[nkassis]

I do take home a lot more than I would in the Canada. Cost of living in the US isn't 2x Canada but salaries for tech jobs are (And keep in mind that was a while back, it's now more than that). Health is covered by my employer, I pay nothing directly for it. (Definitively not the majority of cases, most people have some amount of contributions to it). But if I had stayed in Quebec I'd have been in the top bracket and paying a huge chunk in taxes. Even as I live in a state with high social programs (MA).

So to conclude, if you are in a field like tech, medicine, finance you will be significantly better off in the US than Canada. Other fields with similar income levels between Canada and the US I'd say Canada will offer a better standard of living.