If you’re someone who’s been enjoying the pandemic for its waves of isolation and forced solo time, you’re probably an introvert. Luckily, lone wolf, Canada is the best place for people like you.
Researchers in the UK recently looked at four main factors to determine the best places for introverts to live, including people per square metre, Wi-Fi speed, the average annual salary and monthly rent costs. All things that people who like to spend time alone value. But you know that.
If you’ve ever left Southern Ontario or the Lower Mainland in BC, you know how quickly the population density thins out. We’ve got a lot of untouched space here.
The study, which was done by Merchant Machine, a UK-based payment processing company, found that while Canada didn’t have the lowest number of people per square metre or the cheapest rent, it did have the fastest Wi-Fi. So, by taking the averages against the other countries, it was able to earn itself the title spot.
According to the data, Canada has four people per square metre, whereas Australia, the country that ranked second on the list, only has three. Australia might be more appealing for its glorious weather, too, but its Wi-Fi is shit. They get 56mbps whereas Canadians, on average, have access to 145mbps.
Australia’s average annual salary is also more than $10,000 what Canadians earn, but cost of living is also significantly more. The average rent, according to this data, in Australia is $1,208 per month, whereas in Canada it’s $1,027. Still, find me a livable one-bedroom place for $1,000 in a major Canadian city and I’ll find you dozens of people ready with first and last month’s rent ready as a downpayment.
Following behind Canada and Australia are Iceland, Russia and Finland. None of which sound particularly appealing either, given the long winters each country experiences, though Finland did have the second highest annual salary ($33,839) and the second lowest rent ($892), so it’s got that going for it.
Truthfully, though, when you look around, we’ve got it pretty good here in Canada—ketchup chips; universal health care; the Rockies; Mary Brown chicken; oceans on three of our four sides—whether you’re an introvert or not.
