Vancouver Island is a good place, just doesn't agree with my wife's health. Rain kind of interupts my daily routine too. -
Life in BC
- Thread starter Euroguy
- Start date
Vancouver Island is a good place, just doesn't agree with my wife's health. Rain kind of interupts my daily routine too. -
Everybody falls in love with Vancouver when they visit it. I did too. Especially in the summer time.
The first couple times I went through Vancouver, I thought it was beautiful. Walking around Granville Mall and the downtown area was pleasant, and there was so much to see. The mountains are beautiful. The ocean fronts are awesome. A trip to walk around the UBC grounds was exhilarating, etc. Yes, it is hard not to be distracted by all the physical beauty.
HOWEVER, building a life for yourself here is a whole other matter.
The beautiful scenery doesn't pay the rent or buy the groceries. (Yes, I suppose you could get a job in the tourism industry, but your wages would be low and you'd barely avoid living in poverty. So, effectively, I don't think that is an option.)
There is not a very broad or deep manufacturing industrial base in Vancouver; many university grads driving taxis and waiting on tables. The cost of living is high, taxes are excessive, and bureaucracy stifles a lot of business or deters them from coming here in the first place.
All the people I know wealthy enough to live in Vancouver, don't. They live outside of Vancouver itself, for example, Langley, Abbotsford, etc. The only people I know who live in Vancouver proper are newcomers to BC, young people, or visible minorities who want to stick close to their particular enclave. They come here wide-eyed and naïve, decide to live here--and then realize it is all but impossible to make a life for themselves in Vancouver. After a couple years, they know better; they realize they have been taken advantage of and misled and are tired of living near bankruptcy, so they move out to an area where the cost of living is lower.
And some more naïve newcomers come in to replace them and the cycle repeats.
Bottom line: don't come here expecting the roads to be paved with gold and a life of ease. If you do, you will be disappointed and bitter.
The first couple times I went through Vancouver, I thought it was beautiful. Walking around Granville Mall and the downtown area was pleasant, and there was so much to see. The mountains are beautiful. The ocean fronts are awesome. A trip to walk around the UBC grounds was exhilarating, etc. Yes, it is hard not to be distracted by all the physical beauty.
HOWEVER, building a life for yourself here is a whole other matter.
The beautiful scenery doesn't pay the rent or buy the groceries. (Yes, I suppose you could get a job in the tourism industry, but your wages would be low and you'd barely avoid living in poverty. So, effectively, I don't think that is an option.)
There is not a very broad or deep manufacturing industrial base in Vancouver; many university grads driving taxis and waiting on tables. The cost of living is high, taxes are excessive, and bureaucracy stifles a lot of business or deters them from coming here in the first place.
All the people I know wealthy enough to live in Vancouver, don't. They live outside of Vancouver itself, for example, Langley, Abbotsford, etc. The only people I know who live in Vancouver proper are newcomers to BC, young people, or visible minorities who want to stick close to their particular enclave. They come here wide-eyed and naïve, decide to live here--and then realize it is all but impossible to make a life for themselves in Vancouver. After a couple years, they know better; they realize they have been taken advantage of and misled and are tired of living near bankruptcy, so they move out to an area where the cost of living is lower.
And some more naïve newcomers come in to replace them and the cycle repeats.
Bottom line: don't come here expecting the roads to be paved with gold and a life of ease. If you do, you will be disappointed and bitter.
one has to live a long way outside of vancouver to bring prices down significantly.
burnaby, richmond, coquitlam, port moody, surrey, New Westminster, not much different once you add the
price of everyday travel to vancouver to work, if that is what you want.
burnaby, richmond, coquitlam, port moody, surrey, New Westminster, not much different once you add the
price of everyday travel to vancouver to work, if that is what you want.
Here is some additional information about life in the Vancouver area.
A study was just released (May 2013) that calculated the minimum amount of income a family needs to live in Vancouver.
24 Hrs: Living wage means earning $40/hour for family of four
Living wage means earning $40/hour for family | Local | News | Vancouver 24 hrs
Vancouver Sun: Don Cayo: A Vancouver family’s ‘living wage’ is more than what most earn
Don Cayo: A Vancouver family’s ‘living wage’ is more than what most earn
I don't know how long these links will remain valid; newspapers quickly move their online content to different locations.
In summary, a family of four needs an income of about $40 per hour to live a basic, no-frills, life. That can either be from one parent who makes it all, or a combination of the two. But it is still more than most families are making.
A search for "vancouver living wage" turns up a lot more material, if you are interested.
A study was just released (May 2013) that calculated the minimum amount of income a family needs to live in Vancouver.
24 Hrs: Living wage means earning $40/hour for family of four
Living wage means earning $40/hour for family | Local | News | Vancouver 24 hrs
Vancouver Sun: Don Cayo: A Vancouver family’s ‘living wage’ is more than what most earn
Don Cayo: A Vancouver family’s ‘living wage’ is more than what most earn
I don't know how long these links will remain valid; newspapers quickly move their online content to different locations.
In summary, a family of four needs an income of about $40 per hour to live a basic, no-frills, life. That can either be from one parent who makes it all, or a combination of the two. But it is still more than most families are making.
A search for "vancouver living wage" turns up a lot more material, if you are interested.
