Quality of life, firm productivity, and the value of amenities across Canadian cities

We estimate qualityoflife and productivity differences across Canada's metropolitan areas in a hedonic generalequilibrium framework. These are based on the estimated willingnesstopay of heterogeneous households and firms to locate in various cities, which differ in their wage levels, housing costs, and land values. Using 2006 Canadian Census data, our metropolitan qualityoflife estimates are somewhat consistent with popular rankings, yet find Canadians care more about climate and culture. Quality of life is highest in Victoria for anglophones, Montreal for francophones, and Vancouver for allophones, and lowest in more remote cities. Toronto is Canada's most productive city; Vancouver is the overall most valuable city.