With such salary for a family of 4 in GTA, almost all saving is out of question. Why?
1. You need to count app. 25k just for renting an apartment there (or a basement). Incorrect- I really don't know from where you're getting this data. I have a luxury condo rented (swimming pool/locker room/ensuite laundry/billiards room/theatre room/a terrific gym/covered parking spot and even a condo park for my kids to play soccer !). I pay $1950, inclusive of hydro for a 2 bedroom condo (1850 to be precise as I rented my parking spot) in Scarborough with the closest subway 2 mins away (McCowan subway station on Line 4). Now I don't need anything more, and don't reckon any newcomer needs.
2. So with that you have 45k for 4 people - which is 11300 per person. Incorrect again- A person with $65k salary annually gets circa 49-50k. which is circa$ 5,400 per month.
3. That is app. 941 per person and month. That is not much. Please see above.
4. From that you have to run your internet / cable tv bill; electricity bill (hydro) which is most of the time not included into the renting bill); communing or car gas bills; food; medicaments (if needed); purchase of cloths or other small things (like applicances); phone bills; school expenses for children
Firstly, school is free in Ontario. TV shows are free if you have stable internet - I pay $60 to Bell for unlimited internet for 300Mbps, and watch Amazon Prime (leveraging my Indian account)/Roku TV (which has over 2500 channels) etc
And the moment one parent is unemployed those savings that you cannot manage will hit you hard. I don't think so at all- my spouse is unemployed now and plan to study- use OSAP, if possible.
Also every time something bigger is needed to be purchased Isn't that the case everywhere?
Car? (and yes even it GTA, you can have a situation where your work does not have any public transport access). No way to buy a new one without borrowing money for it I live in Scarborough, and can proudly say I rely on public transport to get to my office in Downtown Toronto (in 30-45 minutes). It costs me $3 one-way which isn't much.
Flight tickets to visit your former country? Another hole in the budget. Unless if it's an emergency, most newcomers wouldn't want to visit their home country-
So yes after like 10 years on such salary in GTA you will be exactly in the same step 1 where you were.
And yes you can object that you will have a minimalistic approach (which can only last until something unexpected will happen). Then you will spend your days and night counting every cent you spend, watching as your life will pass by.