Vancouver cost of living getting me down

traveller80

Hey,

Been in Vancouver for a few years now (I have permanent residency) - I really like it but the cost of living gets me down. I have a decent and secure job, which in many other places would have me living very comfortably, but not here.
I'm maybe a bit different from most people on here, in that Canada is not just a working holiday, but is likely to be my permanent home...unless things drastically changed back home. So things like the cost of housing, car insurance , childcare (some day )etc are something that I need to be concerned with. To buy a place in Vancouver seems practically impossible.

Just wondering if there is anyone else in the same situation? Do you plan to stay here in Van, or move somewhere cheaper? I was looking at Halifax...been there before for a few days and it seemed nice, though hard to tell after just a few days.

kitchenchair

Wouldn't be the first time I'v heard of someone picking Vancouver as their destination only to have to move somewhere else (mostly Alberta) after a year or so because they are not able to save any money. They could feed and house themselves, but didn't find themselves with any savings at the end of the year. Halifax Iv heard is beautiful.

montreal2011

Montreal would have lower property prices than Vancouver and Toronto, car insurance is much cheaper than Ontario at least, as is the electric.

Taxes are higher on earnings and on shopping than most if not all provinces, but I think the cheap rent makes it best value between Vancouver and Toronto.

French is a must in most places outside of Montreal, and although not essential in Montreal, not having it will reduce the amount of jobs that will be available to you.

Current (minority + separitist) provincial goverment are trying to make the place less hospitable to non-french speakers; they are a bit like the amish, you are either one of them or english! :pac:

Still, an excellent city to live in, something for everyone here, even the english!

NewsMeQuick

I'm confused, I thought the prices were pretty much on par with Dublin? I don't live in Canada yet - so I understand you guys know more. It's really worse than Dublin?

Is Toronto a viable alternative, in terms of cost of living?

Montreal - I would love to consider the place, but it seems prohibitive to go there without French to me.

zweton

van very expensive, salaries not great in general either. No point going over living day to day, no fun!

wittyusername

Toronto isn't that cheap either but the longer you're willing to commute the cheaper it becomes.

The fact that the local government in Quebec is coming down so hard on Anglophones is a real pity - if not for that, it might well be the best city in Canada. Walkable, pretty and a sense of fun on the streets.

All the major cities in Canada are seem to be quite expensive - property prices in Halifax are higher than you might originally expect but bear in mind that it's the largest major city for hundreds of miles. NS also has a higher rate of sales tax than any other province (although this should be coming down over the next few years) and it's the sort of place where you really need a car to get around. It's also a good deal less multicultural than TO or van but as an Irish person you shouldn't see too much hassle.

kitchenchair

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the income taxes in Montreal in and around %50...?

montreal2011

kitchenchair wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the income taxes in Montreal in and around %50...?

Probably can get near 40% between federal and provincial if you earn over 100k, but the provincial tax rate is double the other Provinces.

Taxable income|Rate
$41,095 or less|16%
More than $41,095 but not more than $82,190|20%
More than $82,190 But not more than $100,000|24%
More than $100,000|25.75%


Revenue QC

GST is 5% and QST is 9.975%.

Federal tax rates for 2013
15% on the first $43,561 of taxable income, +
22% on the next $43,562 of taxable income (on the portion of taxable income over $43,561 up to $87,123), +
26% on the next $47,931 of taxable income (on the portion of taxable income over $87,123 up to $135,054), +
29% of taxable income over $135,054.

Canada Revenue

montreal2011

For me, between tax, social insurance, pension, share purchase, health benefits, etc. 50% of what the company pays me reaches my bank account.

Frank Bullitt

zweton wrote: »

van very expensive, salaries not great in general either. No point going over living day to day, no fun!

Salaries vary depending on your field of work, and in general they are quite good!

Its a dear city to live in, but you find ways to keep costs down, I have been here since July and I am slowly getting good at it, do my shopping in certain places like CostCo to get cheap essentials, and to a good green grocers to get my produce.

I find it worth the effort because its a great city to live in, and now that I have some work I couldn't imagine leaving here.

ciaran67

zweton wrote: »

van very expensive, salaries not great in general either. No point going over living day to day, no fun!

I don't find this to be true in my opinion. Its just very expensive to live here as well. Was down in the States again last weekend. So much cheaper.

traveller80

Thanks for the replies.

I have been to Montreal and Quebec city for a few days and I loved them both, but I have no French, so not sure if I'd have much luck with getting a job there. I mean, why hire someone who can speak only English when there is plenty of bilinguals around.
I wasn't such a big fan of Toronto, just too big and sprawling for me. Vancouver is the perfect size

wittyusername wrote:

All the major cities in Canada are seem to be quite expensive - property prices in Halifax are higher than you might originally expect but bear in mind that it's the largest major city for hundreds of miles. NS also has a higher rate of sales tax than any other province (although this should be coming down over the next few years) and it's the sort of place where you really need a car to get around. It's also a good deal less multicultural than TO or van but as an Irish person you shouldn't see too much hassle.

Thanks for the info. Are the salaries in line with the cost of living? Also,from my brief time there, the city seemed way way smaller than Vancouver...would I be correct in that assumption?
My boyfriend is Asian (Canadian), and I did read about Halifax not being so open to multi-culturism as Vancouver, so that does kind of worry me a bit.

NewsMeQuick wrote: »

I'm confused, I thought the prices were pretty much on par with Dublin? I don't live in Canada yet - so I understand you guys know more. It's really worse than Dublin?

It depends on your situation I think. If you are just planning to come over for a year or so to experience a new city, then its fine - if you get a job, you'll have enough to live. If you are like me, and are planning to put down roots here, then other things like housing, saving etc start to become more important. You'd buy a nice house in Ireland for the same price as a tiny flat over here.

One thing I will say is that hydro is way way cheaper than my ESB bills were :pac:

Frank Bullitt

Buying property here is very much a big money thing, so that I can agree on.

Generally people I know who do own here, will live a bit outside the city and commute, and the transport here makes it a little less painful. Mind you, renting is a very big thing here, and it has it's benefits of not being tied down to one area, so the option for moving is always on the cards.

ciaran67

Gintonious wrote: »

Buying property here is very much a big money thing, so that I can agree on.

Generally people I know who do own here, will live a bit outside the city and commute, and the transport here makes it a little less painful. Mind you, renting is a very big thing here, and it has it's benefits of not being tied down to one area, so the option for moving is always on the cards.

Have to say i'd rather pay more and live into the city than further out. Its another world outside metro Vancouver.

wittyusername

traveller80 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.
Thanks for the info. Are the salaries in line with the cost of living? Also,from my brief time there, the city seemed way way smaller than Vancouver...would I be correct in that assumption?
My boyfriend is Asian (Canadian), and I did read about Halifax not being so open to multi-culturism as Vancouver, so that does kind of worry me a bit.
:pac:

Cost of living very much depends on what you're doing over there. If you or a family member are in the trades you might find it tough - I believe the market over there isn't favourable for that kind of work. The downtown core is very small (think Galway-sized) but the HRM is large and sprawling - a car is an absolute must. Your boyfriend might not be hassled per se but he'd be more visible as a minority than he would have in Van or TO.

Jamsiek

wittyusername wrote: »

Cost of living very much depends on what you're doing over there. If you or a family member are in the trades you might find it tough - I believe the market over there isn't favourable for that kind of work. The downtown core is very small (think Galway-sized) but the HRM is large and sprawling - a car is an absolute must. Your boyfriend might not be hassled per se but he'd be more visible as a minority than he would have in Van or TO.

If you're living in Vancouver, the public transport system is good and linked to google maps so too so that's handy.

The downtown core is much much bigger than Galway in fairness but smaller than most big cities. It has lots of high rise apartments downtown which can be expensive but there is room for shopping around.
The metro Vancouver area is indeed big and there are many places you can live.

A friend of mine from Donegal works as a carpenter for one of the larger contractors which seems to have lots of work so it depends on what kind of trade, some are needed more than others it seems.

ciaran67

Jamsiek wrote: »

If you're living in Vancouver, the public transport system is good and linked to google maps so too so that's handy.

The downtown core is much much bigger than Galway in fairness but smaller than most big cities. It has lots of high rise apartments downtown which can be expensive but there is room for shopping around.
The metro Vancouver area is indeed big and there are many places you can live.

A friend of mine from Donegal works as a carpenter for one of the larger contractors which seems to have lots of work so it depends on what kind of trade, some are needed more than others it seems.

Jesus i'd love a night out in Galway City.

beano345

toronto isnt much better you;d nearly want to be making 800$ a week just to live comfortable great city but too much of a struggle...reason why i came home

el diablo

Jamsiek wrote: »

If you're living in Vancouver, the public transport system is good and linked to google maps so too so that's handy.

The downtown core is much much bigger than Galway in fairness but smaller than most big cities.

He was talking about Halifax, Nova Scotia and not Vancouver.