Originally Posted by dominiqueincanada (Post 12323698)

I've been in Vancouver now for five years and absolutely love it here. As other posters have stated, the housing here is very expensive so I think how livable you find it will depend a lot on your household income. We bought a one bed apartment last year in Kitsilano and it has increased around 20% in one year which is just insane! It does look like a correction may be on the cards, but Vancouver is a desirable place to lives so who knows.

If you're the kind of person that loves the outdoors, you can't get much better than Vancouver and most of these activities are free. We take our dog to the doggie beach, we walk the trails in UBC, we hike the North Shore mountains and we play tennis - all of these activities cost nothing. If you however enjoy culture, Vancouver is sorely lacking.

I would really access what kind of lifestyle you desire. We recently decide we wanted to start a family and we seriously contemplated moving to Kelowna due to the house prices here. After some deliberation we decided to stay put in Vancouver because having a house is something we are willing to compromise on to stay in Vancouver and have access to the great outdoors here.

Originally Posted by Stinkypup (Post 12323721)

Kelowna and the Okanagan has a pretty good outdoor vibe going on...:cool:

Originally Posted by ChrissRoss (Post 12323709)

We noticed you were thinking of starting a family, What is the MPS like over there as my partner is on prescription meds, and we would really like to have more children. How does the MPS differ to the NHS? is it like Medicare?

Originally Posted by ChrissRoss (Post 12323709)

We noticed you were thinking of starting a family, What is the MPS like over there as my partner is on prescription meds, and we would really like to have more children. How does the MPS differ to the NHS? is it like Medicare?

Originally Posted by ChrissRoss (Post 12323758)

Sounds good, are there any good British groups over there. not to just huddle together but to discuss experiences, see how other british expats are doing, gain tips and advice?

Originally Posted by Stinkypup (Post 12323763)

Yes- it is called British Expats

Originally Posted by Engineer_abroad (Post 12323772)

yea, we did one meet up late last year, maybe it is time for another?

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 12323752)

I suppose you also need to look at daycare. My daughter was paying around $1200/month for one child but, now that she has two, they have a nanny instead. That must be cost driven as she's not from a culture of domestic servants.

Originally Posted by adele (Post 12323780)

this is definitely something to factor in when doing your affordability calculations as housing and child care will both require a very large chunk of $ each month.

Originally Posted by Stinkypup (Post 12323721)

Kelowna and the Okanagan has a pretty good outdoor vibe going on...

Originally Posted by ChrissRoss (Post 12323758)

Sounds good, are there any good British groups over there. not to just huddle together but to discuss experiences, see how other british expats are doing, gain tips and advice?

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 12323752)

I suppose you also need to look at daycare. My daughter was paying around $1200/month for one child but, now that she has two, they have a nanny instead. That must be cost driven as she's not from a culture of domestic servants.

Originally Posted by Engineer_abroad (Post 12323629)

As others have said whether you will enjoy Vancouver or not is all dependent on how much money you earn. For a 1 bed apartment expect to pay between 1500 and 2500 CAD a month so the salary is going to influence whether you are struggling or thriving.

Vancouver also has some of the lowest salaries of the big Canadian cities so it can be a double edged sword. That being said it is in a beautiful location, there are few places in the world were you get sea to mountains in a single vista and Vancouver is stunning. Unfortunately as others have said this has been attracting a lot of attention from property speculators and as such house prices have been soaring (think 10-20% year on year). This has led to some real inequality in the city with a huge homelessness problem and the associated low level crime and drug use.Most of this is confined to the low east side but it is obvious anywhere in the city. The city and provisional government (new NDP government) have only really started to change things very recently so we are realistically 3-4 years away from any true change.

I find people are friendly but not personable and the growing sense of the city as a playground for the rich has not helped this. many long term Vancouverites are feeling majornalised.

That said I enjoy the craft beer scene here as well as quick access to some of the worlds best kayaking and hiking locations. One real benefit is you are only 30-45 mins from the backcountry which feels like a million miles away from the city.

I think I heard it described best as Vancouver is an ok city in a great location. If you picked up Vancouver and moved it to say Alberta or Ontario people you not give it a second glance.

I've been here for a year and 9 months and still enjoy the city but there are some issues that seriously irk me and given a chance I would move out of the lower mainland.