I'm planning on relocating to the west coast. I landed in Toronto a three years back but had to come back to the UK because of family member's ill health. But I plan to go back mid-late September/ early October. I found Toronto really expensive - I used to think it was cheaper than Vancouver, but now, it's almost comparable. I've looked into other parts of Ontario, but nothing really appeals, or the ones which do, are almost just as expensive. And so this time, since I'll be moving anyway, I thought, I'll try west coast. I've been looking into different cities, and have narrowed it down to just outside of Vancouver or Calgary.

Just wondered if anyone has thoughts or advice on Vancouver vs Calgary? I've been swaying between the two. I know neither is perfect. I have been looking into towns outside Vancouver (Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam) which are slightly cheaper, but they are still expensive in rent compared to Calgary. However, utilities and some groceries and other stuff is actually more expensive in Calgary than Vancouver. I've been to Vancouver and my first choice is Vancouver though my worry is, will i be able to afford living there, and when I look at rental sites, lots of places around Vancouver are already taken. I've never been to Calgary, so don't know it, but have heard good things about it. I know people say Calgary is good for raising a family, but I don't have that worry, since I'll be going myself. It sounds clean and peaceful, though have hear the transportation is not as good, and that I'd probably need a car to get to some places - I'm not a very good driver and so would prefer to not have to drive.

In terms of job market, I'm not so sure. I work in pharmacy back in the UK, so will be looking to do something related, but won't be able to practice in Canada, as I'm not licensed. Just wondered what people's experience have been of the two, and would one have slightly better job prospects? I guess finding work would be a main factor in terms of making the decision.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

It is perfectly possible to live in Calgary and not drive if you select your neighbourhood correctly, particularly if you work downtown.

Salaries tend to be higher in Calgary, particularly when compared to the price of property.

Calgarians are, on the whole, a friendly bunch and I don't imagine that you will have difficulty making friends.

I cannot comment upon the nightclub scene in either location and, of course, Vancouver has the ocean. However, Calgary is not the powerhouse economy that it was a few years ago so that significant advantage that it used to have is not as powerful as it once was.

What do you like to do in your spare time, as that may have an effect upon which is best for you?

Thanks for your insights on this, Almost Canadian.

Both sound appealing for different reasons. I'm guessing with the economy not being as good currently, would that mean that it would be harder to find work (which for me is important)? Or would that depend on the field of work? I'm thinking maybe Vancouver might offer more of a variety and opportunities for work maybe, or would it mean more competition? From having lived a short while in Toronto, I know it was competitive for work, even though I thought at first there were more opportunities with it being a big city.

In terms of spare time, I'm not much of a party or nightclub person, so the nightlife isn't a big issue. I do like the outdoors and both sound like they would offer good opportunities. I'm not hardcore outdoors or expert hiker, but do like to get outdoors. Vancouver sounds like it would be easier to get outdoors without the requirement of having a car to drive to get there, whereas Calgary, though it is close to the Rockies and Banff, sound like you would need a car to get out. If money wasn't an issue, then Vancouver has the more appeal, since it has a combination of outdoors and accessibility, variety of cultures, both the ocean and mountains, and city all in one. Calgary sounds nice and clean and on the long-term if i were to look to buy my own place, the more affordable (though I'm not so sure about outer Vancouver, like Burnaby or Richmond). I think on the long-term, though I like Vancouver, I'm not so sure where buying my own property would be within reach, whereas with Calgary, this may be a possibility. I'm thinking now may be a good opportunity to check out Calgary whilst housing is more affordable, to see whether it's where I'd like to buy whilst the prices are lower. I guess I have so many opposing thoughts about this, that I'm not even sure whether there is a right decision for me.

Calgary isn't really "west coast", it is western Canada but has more in common with the prairies than it does with other west coast cities. Calgary is an 11 hour drive from Vancouver.

I know that pharmacists can do pretty well in Vancouver. My wife has a relative who owns and operates a phamacy and they live in a very nice house in one of the nicest parts of Port Moody (one of the municipalities in the Metro Vancouver area), so I think if you're able to get your credentials converted and get certified you shouldn't have too much trouble in either city, depending on how ambitious you want to be.

If you're looking not to drive, New Westminster, Port Moody and Downtown Vancouver are going to be your main options for walkable areas. You can also check out neighbourhoods that are close to the Skytrain stations.

There are shuttle buses that go from Calgary to the mountains so one doesn't have to have a car to get there. Lots of people go to the mountains every weekend so, if any of your friends/colleagues were heading there, it shouldn't be too difficult to obtain a lift.

The economy is definitely different now to how it was when I first arrived and I honestly don't know how the two cities would compare insofar as access to work is concerned.

What do you mean when you mention "variety of cultures"? Not everyone in Calgary rides horses and competes in rodeo and I would imagine that, whatever activities or groups of people float your boat, you would be able to access them in both locations.

I wish you all the best with whatever you decide.

Thanks for the tips CanadaJimmy. Port Moody looks quite tranquil - is it easy to commute to Vancouver from there? I'm guessing there is less work inside Port Moody itself.

I've looked into getting my pharmacy licensing in Canada, but it's quite a lengthy process and quite expensive too. I have been previously a bit undecided whether to get it converted or to look for an alternative career, but have more or less decided now that I'll look into an alternative related career, since paying for rent in addition to living costs and then also the fees would make living in Vancouver really quite tight.

Are there neighbourhoods around the Vancouver area that's best avoided? I've seen some relatively cheap places on Kijij around Vancouver in and Vancouver, and am wondering if there's a reason. I've been told New Westminster and Metrotown are a bit dodgy - would there be others too?

Thanks Almost Canadian. That's good to know that there's transport to get out to the outdoors from Calgary. I guess maybe I might start off in Vancouver and maybe eventually decide to try out Calgary and test the waters, since I've not been before to know whether it's right for me. Would you say it's harder to get work now compared to what it used to be? I think this is one of the factors which makes me think, I'd maybe try Vancouver first, if there's less opportunities in Calgary. Though sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy choosing Vancouver when everyone says its unaffordable.

Ah sorry, I meant multi-cultural - one of the things I liked about Toronto was that it was so multi-cultural, and people had that acceptance of different cultures, foods, variety of supermarkets/groceries etc. Vancouver sounds like it would be quite similar in this sense, more so than Calgary I think?

When I arrived in Calgary (2007) if you had a pulse, you could get a relatively well paying job. Times have changed, but how easy it is to find work will very much depend upon the type of work you are looking for. I imagine that trying to find work as a petro-chemical engineer is more difficult now than when I arrived.

I am a divorce lawyer in Calgary and, from all of the various occupations of the clients I have acted for in the past 10 years, only one of them lost their job that they attributed to the downturn. My two student daughters (19 and 16) have both been able to obtain jobs that pay them more than the minimum wage without much difficulty.

Lots of posters on here have come to Calgary and have found work, even in the recent past.

On the multi-cultural issues, most in Calgary care not a jot about where you come from, what sexual orientation you are or what the colour of your skin is. If you are capable of doing the work, they will enable you to do so. Clearly, there will be racist and xenophobic idiots here and I expect that there would be in Vancouver too.

While not as multicultural as Toronto, there are all types all over Calgary and, if a particular type of cuisine suits you, I imagine that you will be able to find it without too much difficulty. The items at supermarkets here would compare with Vancouver, I believe, but would not be able to compete with the fares on offer at the St. Lawrence Market, if the posts of Dbd33 are to be believed. I understand that Vancouver has fantastic sushi on every corner of Vancouver. I have never been to Vancouver, so I can't comment about how true that is but I have eaten enough sushi around Calgary to know that good sushi is available here too.

Thanks Almost Canadian for your insights. I know Toronto had a very competitive job market, but also not having my license to practice in Canada didn't help, and I didn't have previous Canadian work experience when I first arrived. I'd be looking into healthcare-related/ pharmacy-related work, or something which I can use my skills for in an alternative career. I know Calgary had attracted a lot of oil/gas-related professionals, but for healthcare, I'm not as convinced there is as big a job market.

That's encouraging to hear that Calgary too has the mix of different cultures and variety of foods. I do like sushi, to that's good news! In Scotland, we have sushi, but it's expensive and not necessarily as fresh as it could be. I guess Vancouver has Granville Island which is a bonus, though I've never bought anything whilst I was there visiting.

I am not trying to convince you to live in one place over the other.

Calgary has double the population of Vancouver and has lots of satellite towns all around it. I assume those people need healthcare and, as a Type I diabetic, I have experience of the system myself.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks for your helpful tips and advice Almost Canadian, that helps me balance up things in my mind. I think at the moment I might try Vancouver, but Calgary is still a good option for the longer term if Vancouver proves too expensive.

I have a daughter who lives in Vancouver and so I have been there. There's a very nice French restaurant on her block and, yes, a sushi bar. I would not say that Vancouver is particularly multicultural though, she graduated from UBC among the whitest group of people I'd seen in years. Visiting UBC was like visiting the set of Brideshead Revisited and that got me looking at people on the street. There are, of course, some people who are not white or Asian but it's nothing like the diverse population one sees in Toronto. Still, how many languages are you going to learn and how many oddly formatted fruits, vegetables and animals are you actually going to eat? There's likely enough diversity of people and food in both locations to meet the need.

I'd look at the airfare from each to the, aforementioned, St. Lawrence Market. Sooner or later you're going to want cheese.

Oh, on the transport issue, that daughter has no car and goes everywhere by bicycle; something she also did in Halifax and Montreal.

Thanks for your thoughts on this dbd33. I quite liked Vancouver, even though I was only there for all in all around a week for a holiday and it was the summer. I did find it more chilled than Toronto, and the atmosphere between the two cities are different. I think my hesitation with Calgary is that I've never been to really know what it's like and whether I would enjoy living there, whereas I've been to Vancouver. I think the getting around without a car is an issue, and I have heard that with Vancouver it's possible and the transportation is okay. However I've heard mixed views on Calgary, and that most people would say that I'd probably need a car to get to som places unless I lived and worked downtown.

Hi again! Welcome back.. long time no see... sorry to barge in but I wanted to mention a couple of things.

You obtain PR around September/December 2016 if I recall correctly - but relocated back to the UK after a short period of time - how long did you actually spend in Ontario and can you meet your residency requirements by moving back to Canada this autumn? (2 years out of 5, rolling, from the date of landing.

I seem to remember that you landed and became a Permanent Resident as an Ontario Provincial Nominee? (your post: Question about passport request for COPR )

IF you were nominated for PR through Ontario PNP (EE / EE - Human Capital as a Pharmacist?) then the requirement and expectation is to live and work in Ontario for at least a couple of years to show proof that you have made a concerted effort to settle - have you met that requirement if you were only in Toronto for a short time before returning to the UK? Moving to another Province without doing so could result in you losing your PR status under Misrepresentation. Certification / Licensing for a Pharmacist is Provincial - if you decided not to use your qualifications then have you considered working for one of the pharmeutical companies (of which there are many in the GTA) either in an advisory capacity or perhaps in sales or QA? Again, if you applied under PNP EE - Human Capital then the expectation would be that you would work as a Pharmacist - which I think might also be an issue if you have/ had no intention of working as a pharmacist but received Permanent Residency through a stream where your profession was the reason for it being granted.


Calling Christmasoompa / Snowy / FL for advice :

Very easy, there are two Skytrain stations there, and the west coast express. There are some employment options in Port Moody, more than a typical suburb, but it is quite a small town overall.

Yeah, this is true. You can reduce your living costs by finding roommates though, this might help you afford to study/pay fees. You don't want to throw away a highly skilled job if you can avoid it as long gaps and "slumming it" in unskilled work on a resume can be hard to explain in an interview.

New Westminster in the downtown area (Columbia Street) is a little rough, but the rest it is fairly decent actually. Metrotown is a mixed bag, the main issue there is it's quite busy and a lot of the affordable residential buildings are a bit old and tired which is why they are cheaper. The main area to avoid is the Downtown East Side (DTES) in Vancouver where there is a lot of crime and open drug use. Parts of North Surrey (Whalley/Gateway) have a negative rep as well, though these areas aren't too bad if you're in an apartment several floors up - just don't get a ground floor unit, you will be broken into.