I moved to Canada from the US when I was about 40 (over twenty years ago). Only in the last few years have I encountered the pain of paying lots more here for tools and equipment, since I hadn't undertaken big-ticket purchases for a long time. On average, the tax burden in the US and Canada and the health care costs in both countries are comparable. The distribution of health care in Canada is a lot more equitable than in the US; sadly, the main rationing method in Canada is not "can you pay" but "can you wait". Either one can kill you. UK seems to be doing a lot better on wait times, but I don't know about general health outcomes.
Over the past couple of years, the Canadian dollar has appreciated a lot so it is very close to par (was briefly above par) with the US dollar. Even so, some items cost easily 50% more here. I wanted a wood lathe that isn't normally marketed in Canada; $2k in the US and over $3k estimated delivered price to me. Shipping, customs brokerage, etc. was going to double the price of a vacuum pump from the Surplus Center. I want a Markham grapple rake (see, I managed to get back to tractors!!), which is maybe $1200 in NC, but I suspect it will nearly double in price to get it into my hands...unless I want to drive to a delivery point in the US.
Maybe it is shipping cost from a distribution center in the US, but my curmudgeonly nature leads me to suspect somebody is skinning us Canadian consumers.
BOB