BC VS. ONTARIO | Best Province to Live in Canada? Pros & Cons of British Columbia & Ontario (2021)

BC VS. ONTARIO | Best Province to Live in Canada? Pros & Cons of British Columbia & Ontario (2021)

** Everything in this video is simply OUR OPINIONS from living in both BC and Ontario - if you have had a different experience, feel free to share it below! **

We're doing a requested video this week which is: what are the differences between living in British Columbia and living in Ontario. Ontario and BC are both lovely provinces to live in, and coming from two Canadians who have lived in both, we are weighing the pros & cons of living in Ontario and living in British Columbia. We talk about the main cities like Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, BC and also many others. Vancouver vs. Toronto - life in Vancouver is very different than life in Toronto, yes, but we have much more to add than that. We also touch on the Kitchener-Waterloo area, the Okanagan (Kelowna, BC) and other cities like Sudbury ON and Prince George BC. We're sitting down in our ambulance conversion to dish it all. If you're moving to Canada and wondering what province to move to, this video may be helpful for you. Anything we didn't cover? Let us know below!

Tags:
#livinginvancouver #livingintoronto #britishcolumbia #ontario
___

➤ Related videos:

➤ Links & Referral Codes:

—

➤ DISCLAIMER: None of these items are sponsored items, however links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that we provide, we may receive a small commission with no additional charge to you. All recommendations and opinions of products are our own.

__

➤ ABOUT US: Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the couple behind the blog Not Luxe - where we write travel guides & help people open their eyes to alternative living, whether that be teaching English online, moving to Cambodia, taking advantage of working holiday visas (like in Australia) or building a DIY stealthy camper van to live & work on the road. Right now, we’re living the van life and travelling safely in our own backyard of British Columbia in Canada.

Our goal here is to bring you weekly content where we hope to inspire you to break free & live the life you desire. On Thursdays, we talk everything from finances to minimalism to working online to mindset and on Sundays, we post a weekly vlog of our daily lives. We hope you join us on our journey to see the world, save money, live minimally, and most importantly, have fun.

[nickandraychel]

This was actually a requested video and it was a bit tricky to try & tackle. Please remember that everything said in this video is opinion-based from our experiences living in both provinces. If you've had a different experience, all the power to ya! Share your experiences below and try to keep it tame LOL we are just trying to keep it real. xx

[ianbarr]

I've lived in Ontario my whole life. Been to Calgary/Banff and that's about it. I've been thinking of moving out west. This video was perhaps one of the fairest and most thorough of its kind. Thank you both so much for this. I'm now a subscriber.;) Cheers

[rish]

Great video and very good content. You guys cleared so many misconceptions of people who always try to compare these 2 provinces. I am based out in Burlington and used to work in downtown toronto, hated every moment travelling on GO. We are done with whole gta thing and trying to make a move towards Kingston, on.
I haven’t lived in bc but have been there few times and its amazing. Keep up the good work!

[dakaelo]

super well done. as someone thinking about moving to Vancouver from Ottawa, this was helpful. Thanks guys!

[johnwellington]

Having lived in both Ontario, BC and now residing in the US, I can say that the two are very different, having a personality that naturally likes cities, I prefer Ontario.
BC Residents tend to be slightly more curious and nosy which can come across as very ignorant and rude, the weather is extremely hard for anyone to handle if you aren't habituated to constant grey weather from Oct until March. if city living is your thing, you will find Vancouver and Victoria to be very dull cities, nothing really to do. BC lacks big festivals and cultural events that make cities great to live in, add to that Low wages, high cost of living, higher than average taxes, it truly doesn't warrant anyone moving there. The Infrastructure is so frustrating, nothing seems to ever be operating well in BC, from BC Ferries to having red lights on major stretches of highway getting around can be a big pain. Lastly BC is pretty much riddled with weird political divisions, between the far left Islanders, the conservative bible belt Interior and valleys and the more Liberal city of Vancouver.

[klondikechris]

I grew up in the Okanagan, but lived in Ontario for many years. Your analysis is not bad! Of course, I live in the Yukon now, and love it.... Canada is a big place! There is something for everyone here.

[Dodger]

Very informative. I have been planning to move to BC from Ontario. I currently live in Milton ON and can relate to your discription of life in the GTA. I and my wife are more outdoorsy and as you mentioned with the mountains and lakes allow more recreational opportunities. Thanks for the informative video, cant wait to move to BC as soon as I am able.

[serwin]

Great video. I was born and raised in Toronto and moved out to the lower mainland 3 years ago.We moved in June 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, and while we didn't move for this reason, the access to nature and outdoors year round felt life changing and life saving. Even when VERY grey (which i have my moments where i really would prefer colder/sunnier), we were able to access outdoors and hike and this will forever be valuable for me after coming from even just 3 months of Toronto lockdown.

What I miss: the multiculturalism/diversity and Toronto's food- but with that said, I'm living in Port Moody which is a suburb, and even as a former city kid (who lived my adult life at that point in a very central and busy part of Toronto) have found very little desire to go into the city. The pandemic changed me and my perspective, but so did BC. I also miss cottage culture, and road stops on highways. It took me over a year to start remembering to get a coffee BEFORE i got on the highway when travelling out of metro vancouver, because "who knows when you'll find a coffee shop, could be in 1 hour could be in 3" LOL. The things I miss and don't feel like trade offs to me in any way (but that's because I am clearly a BC'er in my heart).

TLDR: it's not that there isn't beauty in Ontario, but I think the key word is ACCESS. In Ontario, you sort of have either or: you live in a place with a lot of outdoor beauty without city amenities, or you live in the city far away from nature/beauty. In Ontario- or at least in Toronto, I found I had to be very intentional and go out of my way to access nature in a way I don't here. I can be in the city, hiking on a mountain, and jumping in the ocean on the same day and that too me will never get old. When i think of moving back to Ontario, I actually feel like i'd be unable to do it. I couldn't give up the Lifestyle... and that's really what the difference is, a difference in lifestyle.

But if you want fast paced city life and it's a Toronto vs. Vancouver thing.... honestly there is no comparison. They are completely different things. Come to Vancouver from the nature, go to Toronto for fast paced city, come to Vancouver if you want a much more laid back slower paced version of both. And if you like "hustle culture", then BC isn't for you. It's a slower pace here., even in a "big city" like Vancouver...and you truly feel it. Beaches are packed in summer on workdays. People value life over work. It's for you or its not.

[IanForsythWestCoast]

Great video guys, fair and balanced I thought, considering the size of each place.

I do have to disagree a little about Vancouver not having 4 seasons. And I think you overstated how grey it is. Although born and raised in Metro Vancouver, I’ve spent time living in Toronto and Ottawa, as well as 6 years in Northern BC and 5 in Kelowna. Vancouver doesn’t get the cold snowy winter the rest of Canada does, although it is available 20 to 30 minutes away by visiting any 3 of the local mountains, or Whistler 2 hours away. It’s not unusual to have a year with no snow in Vancouver, although you most likely will get one or two days that will paralyze the city and be the news headlines for a couple of days. A snow day in Vancouver is like the first snow of the season everywhere else, as I discovered living in the places that were guaranteed snow...it was like everyone collectively forgets how to snow drive. Lol

But Vancouver has a lovely warm not hot summer, that rarely gets too humid, a long fall season where in the cities large and small, it can be very colourful, with many trees giving a great show. True, the countryside is evergreen forest so that’s the big difference. There is a winter which is mild and wet, cloudy with showers being the most common forecast. And spring is a spectacular season because there are so many flowering trees and shrubs. Blocks and blocks of Vancouver lined with ornamental cherry trees, rhododendrons, and other vegetation that blooms at different times making for the blooming to start in February, and keep going through June. But even in the darkest wettest time of year, it’s not like that for 4 months straight, in almost every month, the clouds will part, and it will be beautiful and sunny for a day or two or a week, and the place changes immediately, sandals and tank tops will show up in January. And it’s like a summer switch is flipped in everyone’s brain. Then switched off the next day when the rain returns. Just thought I’d add that bit of colour commentary correction. Thanks guys.

[nedhappily]

Just moved to Toronto Ontario from Surrey BC, very nice!
We love Toronto so much, they have big industries and big city life

[ImJustACanadian]

Awesome video. I was born and raised in Bracebridge, (Muskoka) and Ontario definitely has it spots, BC seems to have much more natural beauty. The girlfriend and I want to go to BC so badly just to see it

[lisaarthurton]

We absolutely loved this vldeo and all the information. This is a great way to learn and we honestly felt if this kinda thing was done for schools, everyone would kearn so much more as its relevant and interesting. We hope to move to Vernon or Middleton Mountain but it was still so great to put everything into perspective. I just have to get used to more grey skies as I prefer snow and blue skies or just hot weather.
Thanks again and looking forward to your next video. 🙂

[geolouit]

Hi guys, many thanks for your video, a lot of information, it’s coming at the right moment for me after 20 years in Ontario I decided to move to Castlegar area, I already put my transfer in Canada Post and all my things are in my RV where I’m living full time fir the last 2 years almost!!
Many thanks and good luck 🍀

[bounniecrisis]

Thanks. I'm a Chinese now preparing for sytdy abroad and immigrate to Canada, your video really helped me a lot. Not only because your vivid description of these two Provinces, but also because I love the way you talk and feel happy seeing you two lovely guys together! Wish you enjoy the life at BC!

[lorenzomabalos]

As someone from Montreal, Quebec; I prefer Ontario over British Columbia due to cost of living being slightly cheaper in Ontario. I feel like Toronto is more lively and more American vibes than Vancouver without being in the U.S.A.

[syedarmaghanhassan]

Thanks for sharing guys. God bless you!

[calmthemonster]

If you're into the outdoors and don't mind the cost of living then maybe Vancouver is ok for you. I've lived in Vancouver for several years, Victoria for several years, Montreal for 3 and New York for 6 and I can say, as someone who prefers the energy of a city, Vancouver is extremely boring and tends to feel like the sun rarely shines. It's too easy to run across very unfriendly, angry people compared to everywhere else I've lived. I moved to Vancouver 20 years ago thinking I was escaping the small town of 14, 000 people I grew up in... I didn't... I just found a larger, far more expensive version of it, but didn't realize it until living in Montreal before moving to New York. Unless you're into slow and laid-back, into the outdoors lifestyle I don't recommend it because there's very little else.

[countroshculla]

Balanced reviews. I love Canada and wish I could have moved there when I was younger. Love Canada and Canadians. Rock on!

[fillid.]

Really good video guys ! I've been curious to know your point of view on this matter since I know you lived in both. Personally I prefer the cold and sunny winters than the grey skies but I just moved to Ottawa, Ontario from Belgium (same weather as Vancouver) so my opinion might change in the future. For now I love it ! Ottawa has more outdoorsy activities to offer and it's a lot less flat than Toronto, but it'll never be as good as the mountains of BC, that's for sure

[s.elizabeth]

I want to leave ontario. I don't know where to start I have a dog and cat, I was a dancer and lockdowns have destroyed my job. I now have nothing, single, super lonely and I have a huge desire to just leave this place, there doesn't seem to be anything here for me.. I'd have to drive to bc, find a job, I just don't know where to start, any tips would be helpful.