scrubbedexpat091

What do you pay roughly for electricity and heat?

Food?

Trying to figure out if moving to NB would be beneficial.

From my research so far rent is lower.

medication appears would cost more (we dont pay any out of pocket for most medications in BC)

Internet appears to cost a bit more.

Cost of electricity and such is a bit trickier to figure out a realistic estimate.

BristolUK

Equalised for our 4 bed, detached house, heat pump and AC is $267.
For the (baseboard) upstairs 2 bed apt in the detached duplex I used to own it was $200.
Much less in an apartment building. There are a number of small parks here as well as the riverside for dog walking in addition to the larger parks.

Premiums and co pays for prescription meds are here.
I pay $16 a month and $5 per prescription.
Bus fares Moncton but just about to go up to $2.75 and passes up by $1. Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Place is mostly flat and cycling not difficult. Easy to manage without your own transport.

Milk is more expensive here and the liquor store prices are more expensive than Ontario

The province currently gives back up to $300 a year for HST credits, in addition to the usual quarterly GST credit.

scrubbedexpat091

Based on our current electric use looks like electricity would be $62 per month but our usage in Vancouver is with no heat as we havent used heat in the place we live since moving in so with heat not sure what the cost would be.

slightly more then we pay now.

scrubbedexpat091

This is the estimation I came up with for Moncton, I chose $700 for rent as I found ads anywhere from $600 to $1,200 so $700 seemed like a good number to use.

Rent- $700 (Van 1750)
Renters Ins- $40
Food $400
Dog food $75
Medical $100 (best estimate I can do based on NB gov't website, could be less, could be more.) (Vancouver $0)
Transit passes $128 (for 2) (Van $104 for 2 passes)
Misc payments $150
Electric $62 (based on current consumption using Moncton rates, excluding any taxes and service charges) (Vam $40)
Internet $99 (Used bell's website) (Van $75)
Cell $60 (based on current rate)

$1,814 a month seems to be the basic costs (does not include things like clothing, and random other costs)

Looking at indeed I could probably realistically make $13-$15 per hour, so I will use $14.25/hr for estimates.

Using simple tax calculator to determine a rough take home salary would be $22,299 per year.

$1814*12 = 21,768 year in expenses.

So about $531 per year unrestricted cash.

Minimum cost in Vancouver is 2,694 per month or 32,328 per year

Based on 2018 income that leaves $672 per year unrestricted cash.



I think I did the math right, and not fully sure how realistic the numbers for Moncton are for food and electric since its colder there and I imagine heat is needed more often and longer periods of time compared to now where we haven't turned the heat on for 2 years.)

Trying to figure out if we would be better off back east, or just stay put for now.

Maybe I did math wrong somewhere, but I think I did it right.


Trying to decide if we would be better off moving or staying in BC is not easy when things are broken down more and not just based on rent.

spouse of scouse

I don't know how the income support system works in Canada, but assuming you get some sort of income assistance in Vancouver when you're out of work, and that this amount would stay the same in NB, would it be better to use this income as a base line for your comparisons? Then you could compare the two places on the basis of not having a job, and any work you got would be a bonus?

Another important factor would be the availability of treatment for BPD - I know there's nothing for you in Vancouver, is NB any different/better? That would be great!

scrubbedexpat091

Our disability support in BC would not follow to NB as its done at the provincial level and that is one concern as in BC we do have a base income to rely on when not working that will cover the rent.

Seems in NB there is only assistance for disabled who have no income, where in BC disabled are allowed to work with an annual income exemption before disability is clawed back, at least from what I gather from the NB gov't website.

As for borderline, I would have to look further into that, I googled it and came across an article but seems only subscribers to the paper can access it, but appears there could be something, just dunno yet.

We do become concerned about not having disability to assist us as my wife can't work much at all, and for me, anything can result in me losing a job.

It's just not easy to determine where we would possibly be better off.

Small middle of nowhere town in BC might be an option as well, still looking into small towns and see what rent is like and job availability.

In BC we do have a base income when not working to work with that is higher then any assistance rates in NB.

spouse of scouse

Ah, I see. Quite different to Australia then, all income support is Federal here so standardised throughout the country. Good to see you researching so thoroughly, the fact that you've discovered that your out of work income would be higher in Vancouver than in NB is an important part of the mix. Do any smaller towns in BC appeal to you? Assuming your rent would be cheaper plus you'd get the same 'out of work' income, then maybe that might take the pressure off you a little bit? As before, any work you picked up would then be a bonus, rather than you feeling forced into a job when you're not ready just to be able to pay the rent.

Partially discharged

I'm sure these amounts can be reduced especially if for cell you bring your own phone and bundle internet and cell with the same company. I think for internet it is Bell Aliant and Rogers and not much else.

scrubbedexpat091

We are looking around BC as well. Can't be too small a town as we need a place with decent public transportation and some small towns don't have it, or its so poor basically useless and thus a car is needed and cars are expensive to own/operate.

We have not be able to afford driving around BC to check towns out, so its just been using maps and google, but not sure moving sight unseen is the best option, but then Moncton or back east would be the same as we would never be able to fly out and check a city out first.

Its tricky finding a town that has affordable rentals, smaller towns tend to lack rentals in general it seems, guess most own in smaller towns.

It's a work in progress, and town has to offer certain basic things like mental health services which smaller towns/city's may not offer.

The only federal disability is via CPP and my wife was forced to apply for by the province last year but she doesn't qualify, every province and federal government have different criteria to meet, someone considered disabled in BC may not be considered disabled in ON, makes moving provinces difficult.

BristolUK

You may have seen me previously mention that I considered the accommodation in my old duplex to be in the upper range. Not 'executive' but there was a lot much cheaper that was still in decent areas and appearing in decent condition. I did look at a dozen options before I bought it and in the 11 years I ran it, I was constantly comparing it with others.

The 2 bedroom apt I rented for $650 and equalised electricity was $200. That was based on tenants who kept it very warm (for their snakes ) so it could have been lowered I'm sure. But the guy who bought it rented it for $750 all in.

There's a very nice 1 bed plus den - which from the photos looks similar to my stepson's bedroom - advertised for $645 plus utilities @ $70.
If you can make do with a one bedroom place, just under $600 all inc is possible.

From your descriptions of what's happened in your apartment buildings, parking and the local streets I can't imagine you'd experience anything like that here except where it was a rooming house.

For a large part of our time here, as 2 adults and 2 teens, we had an income of $1200 net. Less in a year with bad tenants.
Mortgage free, of course, but property tax, water and building insurance to pay of about $350. Plus equalised electricity, back then, $230, so $580.

Another $200 a month would have got us a decent, all inclusive rental, so $1400 a month net would have seen us doing okay in a normal rental situation.

This was around 2007-2012.

beckiwoo

So based on that probably the same price as BC/Vancouver. Because everything is more expensive out here except sushi!

BristolUK

Just checked a couple of wines I buy and, yes, they look about the same. However, there are a few of the supermarket selection here that are actually quite decent for around $12. Even a red one!!

scrubbedexpat091

Obviously can't compare every item but here is a few ON vs BC

Finlandia Vodka LCBO- 28.55 BC-23.99 750ml

Smirnoff - LCBO $26.70 BC- 22.99 750ml

Molson Canadian 6 pack LCBO 12.95 BC 10.79

Jose Cuervo Especial Gold LCBO 33.95 BC 28.99

So far BC has been cheaper for every booze I compared.

scrubbedexpat091

Sick today so bored so here is some comparison of No Frills Vancouver vs Moncton (M = Moncton V= Vancouver)

Pork Loin (not a direct comparison as Moncton appears it comes cut where in Vancouver is a slab of meat)

M 1.88 lb
V 1.77 lb

Oranges
M 8lb box 3.88
V 5lb box 4.97

Chicken breasts Frozen
M 1.88 lb
V 2.47 lb

General Mill Cereal
M 1.88
V 2.97

Not many of the same items in flyers for both city's but Moncton seems to win the grocery prices based on this weeks flyer.

scrubbedexpat091

I saw your post earlier, I went ahead and used the estimate based on current consumption, tricky to figure out exact amounts, Apt A might be insulated better vs Apt B, rent there were some ads $600 ish range, but for my estimates I don't want to use the lowest I find, so used a middle of the road amount based on the ads I saw that were pet friendly.

It certainly seems possible to get something lower cost, these are just rough estimates to try and compare current costs with possible future costs elsewhere and see what kind of net gain there might be.

Also the fact a U haul is like 2-3k before gas and insurance, not even sure a move that far is doable, that is a ton of money and before any deposits for housing, utilities etc that might be do, plus hotels while enroute.

These are good examples why when people say just move to others in Vancouver, why moving may not be possible.

Can't afford to re-buy clothing, mattress etc so have to take them with us and that quote was for the smallest truck U Haul has. lol

Its looking like the best option is to try and find a place in BC that is affordable which is tricky, all the areas I like have fairly high rent.....