Hi My Wife and I are moving to Vancouver around April May time. I have a job offer which is good news. We want to live either downtown or Kits initially just to get a feel for the city. I will be earning around $100000 a year. Is this a good wage. My wife will be looking for work when we get there, she's a social worker here in the Uk and will be looking for something similar. We are bringing our dog with us a cockapoo (mad as a spoon). So i guess I want to know, about finding an apartment, site seem limited and craiglist seems to be the one people use. Job site for the wife? Whats it like having a dog in tow. and any other general info would be ace.

Ta

Pete

Hi, and welcome to BE.

If your wife can definitely work (not all visas/jobs allow a spouse to work, so it will depend on your visa and job), then a quick forum search will bring up a few threads on social work in Canada. I believe that she'll generally need a masters to be able to work as a social worker, although that's only a vague recollection from other threads so do have a read of them and hopefully you'll get some good info. Edit: scrap this, I've just done a quick search myself and it seems a master isn't required, although tougher to get a job without one.

$100,000 is IMO a good wage for Vancouver if it's just you and your wife.

Re: rentals, have a look in the Wiki as there is a list of websites in there that you can work your way through.

HTH, good luck.

If you are searching on Craig's List you can specify pet-friendly rentals only. It makes searching easier but it will reduce the available properties considerably.

The general consensus from a reddit thread is that most landlords forget to check the box to allow pets, so even if it doesn't say pets allowed, it's always worth asking the landlord if pets are allowed.

It is always worth asking. We added a cat a few months into our lease so it's worth asking the Q even if pets aren't mentioned, although they usually are in the ads. You will def have to pay a pet damage deposit, but I think it is up to a quarter of your monthly lease (I think).

S

Really? Not after the tax man has got their greedy claws into it.
That's what HID roughly makes and while its good as a second income, I wouldn't want to live in Vancouver solely on that as you'd have a very spartan existence.

HID???

up to a half months rent for a pet deposit.

I posted the following a week or so ago based on mine and my wife's recent observations of renting in Vancouver. http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad.../#post11829102

Don't rule out False Creek area there is some really nice stuff going on there at the moment.

Her In Doors.

Yes you are right. We got away with a bit less after some negotation.

Pet Damage Deposits

A landlord may also request a pet damage deposit at the start of a tenancy or during a tenancy if a tenant gets a pet with the landlord’s permission. The deposit must be no more than half of one month’s rent, regardless of the number of pets allowed.

Deposits and Fees - Province of British Columbia

S

Depending on where you rent (as this will be the biggest expense), 100k is very liveable on if there's no kids. With kids, it's still manageable but with some sacrifices I think.

If you want to live out in the sticks and have a hellish commute or live in a grubby little place you'd be okay without kids. But even a reasonable place in the city now must be $2500 and upwards for rent and considerabbly more depending on the size of the mortgage. So half you or more of your wages would be on accommodation, if you factor in a car and insurance, plus food, clothing, phone and internet you probably wouldn't have much or any left of your net $100k. So what's the point of moving to a place where you can't do much more than stare at your walls or a computer/phone screen for eight months of the year?

You can still pick up good quality 1 bes condo units for between 1800-2000 in the Downtown, Kits, false Creek area, which if you don't have kids is more than doable. Of your downtown you don't need to own a car (use evo/zip car). You can get get groceries tor two for around 140 month at IGA or Burrard (as long as you are willing to be flexible). The rest is down to lifestyle.

$100k is more than $5k a month net, it's ~$5800 in 2016 according to the tax calculator. Even more if both people are not working and the worker can claim the non-workers tax credits.

Even assuming $2500 for rent, which I think is above average (with no kids you'd be ok with a 2 bed place, probably), $3300 should be plenty for other living expenses for two people and have some room for savings too. Obviously it depends on how you spend your money, but we could easily survive on that and still have a good time.

Have you factored in healthcare, pensions and EI plus any work related/union/association dues? Plus renting a two bedroom apartment in anywhere decent will be closer to $3000+. I mean you can live, especially without the expense of a vehicle and a walk for a commute, but with two living on the same income, IMO it wouldn't be a lot of fun. Still other people's idea of a fun and fulfilled life maybe different than mine.