When it comes to best cities in Canada in which to live, North Bay sits just below the middle of the pack. MoneySense magazine says the city ranks 255th out of 417 communities it examined to determines this year’s placings. North Bay’s median family income salary is lower than the incomes founds in West Nipissing, Sudbury, Timmins, Timiskaming Shores and Sault Ste. Marie. The median income in North Bay is $62,750, almost $3,000 less than the median income in West Nipissing. In Sudbury the median income jumps to $78,956. North Bay also has the highest unemployment rate and most crimes per 1,000 people among communities surveyed in the northeast. Regarding taxes, North Bay had the second lowest average property tax at $1,885, right behind West Nipissing which has the lowest average property tax at $1,405. Sudbury has the highest average property tax of the communities surveyed at $2,198. MoneySense considers several factors when determining the rankings including the economy, mobility and health and safety. Weather is another factor the publication considers when making its rankings. Among the top cities were Ottawa and several communities in British Columbia and Quebec. In the northeast, although North Bay finished ahead of West Nipissing and the Sault, it was behind Greater Sudbury which was 169th on the list, Timiskaming Shores which placed 173rd and Timmins which found itself in 225th place.
