An Illustrative Move Budget for an SA Family of Four

“Just tell me a number.” It’s the question every family asks eventually, and it’s also the one no honest source can answer directly, because the real figure depends on decisions only your household can make. What follows is an illustrative move budget for a SA family of four instead — built to show the buckets rather than hand you a total.

Before you leave South Africa

Moving money out legally runs through South African Reserve Bank exchange control. As at early 2026, the single discretionary allowance sits at R1 million per adult per calendar year, rising to R2 million once the 2026 circular takes effect. Above that, the foreign capital allowance requires a SARS Tax Compliance Status pin confirming good standing. A couple moving savings out together can, in principle, combine two individual allowances — worth confirming the current figures and your own situation with a registered tax practitioner before you move anything.

Settlement funds, sized to the family

Express Entry’s proof-of-funds requirement scales with family size, and the published amount changes periodically — check the current figure on IRCC’s site rather than a number you saw last year. Plan a buffer above whatever that threshold is. A rand-denominated balance assessed in Canadian dollars can drop below the requirement through currency movement alone, at the worst possible moment.

What one salary actually nets

For a household of four settling in Ontario, illustrative estimates built from published 2026 tax and payroll figures suggest a single earner on a $90,000 salary keeps roughly $67,000 after CPP, EI and income tax — around $5,600 a month, before rent, groceries or a car. That’s an estimate accurate to roughly plus or minus a couple of percent rather than a promise, and it assumes no dependants’ credits or RRSP contributions. Run your own numbers on the CRA’s free Payroll Deductions Online Calculator once you have a real offer in hand.

Add in that most Canadian prices exclude sales tax at the shelf — 13% HST in Ontario — plus a customary 15–20% tip at restaurants, both habits that catch South Africans off guard, since VAT is already included in SA shelf prices.

The lines people under-budget

The biggest budget lines for a SA family emigrating are rarely the obvious ones. Health coverage gaps top the list. Land somewhere with a waiting period before provincial coverage starts — British Columbia’s runs the rest of your arrival month plus two further months — and you need private newcomer insurance for that whole window, with every family member’s clock potentially starting on a different date depending on when each of you is assessed as resident. Dental, vision and prescription drugs outside hospital generally aren’t covered by provincial plans at all for working-age adults, so factor an employer benefits plan, or its absence, into what a job offer is genuinely worth.

How to use these numbers

Treat this as a running total example for a South African household move, built from public rates and reasonable assumptions, rather than a forecast of what your own move will cost. It covers exchange control allowances on the way out, a funds buffer that survives currency movement, a realistic net-income estimate for the province you’re targeting, and an honest line for the health-coverage gap. Swap in your own income and your own province’s tax rates, and the total will look different from anyone else’s, which is exactly why nobody can hand you a single trustworthy figure.

Our What It Really Costs guide breaks the whole journey into categories with a rand-based lens, a better starting point than any single illustrative figure.