Your Questions Answered: Moving to Prince Edward Island
Whether you're curious about navigating the healthcare system, finding affordable daycare, understanding private school options, or locking down a rental from afar, here are the most common questions we hear from people planning a move to PEI — along with honest, practical answers.
This blog post was taken from the live discussion which can be listened to here
Healthcare on PEI
Healthcare is by far the most common concern we hear from people considering a move to the island. Like much of Canada, finding a family doctor here takes some patience — but there are systems in place to help. There really are no tricks, it’s not about who you know - it’s just about time and sometimes some luck.
The first step is to register with the provincial patient registry. When a doctor has openings in their practice, they draw from this list. It's not instant, but it's the only starting point.
Moving tip: Renew your prescriptions before you leave - Before your move, get all prescriptions refilled for the coming year and transferred to a pharmacy near your new home. This buys you time to get to know the local system without running out of medication.
If you're currently seeing a specialist — a cardiologist, neurologist, paediatrician — ask them to send a referral to a counterpart on PEI before you move. This can help keep your care continuous and avoids re-entering waiting lists from scratch.
A few things worth knowing: cardiac cases are typically referred to Saint John, NB, and neurosurgical consultations go to Moncton. PEI does have a neurologist, but not a neurosurgeon. I have had a neurosurgeon in Moncton for 3 years now while I have been waiting for my referral to make it to the top of the pile in PEI to see the neurologist (still in May 2026). This is simply part of how healthcare is organized for smaller provinces.
Daycare and the $10/Day Program
PEI participates in the national $10/day childcare program. To access this rate, you'll need a spot at a provincially registered childcare centre. Home-based or unregistered providers typically won't offer the subsidized rate. The typical daily rate for child care in a home-based day care is around $35/day, from what I have heard.
If you have a space at one of the registered centres, the subsidy goes directly to the centre, and you simply pay $10 per day. The waitlists can be competitive in some areas, so it's worth getting your name in early — before you even arrive, if possible. If you put your name on the provincial registry for day care, you must log on ONCE A MONTH to keep your registry active! VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!
For after-school care, you can expect to pay around $15/day/child/. For summer/PD/March Break camp costs, you can expect to pay $35+/day/child and those fees do not include meals.
Private Schools on PEI
PEI's public school system is generally strong and consistent — there really isn't a "bad" school to avoid. But if you're looking for private options, here's what's available, primarily in the Charlottetown area:
Grace Christian School
Faith-based, to Grade 9+
Emmanuel Christian School
Faith-based, to Grade 9+
Great Wisdom School
Buddhist Institute
Moonlight International Academy
Buddhist Institute
The Mount Academy
Athletics-focused, growing campus
Island Montessori Academy
Toddler–preschool; Cornwall & Stratford
The Mount Academy is a newer and exciting option, with a major building expansion underway at the old Mount Edward Road nunnery. Island Montessori operates two campuses but currently offers programs only up to the preschool level.
Renting from Out of Province
Securing a rental while you're still living elsewhere is one of the trickier parts of the move. The good news: the rental market has loosened up a bit compared to a few years ago, when listings would attract hundreds of applicants within days.
The bad news: rental scams have made there way here as well. Never send a deposit to someone you haven't verified. At minimum, insist on a video call — if someone won't show their face, that's a serious red flag. If you're unsure whether a listing is legitimate, send us a message in the Move to PEI group and we'll help you look into it. If a rental sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
IRAC — your renter's reference pointThe Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) sets allowable rent increases on PEI and also regulates electricity, heating fuel, and insurance rates. It's a useful resource if you have questions about your rights as a tenant. (link)
Visiting in-person before committing is still the most reliable approach. We recently helped a family from Ontario secure a rental during a visit — they're moving in just six weeks. It can absolutely be done.
Our usual recommendation to avoid being scammed in a rental scam is to go through a reputable rental company. But this does mean that you may not score one of the less expensive rentals. But, you can be confident that the rental you secured will be here waiting for you when you arrive.
Charlottetown vs. Summerside vs. Rural PEI
Summerside is about 30 minutes west of Charlottetown and offers many of the same amenities — Sobeys, Superstore, Canadian Tire, Staples, a movie theatre, and good restaurants. Property prices there tend to run roughly 20% lower than comparable homes in Charlottetown.
Summerside also runs its own electrical grid (separate from Maritime Electric) and has historically sourced a meaningful portion of its power from renewable energy (last stat I read was 35% of the energy comes from a renewable source). One fun perk for the drive between the cities: the PEI Hand Pie Company is right along the highway.
For those considering more rural areas — Mount Stewart, Souris, O'Leary, and beyond — keep in mind that distances on PEI are real distances. A 30-minute drive here means 30 uninterrupted minutes on the road, not 30 minutes stop-and-go through city traffic. Factor in fuel costs and access to services when deciding where to settle. It can also mean that 30 minutes of summer driving might be an hour of winter driving.
Winters on PEI
Yes, it gets cold — and yes, it gets windy. PEI is a small island with relatively few trees and a lot of open farmland, which means wind off the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic can feel quite sharp. The north and east shores tend to be the coldest and windiest, while the south shore (along the Northumberland Strait) is somewhat more sheltered.
Most homes now use heat pumps as their primary heat source. This past winter was longer and colder than recent years, which pushed energy bills higher for many households. Budgeting for higher heating costs in a colder-than-average winter is wise. Oil is also a common source of fuel for heating which, in this economy, can be costly - take it from me, someone who has an oil furnace.
That said, winter here has real charm. Cross-country ski tracks get groomed around Charlottetown's Belvedere Golf Course. Snowshoeing on golf courses is popular. The key is dressing well — good layers, proper mittens, a hat — and leaning into the season rather than fighting it. As Brooke likes to say, there is no bad weather, only bad preparation for the weather!
Have more questions? Join the conversation in the Move to PEI Facebook group. We do regular live Q&A sessions and the community is full of people who have made this move and are happy to share what they've learned. PEI is a wonderful place to put down roots — we're glad you're considering it. (link)