I'm from Ottawa. Moving to the US is definitely a bit of a transition but here area few things that were definite differences.
Personal property taxes: Every year you pay taxes on your motorized vehicles (cars, boats, RVs, etc).
Medical care is something that obviously is very different.
Insurance: There are lots of different kinds of insurance companies and I assume that if you're looking at relocating for work then the company is big enough that insurance is offered. Make sure you look at not only the premiums per pay period but also the deductibles (the amount you spend out of pocket before insurance kicks in), copays (your flat fee for different kinds of doctors and for prescriptions), and coinsurance (a percentage of the cost that you'll pay for different kinds of services). Knowing your family's medical history can help you estimate what your cost for the year will be but obviously that's just an estimate. It's a huge culture shock to suddenly start thinking about cost with every doctor visit but depending on the insurance policy it might be less than you were paying for your provincial taxes which is what paid for your medical costs in Ontario.
Pricing your medical care: Different medical facilities will have different costs. You can save a lot of money by finding urgent care centers in your area so that after hours when your kids get sick (the little stinkers always get sick on the weekend or after hours) you'll be paying doctor's office prices vs ER prices (much cheaper with or without insurance). Also, if you need to have a medical procedure done then you are free to price out different medical facilities for their costs. My insurance company has a cost estimator on their website and I was surprised when DH needed a hernia surgery to see thousands of dollars difference in cost (that would mean hundreds of dollars difference out of my pocket). Medical care really is seen as a service type business and it's in the consumer's best interest to do his homework to get the best care for the best cost, just like any other service.
Prescription coverage: Back when I still lived on Ottawa, the company I worked for was in the minority in that they actually had a prescription discount program. It still wasn't cheap. Many employer based insurance policies include prescription coverage. You can still shop around to different pharmacies to find out about their costs because some prescriptions will be even less than your copay amount and saving a few bucks is always nice. Most pharmacies have lists of medications that they offer at very cheap prices (like $4 or $9 lists). Most insurance companies these days also offer mail order prescriptions for medications that you'll take every month. Using this service is also a money saver.
Waiting lists: I couldn't believe that I didn't have to wait in the waiting room for long and I couldn't believe that I could get in to see some really good specialists in less than 3 months (there are some that I've waited longer for but they're among the nation's top specialists in their fields so they're worth it).
In network: This is a term you want to pay attention to. Insurance companies have negotiated contracts with doctors and medical facilities. These are known as in network doctors and facilities. Most insurance companies allow you to use doctors and medical facilities outside of their network but you'll pay more for them. There are LOTS of doctors and medical facilities that will be in network so it's not like you'll be forced to some sub-standard doctor. My family has a lot of different medical needs and we've been able to see some top doctors, all in network.
Drivers license: Expect to have to take a driving test because you're from out of country.
Credit rating: Hopefully this has gotten better but when I moved to the US back in 1997, my credit from Canada was not recognized. I had the credit of a teenager just starting out. Some mortgage companies will agree to review information that you get from Canada but it's not an easy process and many mortgage companies, at least back then, wouldn't do it. We would have had a much higher rate because of this had we purchased in the first 2 years we were here. Once we passed 2 years our US credit was sufficient to be considered by any mortgage company.
Mortages: Back when I still lived in Ottawa, mortgage rates were locked in for up to 5 years at which time you had to renegotiate. In the US, you lock in a rate (or rate type) for the duration of the mortgage meaning a 30 year mortgage can have the same originally negotiated rate for that full 30 years. You can renegotiate if rates improve but if rates get worse then you just keep your current mortgage.
Sales tax: Each county, city, state can have different sales taxes. You may have weird percentages for sales taxes and driving down the street to a different city within the same metro could result in a different tax rate. Tax rates have to potential to change from year to year as well due to bond that the city can vote for to raise money for specific things. These bonds can range from I think 1 year to 10 years at which time that bond amount is supposed to be reduced.
Kindergarten: I'm not sure about all districts, but the two areas I've lived in have not offered public junior K. Heck, my district only started public regular K a couple years ago. Public K can vary a lot between districts. Some do half day, some do 3 full days, some do full time and I assume there are other types as well that I'm just not thinking of at the moment.
That's all I can think of at the moment.
