7 things you need to know before moving to Vancouver

If you're considering moving to Vancouver, British Columbia these are the 7 things you need to know. Don't plan your move until you know what it's like living in Vancouver.

[hunterlang]

why did I watch a whole tour of my own city...?

[rileygally]

If you’re thinking about it I recommend visiting first and see how you feel. That goes for any city, you shouldn’t make a decision from a video. I fell in love with Vancouver the first time I visited and I moved here a few years later. No regrets. I’m not saying I’ll live here forever but I know it was the right move for me. That being said changing your geography won’t solve all of your problems no matter where you go. Happiness comes from within not from where you’re located :)

[DanielSzilagyi]

1. Weather, it rains ALOT here...most of the year is overcast, rainy or just unpredictable with weather...you better invest in a good rain jacket, waterproof shoes and maybe an umbrella. The seasonal affective disorder is real here thanks to the amount of cloudy, rainy, and generally grey days here. Summer is much cooler than other places and really in terms of "seasons", we get two instead of four which is a combo of fall/winter and prolonged spring followed by a brief and sometimes intense summer for about 2-3 months tops before the weather drops back to rain by the end of August on the dot with a sprinkling of good days between then and October if you're lucky. That being said for Canada Vancouver and BC generally usually get the better weather overall since it doesn't snow here very much and generally never gets too cold.
2. Housing and expense, it is EXPENSIVE to live here period, not just Canada but the world overall...rent is high compared to income for most people and unless your income bracket is on par with the national household average it's not a very comfortable life, good rents are hard to come by and even harder if you have a pet as most places don't want to deal with cats/dogs.
If you have roommates or a partner it does become easier and more manageable but even then if you're looking to snag a rental somewhere in the Vancouver area be prepared to pay close to $2, 000+ for a two-bedroom for an older, poorer condition building and anywhere from 1600-2000 for a one-bedroom for something a little more modern, the sizes are quite small and you'd be looking at 400-600sqf for the 1BR.
Food is expensive here and your options are more limited as a consumer if you're coming from the US or similar you can expect your dairy and alcohol prices to be a lot more than other places. We have several taxes on top of things too, so for example a can of beer 500ml beer might cost $1.99 but you'll end up paying almost an additional 20-40 cents thanks to taxes.
Gasoline is also one of the most expensive in all of Canada, even currently with crude being at something like 30$/barrel you can see prices linger in the $1.20-30/Litre regularly.

3. Transit, If you do live in the 'burbs then prepare to have a longer commute into the city where "most" of the jobs are located depending on your career or profession. Parking is a nightmare since there is limited spots in the city, if you do end up paying by meter it is quite costly and if you pay for the day it also isn't that cheap, the city does a good job to try and make people not use their cars which leaves public transit, which while can you most places is also quite expensive given the range. A single ticket that covers all transit "zones" (around 60km~) is $5.75 one way, which isn't too bad.
Vancouver downtown is tiny though compared to other major cities, honestly, you can walk from one end to the other in about an hour. The system of transit is overall pretty good and most things are easy enough to access, however, the train is usually full most of the time thanks to the fact that most people all go into downtown (either for work or for fun as most things are located there) and while trains come often you can expect to be standing in a mostly crowded train. Buses tend to be better in some ways. One thing to note is that if for whatever reason the train system is offline or knocked out, it becomes much, much harder to actually get further into the 'burbs from downtown and vice versa, there is some buses but few and far between to accommodate most people if they needed them.

4. Jobs, this is incredibly subjective because it highly depends on your career and education. There is a good amount of work to be found in the city but the major areas that seem to be in constant demand are health services (although they are underfunded) nurses/doctors, plumbers/electricians/engineers/etc, construction and so on. There is a huge demand for tech but historically Vancouver has paid lower wages compared to cities like Toronto...that is course-correcting recently but the wages are still not equal to say something like the US for a similar role or location (Seattle)
TV/Film/Animation is a big part of the city as well but keeping in mind that Vancouver and Canada don't tend to produce a lot of its own content and we end of being more of a service work type industry (we get work farmed out because we pay less but our quality is pretty good and we're located close enough to Hollywood etc) not to mention the large tax benefits large companies get for coming here. Most head offices for companies are STILL not located here and are usually on the East Coast in Toronto or Montreal.

5. Education, We have a lot of good schools but if you are an international student get ready to get screwed over with paying nearly double what a Canadian student would pay, in Vancouver though because of the large number of Asian students with well to do parents often have no issues with this. It would do well for someone to really research into which school they are going to avoid giving money to a for-profit private school. Douglas College, Emily Carr, UBC, Capilano U, SFU, and BCIT are all great schools to attend for example.


6. Fitness, I guess we are but comparing Vancouver to the rest of Canada doesn't say much...when most of the country is slogged with rain and snow it's easy to see why we would be.
In the early 2000s, there was a trend of seen as being "fit" was like a status symbol, and to some degree that still holds true but you do see a fair bit of people running, jogging, or hiking.
We have some trails and paths in most of the city and 'burbs but it does leave something to be desired if you're coming from another city or country so this is subjective. The major tourist and popular spots like Stanley Park, Grouse, Kits beach, and others are usually very crowded and full of people though..so best to find spots for yourself.


7. Culture, We are diverse for sure but again there is a good reason why which is that most people would rather move to either of the coasts rather the in the middle of the country which doesn't have anything to offer other than cheaper housing and food but lacks the jobs, higher income, forms of entertainment and more.
In terms of an actual race, I would say it is around a solid 35-40% of Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc) people, 30-40% White (Canadian, Irish, German, Russian, Polish, etc) and the remainder would be southeast Asian in Vancouver (not metro but overall) it varies by the district/city and in some like Richmond the actual stats would be much higher for certain ethnicities over others in different cities. Some cities have neighborhoods that are more heavily influenced by certain ethnic groups with an overabundance of restaurants that cater to that taste and with newer luxury apartments being built by pretty much every major shopping area (Brentwood, Metrotown, Lougheed, and Oakridge) you see the demographics changing faster.
It is a fact that we have a LOT of Asian restaurants in Vancouver and in other cities within the lower mainland, it is not uncommon to see 3 bubble tea shops literally side by side on some stores or various Ramen shops/stores in other streets, I personally feel there is too many and the city would benefit from a truly multicultural aspect by having more that are not just Asian themed similar to cities like Toronto which in my opinion seems much more balanced.
Last, to note about restaurants and eating out, a lot of them are owned by the same 3-5 families or large businesses and operate as a big chain, Vancouver has few truly good single independent locations that make the places a must to visit or see and even when visiting most pubs, bars or similar and thinking they are different they are in fact owned mostly by the same families.

These are just some highlights thoughts and observations as someone who's lived here for 15+ years since the early 00s and seeing the city develop and change, it's not a bad place to live, and depending on your perspective it can either be a true marvel or a slight bore. Experiences will vary.

[vanessanost]

I get SO BUMMED about the negativity that Vancouver gets! I don't have much money and living in this city has changed my life. I did a lot of research and found an incredible home and live with friends. I don't have 3 jobs. I have one. No, my parents don't pay any bills. No, I don't have a car. I use a bike, city transit, and walk. It's an INCREDIBLE city if you let it be. Put a bit of work and research into it and you can live here sustainably. Stop whining. People get so down instead of trying to do something about it.

[EdKonyha]

As as a long-time Vancouverite, also note these things:
1) We get a lot less sunshine than most parts of North America. The months from October to March can be particularly brutal for sun-lovers.
2) Not only are rents expensive, but finding decent accommodation can be tough - currently occupancy rates are at or near zero (for Vancouver proper that is)
3) It's one of the tougher places to meet people and make friends - people are generally nice, but fairly standoffish (and flakey, like the rest of the west coast)
4) If none of these caveats scare you off...then welcome!

[applepeel]

I think I want to start a new chapter of my life in Vancouver. I'm planning on studying in UBC for my MBA. I am actually hyped

[nbrowser]

I was born and raised in the flatlands of Winnipeg Manitoba...I now call a suburb of Vancouver BC home...been here 20 years...no plans on leaving anytime soon.

[Imonetone]

Moved back to Vancouver after 23 years. 10 years in Venezuela and 13 years in Ottawa. Thank God, I am back home.

[Kumiko]

BC stand for Bring Cash.. so yeah. That’s all you need to know

[shellbysy]

Home sweet home! I noticed a lot of people are being quite negative in the comments and it's saddening. Yes it's expensive and there are downsides, but we really are blessed. Especially with all the new worldly perspective we can gain right now, there's a lot to be appreciative for. Thank you for making this! Hopefully you enjoyed your visit. :)

[nanyvr]

Sky train goes from downtown Vancouver to the outer cites ( Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Surrey) and the Canada Line goes from downtown Vancouver to the Vancouver International Airport and the city of Richmond. And there is also the West Coast Express which is a commuter train that takes you from downtown Vancouver to Mission via Coquitlam and Port Moody!

[hartisify]

I thought there was something wrong with me, I'm so happy to see how everyone is commenting on how clique and flakey Vancouverites are.

[naturesoundsrdhd]

Vancouver is beautiful thanks for sharing this video, very informative thumbs up.

[urielpelaez]

2k a month is expensive?!!
*Laughs in Los Angeles”

✈️Vancouver here I come!

[jasondsouza]

What a brilliant video. Have seen so many "need to know before you move" videos. But this one stands out by a mile. Thank you for coming up with this. Can't wait for move to Vancouver.

[enricodjakman]

I lived in Vancouver before and decided to go back to my own country Indonesia because I could not find a suitable job for my qualification. I graduated with engineering degree in western country and lot of years experience just ended up working in a restaurant.

[lorimiller]

Great video! A nice overview of Vancouver without the pros and cons (because these are always different depending on the person). It is a beautiful, diverse city with a lot to offer.

[Raju]

Thanks, Dan! Great content, as always!

[ImTheBlade]

Thanks so much for this! I’m a Canadian citizen who’s been living & working in the US for the past 25 years as an RN. I’ve just begun researching the beautiful province of BC as it is my intention to endorse to the nursing board there and move home to my native Canada, only this time instead of Ontario where I was born & raised, instead, I intend live and work in beautiful British Columbia. Thanks again for this wonderful video!
John.

[mikemower]

This was really well done. Thanks for posting it.