A Ukrainian Refugee Shared His Thoughts About Housing Prices In Canada & Just Ouch (VIDEOS)

"Little bit — just a little bit — unreasonable."

Semion showing his condo. Right: Semion speaking.

Semion showing his condo. Right: Semion speaking.

Senior Writer

As most people in the country know, buying a house in Canada these days can cost more than a pretty penny, and a newcomer to the country is finding that out the hard way.

Semion Kremeniuk, a self-described Ukrainian refugee in Canada, runs the TikTok account @newcanadians, where he recently documented the struggle.

"I went online to the site called realtors.ca," Semion explains in the video. "I'm a Ukrainian who's been to Canada for four weeks and I thought I might consider buying a house here in some future."

"I hear you laughing," he adds.

He then shows some pictures of his condo in Ukraine, which has six rooms and he says would sell for about CA$300,000 right now with the war going on.

"Will I be correct if I say that for $300,000 Canadian I would be able to afford approximately... nothing?" he asks.

Ouch!

"So tell me if I'm complaining again or housing prices in Canada are little bit — just a little bit — unreasonable."

@newcanadians

Is it just me or there are too many zeros in those price tags??? #canada_life🇨🇦 #refugees #Canada #Ukraine #realestate #housing

In a follow-up video, Semion says that he checked out people's suggestions on TikTok and looked into homes in Winnipeg and Alberta.

"We have the same fact in Ukraine: The more distant a place from the big cities, the cheaper it is," he explains.

He then hit the audience with a pretty accurate take on the whole situation.

"But it seems like you guys adding one more aspect to this formula. The colder it is — the longer it's cold in this area — the cheaper it is," he says. "It's sad."

He did note that after a few minutes of searching, he found some beautiful properties in Alberta and Winnipeg.

"Even more in Saskatchewan, as I understood. Did I say it right?" he says while sounding the province out a few times. "It's a funny word."

"What do you think is a perfect balance between distance from big city, temperature or weather, and cost?"

@newcanadians

Reply to @moontimehowler #canada_life🇨🇦 #refugees #Ukraine #Canada #realestate #housing

These videos are just the latest in Semion's observations about Canada.

In previous posts, he describes his confusion about milk in bags, his understanding of hockey, and how the smell of weed in downtown Toronto makes him uneasy.

  • Senior Writer

    Sarah Rohoman (she/her) was a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. She has worked at BuzzFeed Canada, Yahoo Canada, and CBC Radio in news, lifestyle, ecommerce, and social media. She has an MA in Journalism from Western University and a BA from McGill. She loves libraries, alpacas, and all things witchy.

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