28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
Oct 6th 2017, 4:47 am
#18
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2016
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 183
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
I'm going to add a positive perspective, but it is based on my own circumstances, which are very different to the OP's.
I'll be emigrating to Vancouver with my Canadian (Vancouver-born) spouse some time next year. We're very senior professionals in our respective fields with global experience and we have the economic luxury of not having to work until we find something that we're completely satisfied with. This may or may not be full time salaried work. We may consult. We may decide to be self-employed. We have many options.
We fully expect that we won't be earning anywhere near what we currently earn in Australia, but we don't need to worry about that. We're not moving to Vancouver to make our fortunes.
We're moving to Vancouver for several reasons - for me to live "as a Canadian" (given my spouse has lived as an Australian for 25 years); for family reasons (an ageing parent and needing to get him sorted out in a way that we cannot do as effectively on a long distance basis); and because we love everything that Vancouver has to offer. You can't eat the scenery, but one of the reasons we're moving is precisely for that.
My brother-in-law and his wife moved out to Vancouver from London, Ontario several years ago. It took some time, but they've created a good life, and don't have any desire to leave. They love everything that Vancouver has to offer, and while they accept they could probably make more money back east, they're settled and have worked out how to live well within the constraints that Vancouver creates. Housing is (and has always been) their main gripe, but they have it under control and accept that lesser housing than what they could have back east is the price to pay for the other benefits that Vancouver has to offer.
Others have spoken of the challenges that emigration poses upthread - finding new friends, adjusting to fewer holidays and lower salaries, fighting an overheated housing market etc. Those are all things that need to be thought through carefully.
I'll be emigrating to Vancouver with my Canadian (Vancouver-born) spouse some time next year. We're very senior professionals in our respective fields with global experience and we have the economic luxury of not having to work until we find something that we're completely satisfied with. This may or may not be full time salaried work. We may consult. We may decide to be self-employed. We have many options.
We fully expect that we won't be earning anywhere near what we currently earn in Australia, but we don't need to worry about that. We're not moving to Vancouver to make our fortunes.
We're moving to Vancouver for several reasons - for me to live "as a Canadian" (given my spouse has lived as an Australian for 25 years); for family reasons (an ageing parent and needing to get him sorted out in a way that we cannot do as effectively on a long distance basis); and because we love everything that Vancouver has to offer. You can't eat the scenery, but one of the reasons we're moving is precisely for that.
My brother-in-law and his wife moved out to Vancouver from London, Ontario several years ago. It took some time, but they've created a good life, and don't have any desire to leave. They love everything that Vancouver has to offer, and while they accept they could probably make more money back east, they're settled and have worked out how to live well within the constraints that Vancouver creates. Housing is (and has always been) their main gripe, but they have it under control and accept that lesser housing than what they could have back east is the price to pay for the other benefits that Vancouver has to offer.
Others have spoken of the challenges that emigration poses upthread - finding new friends, adjusting to fewer holidays and lower salaries, fighting an overheated housing market etc. Those are all things that need to be thought through carefully.
Oct 6th 2017, 5:31 am
#19
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,185
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
I'm going to add a positive perspective, but it is based on my own circumstances, which are very different to the OP's.
I'll be emigrating to Vancouver with my Canadian (Vancouver-born) spouse some time next year. We're very senior professionals in our respective fields with global experience and we have the economic luxury of not having to work until we find something that we're completely satisfied with. This may or may not be full time salaried work. We may consult. We may decide to be self-employed. We have many options.
We fully expect that we won't be earning anywhere near what we currently earn in Australia, but we don't need to worry about that. We're not moving to Vancouver to make our fortunes.
We're moving to Vancouver for several reasons - for me to live "as a Canadian" (given my spouse has lived as an Australian for 25 years); for family reasons (an ageing parent and needing to get him sorted out in a way that we cannot do as effectively on a long distance basis); and because we love everything that Vancouver has to offer. You can't eat the scenery, but one of the reasons we're moving is precisely for that.
My brother-in-law and his wife moved out to Vancouver from London, Ontario several years ago. It took some time, but they've created a good life, and don't have any desire to leave. They love everything that Vancouver has to offer, and while they accept they could probably make more money back east, they're settled and have worked out how to live well within the constraints that Vancouver creates. Housing is (and has always been) their main gripe, but they have it under control and accept that lesser housing than what they could have back east is the price to pay for the other benefits that Vancouver has to offer.
Others have spoken of the challenges that emigration poses upthread - finding new friends, adjusting to fewer holidays and lower salaries, fighting an overheated housing market etc. Those are all things that need to be thought through carefully.
I'll be emigrating to Vancouver with my Canadian (Vancouver-born) spouse some time next year. We're very senior professionals in our respective fields with global experience and we have the economic luxury of not having to work until we find something that we're completely satisfied with. This may or may not be full time salaried work. We may consult. We may decide to be self-employed. We have many options.
We fully expect that we won't be earning anywhere near what we currently earn in Australia, but we don't need to worry about that. We're not moving to Vancouver to make our fortunes.
We're moving to Vancouver for several reasons - for me to live "as a Canadian" (given my spouse has lived as an Australian for 25 years); for family reasons (an ageing parent and needing to get him sorted out in a way that we cannot do as effectively on a long distance basis); and because we love everything that Vancouver has to offer. You can't eat the scenery, but one of the reasons we're moving is precisely for that.
My brother-in-law and his wife moved out to Vancouver from London, Ontario several years ago. It took some time, but they've created a good life, and don't have any desire to leave. They love everything that Vancouver has to offer, and while they accept they could probably make more money back east, they're settled and have worked out how to live well within the constraints that Vancouver creates. Housing is (and has always been) their main gripe, but they have it under control and accept that lesser housing than what they could have back east is the price to pay for the other benefits that Vancouver has to offer.
Others have spoken of the challenges that emigration poses upthread - finding new friends, adjusting to fewer holidays and lower salaries, fighting an overheated housing market etc. Those are all things that need to be thought through carefully.
Last edited by Oink; Oct 6th 2017 at 6:09 am.
Oct 9th 2017, 6:20 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 232
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
To Vancouver? Those are exactly the complaints everyone makes about Vancouver.
Granted I'm a hater but I was amused to recently hear Vancouver described, by someone who likes living there, as follows:
"There are lots of parks and there are people in the parks but they're not hanging out in groups having a picnic with a bottle of wine or anything like that. It's not a social scene. They're all separate, they have plugs in their ears and they're contorting themselves, some have mirrors, all look at their own bodies a lot".
Granted I'm a hater but I was amused to recently hear Vancouver described, by someone who likes living there, as follows:
"There are lots of parks and there are people in the parks but they're not hanging out in groups having a picnic with a bottle of wine or anything like that. It's not a social scene. They're all separate, they have plugs in their ears and they're contorting themselves, some have mirrors, all look at their own bodies a lot".
Oct 9th 2017, 6:24 pm
#21
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 232
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
I'm going to add a positive perspective, but it is based on my own circumstances, which are very different to the OP's.
I'll be emigrating to Vancouver with my Canadian (Vancouver-born) spouse some time next year. We're very senior professionals in our respective fields with global experience and we have the economic luxury of not having to work until we find something that we're completely satisfied with. This may or may not be full time salaried work. We may consult. We may decide to be self-employed. We have many options.
We fully expect that we won't be earning anywhere near what we currently earn in Australia, but we don't need to worry about that. We're not moving to Vancouver to make our fortunes.
We're moving to Vancouver for several reasons - for me to live "as a Canadian" (given my spouse has lived as an Australian for 25 years); for family reasons (an ageing parent and needing to get him sorted out in a way that we cannot do as effectively on a long distance basis); and because we love everything that Vancouver has to offer. You can't eat the scenery, but one of the reasons we're moving is precisely for that.
My brother-in-law and his wife moved out to Vancouver from London, Ontario several years ago. It took some time, but they've created a good life, and don't have any desire to leave. They love everything that Vancouver has to offer, and while they accept they could probably make more money back east, they're settled and have worked out how to live well within the constraints that Vancouver creates. Housing is (and has always been) their main gripe, but they have it under control and accept that lesser housing than what they could have back east is the price to pay for the other benefits that Vancouver has to offer.
Others have spoken of the challenges that emigration poses upthread - finding new friends, adjusting to fewer holidays and lower salaries, fighting an overheated housing market etc. Those are all things that need to be thought through carefully.
I'll be emigrating to Vancouver with my Canadian (Vancouver-born) spouse some time next year. We're very senior professionals in our respective fields with global experience and we have the economic luxury of not having to work until we find something that we're completely satisfied with. This may or may not be full time salaried work. We may consult. We may decide to be self-employed. We have many options.
We fully expect that we won't be earning anywhere near what we currently earn in Australia, but we don't need to worry about that. We're not moving to Vancouver to make our fortunes.
We're moving to Vancouver for several reasons - for me to live "as a Canadian" (given my spouse has lived as an Australian for 25 years); for family reasons (an ageing parent and needing to get him sorted out in a way that we cannot do as effectively on a long distance basis); and because we love everything that Vancouver has to offer. You can't eat the scenery, but one of the reasons we're moving is precisely for that.
My brother-in-law and his wife moved out to Vancouver from London, Ontario several years ago. It took some time, but they've created a good life, and don't have any desire to leave. They love everything that Vancouver has to offer, and while they accept they could probably make more money back east, they're settled and have worked out how to live well within the constraints that Vancouver creates. Housing is (and has always been) their main gripe, but they have it under control and accept that lesser housing than what they could have back east is the price to pay for the other benefits that Vancouver has to offer.
Others have spoken of the challenges that emigration poses upthread - finding new friends, adjusting to fewer holidays and lower salaries, fighting an overheated housing market etc. Those are all things that need to be thought through carefully.
> Downsides as I see them +1
Oct 9th 2017, 7:06 pm
#22
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
The higher rent you can pay in Vancouver, the easier it is to find a rental, and of course the lower the rent you can pay the harder it will be.
I can give our unit as an example, when we moved into it in February rent was $1,400/month and still is for us, the new tenants who move in next Sunday will be paying $1,750 per month. Nothing is included in the rent anymore, we get free parking, but parking will now cost $100 per month extra.
To own in the building the purchase price of the 3 that sold this month were between 550,000 and 650,000 plus $100 per month parking if you have a car.
And we are in what they would call up and coming, it's not a highly desirable area, nor is it a high income area, and we are on the cusp of the DTES (Downtown East Side).
I don't know what the wages are for professional jobs, I am blue collar and lower skill.
I cannot compare the cost to London however, but for US/Canada Vancouver is on the top of the list of priciest city's to live with housing eating the most of your income, food is actually pretty reasonable, as is transit if you don't need to travel more then 1 zone.
It's housing that is the biggest issue in Vancouver, cost to own is high, cost to rent is high, and just not enough rental stock available.
I can give our unit as an example, when we moved into it in February rent was $1,400/month and still is for us, the new tenants who move in next Sunday will be paying $1,750 per month. Nothing is included in the rent anymore, we get free parking, but parking will now cost $100 per month extra.
To own in the building the purchase price of the 3 that sold this month were between 550,000 and 650,000 plus $100 per month parking if you have a car.
And we are in what they would call up and coming, it's not a highly desirable area, nor is it a high income area, and we are on the cusp of the DTES (Downtown East Side).
I don't know what the wages are for professional jobs, I am blue collar and lower skill.
I cannot compare the cost to London however, but for US/Canada Vancouver is on the top of the list of priciest city's to live with housing eating the most of your income, food is actually pretty reasonable, as is transit if you don't need to travel more then 1 zone.
It's housing that is the biggest issue in Vancouver, cost to own is high, cost to rent is high, and just not enough rental stock available.
Oct 10th 2017, 2:04 am
#23
Best Place on Earth- LMAO
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: BC
Posts: 571
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
Yes, people on average salaries here probably can't afford to pay much more. In August the median rent for a 2 bedroom apartment was $2600 and as of 2015 the median family income was $79930. It's probably a bit higher now but that's a high percentage of income going to rent.
Oct 10th 2017, 2:27 am
#24
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2016
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 183
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
This is a huge problem for many of the so-called "paradise" cities globally. Vancouver probably tops them all though (and certainly the in the predominantly English-speaking world, although places like Sydney and Melbourne aren't too far behind)!
Oct 10th 2017, 2:31 am
#25
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
Yes, people on average salaries here probably can't afford to pay much more. In August the median rent for a 2 bedroom apartment was $2600 and as of 2015 the median family income was $79930. It's probably a bit higher now but that's a high percentage of income going to rent.
Oct 10th 2017, 2:06 pm
#26
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Joined: Jun 2015
Location: Vancouver BC
Posts: 1,706
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
Canada Housing Vs. Income Graphs Show Even Vancouver Condos Could Be Out Of Reach In 4 Years
graph about a quarter of the way down shows the expected growth in housing prices and incomes. Unless the provincial and federal governments are willing to step in and regulate speculative money from outside the province this is the new reality.
graph about a quarter of the way down shows the expected growth in housing prices and incomes. Unless the provincial and federal governments are willing to step in and regulate speculative money from outside the province this is the new reality.
Oct 10th 2017, 2:20 pm
#27
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
Looking at prices of condos, I would say they are already out of reach for most.
Canada Housing Vs. Income Graphs Show Even Vancouver Condos Could Be Out Of Reach In 4 Years
graph about a quarter of the way down shows the expected growth in housing prices and incomes. Unless the provincial and federal governments are willing to step in and regulate speculative money from outside the province this is the new reality.
graph about a quarter of the way down shows the expected growth in housing prices and incomes. Unless the provincial and federal governments are willing to step in and regulate speculative money from outside the province this is the new reality.
Oct 10th 2017, 2:37 pm
#28
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Joined: Jun 2015
Location: Vancouver BC
Posts: 1,706
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
There are plans to shut the pre-sale market to anyone outside of Vancouver for 90 days but not sure how that it going to help when brand new condos in false creek are being advertised at 'a modest $1.9M'.
Developers have taken advantage of the city making permits easier to get (after developers complained this was the reason for the shortage and high costs) and have used it to reduce their own costs whilst still helping to inflate the market (i.e. more profit). Until the city/province cracks down on developers building nothing but luxury condos the situation is not going to get any better. Another option would be to force developers to build a certain % of their development units as low cost rental units as a condition of permitting. City and province need to stop cozying up to developers and start serving the population as a whole.
And this isn't even starting to go into the recent reports that the BC casino system has been used as a giant money laundermat for real estate speculation.
Oct 10th 2017, 2:59 pm
#29
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: 28 yo female moving from London UK to Vancouver...help!
I completely agree, I feel this is because house prices became so out of sync with the market that speculative investors turned to Condos which were comparative cheaper and have now driven these costs through the roof.
There are plans to shut the pre-sale market to anyone outside of Vancouver for 90 days but not sure how that it going to help when brand new condos in false creek are being advertised at 'a modest $1.9M'.
Developers have taken advantage of the city making permits easier to get (after developers complained this was the reason for the shortage and high costs) and have used it to reduce their own costs whilst still helping to inflate the market (i.e. more profit). Until the city/province cracks down on developers building nothing but luxury condos the situation is not going to get any better. Another option would be to force developers to build a certain % of their development units as low cost rental units as a condition of permitting. City and province need to stop cozying up to developers and start serving the population as a whole.
And this isn't even starting to go into the recent reports that the BC casino system has been used as a giant money laundermat for real estate speculation.
There are plans to shut the pre-sale market to anyone outside of Vancouver for 90 days but not sure how that it going to help when brand new condos in false creek are being advertised at 'a modest $1.9M'.
Developers have taken advantage of the city making permits easier to get (after developers complained this was the reason for the shortage and high costs) and have used it to reduce their own costs whilst still helping to inflate the market (i.e. more profit). Until the city/province cracks down on developers building nothing but luxury condos the situation is not going to get any better. Another option would be to force developers to build a certain % of their development units as low cost rental units as a condition of permitting. City and province need to stop cozying up to developers and start serving the population as a whole.
And this isn't even starting to go into the recent reports that the BC casino system has been used as a giant money laundermat for real estate speculation.