hi

the threads on the forum have been great in helping us decide canada is definitely for us ,we are a family of 5 (3 teenagers and 2 adults.)
the plan is to up sticks and move early 2008 ,we have had many vacations in bc but with the kids close to college / uni we felt vancouver is looking favorite.

anyone like to take a stab at living costs for a family of our size , excluding mortgage?
we are not high spenders (being scots!!) but we love the outdoors and sports.

i know its a common thread but as with the others i am sure living costs are the main thing to get a handle on !

any feedback greafully appreciated

Well, in terms of property at least Vancouver, or at least anywhere within a short commute of the city, is incredibly expensive right now (something of a property boom since about 2000 in much the same way as the UK).

So I suppose it depends what your particular concerns are - if you have enough cash sloshing around for a home and are only concerned about day-to-day costs as you mention, it's probably not much more than other bits of Canada - when I used to live there groceries, etc., were quite reasonable; if you have to factor in the house prices... depends where you're liable to be working, I guess.

We were originally looking to live in one of Vancouver suburbs (back when we expected the emigration process to take a year or so) and in about 2003 that seemed quite feasible - Port Moody is very nice and was within our price range. Not so much these days - for various reasons, and incorporating the extended visa-wait, we're moving across later this year and, whilst I'm still in Vancouver for a year or so doing a course after we land, we'll be renting for a bit then heading a further inland to settle!

2010 Winter Olympics just round the corner there too, remember. Hard to tell if that's inflating prices further than they would otherwise be, but it is heaping a lot of sexy infrastructure projects and media attention on the place.

I trust you've made www.mls.ca your friend?

Regards, Iain

thanks ian

yep mls can be depressing as you can see properties you could afford 6 months ago now out of range .

we should be able to get a house and avoid mortgage its more the day to day costs , ie what a family needs to budget for over a month , i know its hard as everyone is diferent , but car ,food ,gas ,electric etc


thanks again
g

Hi,

I have drawn up some rough costs in the past for others asking the same sort of question. This is a very rough guide of course:
Item Monthly Equivalent
Hydro 100
Gas 200
Property Tax 500
Medical Services 108
TV/Cable 100
Car insurance 200
Car lease 450
Phone 55
Ski pass - family 0
Groceries 800
Gas for vehicle 200
Total monthly cost 1658

This is based on our own experience - family of 7. We have 4 teenagers, one granny (sorry - senior) and two adults. Costs above will need to increase a lot if your kids drive, running more vehicles, adding in the ski passes etc.

As a realtor myself, I sympathise with the plight of people watching prices rise here in BC. We have seen double digit increases for the last few years. Went to a presentation by a CMHC economist yesterday and he said that the CMHC predicted around a 5% rise this year. The market is becoming more balanced as new listings are beginning to outstrip sales. The mortgage rates are also predicted to fall somewhat over the year which will help most buyers - who do need mortgages.

BTW your kids might like to read the diaries that ours wrote about their life in Canada. http://www.relocation2bc.com/teendiaries.htm

Warmly,

Frank