Currently trying to figure out how much rent might cost us. After doing some research, places like White Rock and Lonsdale appeal to me. But it looks like the commute downtown will be horrendous from those. So what other places would you recommend I look at? Would like to be near the water.

Rents are expensive as there is always a limited number of rentals available.
Lonsdale a horrendus commute to downtown? I lived on Lonsdale. Jump on the seabus and you are downtown in minutes. Whiterock is lovely but the commute from there is another story.

Many thanks for the reply. I'll look into Lonsdale a bit more. Any areas in particular that you would recommend?

Use Google maps to give you some perspective. Lonsdale is in spitting distance of downtown and accessible by transit. Whiterock is an hour+ commute to downtown by car, could end up at 90mins in rush hour and no transit.

Check out the Skytrain route and West Coast express, all those communities have access to downtown by train and rents are cheaper the further out you go.

Thank you, that's very useful info. I guess White Rock is out of the question then. Will look at the sited you recommended.

Lonsdale wouldn't be bad at all. The sea bus is a decent service and you can walk everywhere downtown.

If you are renting and don't have a huge family / pets then there are loads of options; kits, west end, coal harbour, yale town, something near granville island and probably more - all depending on your budget. Between $1000 an $3000 would be my guess at costs - $3000 will give you space and great views, $1000 less so.

It's just the two of us. No kids (yet), not pets. I'm going to work from home, so we'd need two bedrooms (at least). What could we get in those areas for around $2000-$2300?

You should have no problems finding somewhere decent on that budget. In your position I would forget about the suburbs and live downtown or in immediate vicinity. My first choice would be the west end (the bit right near stanley park on the map)

I commuted from White Rock to downtown for a couple of years. The Average driving time for an 8 am start was 75 minutes but it can be more if there is an accident or other problem on the roads. Driving back was less than an hour but I stayed at work until the rush hour died down. This was 8 years ago and there seems to be more traffic on the highway now.

There is a transit option - a high speed commuter bus to Bridgeport station then Canada Line downtown. It might be a little quicker in the morning.

I agree with Alan2005 that somewhere closer to downtown is probably a better place to start than the outer suburbs while you find your feet. $2,000 to $2,300 is a decent budget for a 2 bedroom apartment. You should be able to find something nice for that. West End, Yaletown, South False Creek, Kitsilano and so on.

Another for Lonsdale here! I work on Richards, and Live on 1st, So 2min walk to the seabus, 15mins sat reading, 5min walk at the other side... Dont try to drive it!

2 bedroom around here, from around 2k if you are loking at lower lonsdale i guess.

Kits is always an option if you like that sort of thing.

Oh and dont listen to everyone about the weather on the shore, its not that bad... but if you come, bring me a life boat!

South false creek would be my suggestion. That way you can walk to work, be away from the crowds if you want, be close to the beaches, have sky train and Canada line close by, you get more for your money, you get the best views since you get water city and mountain in one go, and it doesn't rain as much as on the north shore.

For that money you'd be right on the sea wall too

Sorted.

Wow, this is all very useful. Thank you guys. Will start looking at those areas. I'm sure to be back with more questions.

I've just had a look at South False Creek. This really appeals to me. There's a 2-bed 'Waterfront False Creek Townhouse' for rent at $2350. This seems very little for a property like this to me. Where's the catch?

A two bed in the Firenze building is even less. Seriously, am I missing something or is this really how much it is?

Yes, it's how it is. While property prices are crazy here - rentals have had to stay in line with earnings and Vancouver does not have a high wage economy.