Hi Sam, I have a few colleagues who are from Halifax. They say it is a windy and moderate size city. People are friendly and laid back when compared to cities in the US. Rental aparments are mostly old building and won't have modern facilities like dish washer and stuff.
It's a smaller city, but it has all modern facilities that any other Canadian city would have; note well that Halifax is the capital of Atlantic provinces, so don't see is just like a tiny city. There is a beautiful harbour and many tourists visit it in summer times and there's a lot of fun going on during summer time. You get plenty of fresh seafood and fish at the harbour area (it's called waterfront).
Living costs are almost the same as it's in Toronto and Ottawa; food prices are a bit high, but the difference is small. Halifax has been expanded a lot over the past 10 years and you can buy/rent good homes outside the city and it's a calm area.
Winters are a bit mild, but expect many snowstorms and high winds. Summers are warm, but not as bad as Ottawa. Overall, Nova Scotia's weather is better than Ontario, but that's my personal view.
