown in brackets.
Canada's federal-only rate looks flat and mild; the province is the real story
Canada's federal effective rate hardly shifts across this whole range (18.5% to 20.6%), because the bands are wide and the top rate only bites well above $220,000. Provincial tax then adds another 5 to 10-plus points, and it swings hard: Alberta has no provincial sales tax and comparatively mild income tax, while Quebec charges markedly higher combined provincial rates. Anyone weighing a Canadian offer should nail down the province before comparing figures.
The UK's allowance taper is the opposite kind of wrinkle
Where Canada's complexity is about geography (which province), the UK's is about income. The personal allowance taper between £100,000 and £125,140 produces a 60% effective marginal rate over that stretch, a UK-only quirk with no Canadian counterpart. Outside that band, UK rates are fairly predictable nationwide, unlike Canada's province-by-province patchwork.
Frequently asked questions
On federal tax alone Canada shows a lower effective rate right across this range (18.5% to 20.6% against the UK's 19.2% to 31.4%), but you have to add provincial tax (typically 5 to 10-plus points depending on province) for a real comparison. Alberta-based roles tend to keep Canada ahead at most levels, while Quebec-based ones narrow or close the gap.
Quebec carries the heaviest combined federal-plus-provincial burden and would sit closest to, or above, UK effective rates at similar income. Alberta is the lightest and would leave Canada clearly ahead of the UK at most salaries.
Express Entry and the various work permit streams are open to UK applicants, and UK qualifications are generally well regarded. That said, licensed professions like medicine, law and engineering often still require extra Canadian certification whatever your UK credentials.
No, these are nominal take-home figures with no purchasing-power adjustment. Housing in Toronto and Vancouver is broadly comparable to London, while other Canadian cities cost considerably less.