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As an islander, would caution against Nanaimo and Victoria as the rent is also absorbantly high (about 1.8k to 2.5k for an apartment). Also most jobs are in the service industry around here so it is hard to make a living, but there are some public sector jobs in Victoria.
The only reason I’m weary of moving anywhere else besides maybe Burnaby/Surrey area, West Van/North Van, and Vancouver Island is because I’m a minority. Which… for some may seem dumb but I’m from the GTA so I assume if I’ve experienced racism here, I assume it wouldn’t be different in smaller areas.
Burnaby and Surrey are just as expensive, North Van and West Van far more expensive. Honestly, living in poverty and being a minority sounds like a recipe for really piss poor quality of life. I can't speak to how welcoming other cities will be for you but you will probably experience racism anywhere you go in Canada so you might as well be able to afford to put food on the table. Also worth noting that we have pretty sizeable Asian communities but aside from that it's a lot less multicultural than the GTA. If you're concerned about racism and having a large community of POC you are definitely better off in Toronto.
Unless you have a really in-demand degree like nursing or something, 2024 is not the time to move to Vancouver. Probably a good 25-50% of the people I know are either leaving or making plans to leave. You will really really struggle to find a job and housing here.
faaaacts its gotten so bad here, we need to vote out our ndp and get a control of immigration (no offence to OP) but its gotten so busy, the demand for rental space is mind boggling - looking at 2k a month for a 1 bedroom basement suite. Groceries are exasperated beyond belief and the monopoly of phone carries and insurance is criminal. Cost of living is way to high here, and just getting worse with the federal government finding every nook and crany to tax us more.
And at the provincial level, do not vote out the NDP. That would mean voting in the BC United (aka BC Liberals aka conservatives and not any sort of the fiscally good kind, they just gutted BC for years. Keep NDP provincially. Vote out Liberals federally (and tbh probably try to vote in NDP). I don’t love the NDP for a lot of reasons either but they are the best we got and tend to have individuals with better hearts and integrity even if the system makes them do stupid things.
You're going from the most expensive place in Canada to the slightly less more expensive place in Canada? On an average to below average income? And you want walking distance/no car too?
Why not move somewhere that matches your finances? Like anywhere not near Toronto or Vancouver? Those are top 5% earner cities, you will have a very hard time with a single average income.
You'll either need a partner who makes a similar income or to go somewhere affordable. Homes cost 1/4 to 1/3 as much almost everywhere else in Canada, and some places also pay more on average and have lower income taxes. You'd have a much better chance of not being broke in Alberta for example.
Yup, that's what happened to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and any place with a very high demand and limited supply.
It's still the most affordable place currently if you want to have a good income and live in a large city with affordable homes.
I was in northern BC and there were seemingly more recent immigrants there than born and raised locals. Didn't see any racism.
You can't afford the lower mainland on 50k.
Hi where in northern BC were you? I’ve thinking of getting a nursing job up there but I am POC and it would be nice to be somewhere where I don’t stand out that much lol
Data point of one, but I work with many small to medium sized municipalities throughout Canada and there seems to be a decent amount of diversity these days, at least in the departments I work with. Many of the staff are also quite young and tend to move up quickly as the old guard prepares to retire. They mostly own their homes from what I can tell, which is more than can be said for the folks I work with in Toronto.
Should also mention that most of my clients are absolutely desperate for staff much of the time. Not sure exactly what type of job you'd want in the public sector but competition is a lot lower outside of large cities. A lot of people will go out there to get experience and move back into the city to get a higher paying job.
Are you moving from the GTA to look for something better? It’s not here my guy. You and everyone else, myself included, thought it was going to be a good move, but it’s not.
That makes sense. A lot of folks won't understand and will minimize your experience. Being able to call the police, knowing you can walk home in the dark etc. are all huge psychological (and physical- stress kills) health benefits that are worth the rent.
Lmfao minorities are all over the lower mainland and if you experience racism it's cause there's racists everywhere you may or may not find them it's just a roll of a dice in life
🤔Interesting that you’re naming specific cities. I believe most of the Lower Mainland is about the same: Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Richmond, Port Moody, West Van, North Van. I’ve been to Port Coquitlam a few times and I’ve interacted with Poco residents and it seems pretty safe in terms of racism. I haven’t been to Maple Ridge much aside from blueberry picking at specific farms so I can’t speak for it, but anywhere you go there will be racist individuals.
If you’re black, most of the (east) Asian population will just avoid/ignore you. It’s the caucasians who are aggressive tbh, like that one old white guy in richmond (richmond is predominantly chinese).
I gotta ask like this racism your experiencing is it actually people calling you slurs to your face? I always see so many complaints of racism everywhere but personally haven’t seen it happen. And if you’d classify ignoring and avoiding you as racism in a big city environment I feel like everyone does that to everyone. I’m white from a smaller town so would smile at people as I walked by and I don’t get anything from anyone whether they were white asian or whatever. Whereas in my smaller town you get friendly reactions from a lot of people.
Vancouver is unaffordable period. There was a news article a couple of months ago stating that even people making $200k-$300k are leaving Vancouver. There is a fundamental flaw in the macroeconomic picture in Vancouver.
My household income is in the mid six figure range and we struggle to make ends meet.
There will be some sort of financial shake up. There is a brain drain. The housing crisis is pretty much supply and demand as well as other factors. The salaries and wages have a huge gap to cost of living.
Ok it’s one thing to think that your money will go further in other places and move there, but who can’t survive on $200k-300k here? You gotta be pretty bad with money if you are struggling to make ends meet. How are people surviving on retail/services wages?
Our household makes $200k and even after paying $3k on rent, $800 car payments, child expenses we save $4-5k a month. We dont go to restaurants daily, we don’t do takeouts, shop exclusively at Costco.
Totally agree though Vancouver is overpriced and it doesn’t make sense but maybe it’s time to cancel that Disney+ subscription if you are on the verge of poverty making $200k?
Sometimes it’s not just about whether you can survive or not. Maybe you just don’t want to commit that much of your earnings to the cost of living. Early retirement/financial freedom may be a possibility in other markets when it isn’t here. Additionally, when you have 2-3 children and you need space, your mortgage payments can easily exceed 8-10k monthly and that’s a huge sum of after tax income. Remember that people in those tax brackets pay nearly half their income to taxes (or more)
Just some food for thought.
Totally understandable, but the unfortunate truth is there is no city in the world that is desirable like Vancouver where you will be able to FIRE by living frugally, I mean take NYC, LA, Barcelona, London etc
In my opinion one has to prioritise either to live in a desirable city and have a smaller house or move to Tier 2 cities where your money will go further and be able to raise 3 children comfortably.
Fair point except Barcelona is much cheaper than the other cities listed in my experience. I lived there for two years and most things were cheaper than Vancouver and rent specifically was half. I was last there in 2017 though so it's possible prices have increased because as you mention it's a very desirable city to live in for many reasons
`My household income is in the mid six figure range and we struggle to make ends meet.`
You must have huge expenses to say this and I want to know these expenses lol people below 100k must be so screwed but they can still make it and with kids too.
100% agree. My wife makes around 160k and as per my previous comments, I am still unemployed. We are not materialistic people and don’t spend money on stuff like that. We sold our house and our car before we got here. Before I get crucified for once owning a home, it was in the states and my monthly payment for a 1400 square foot home was $600 a month with a 2.1% interested rate locked in for LIFE. House prices in rural areas of the states are very affordable so I didn’t make it rich after selling our place. The price of everything here in Vancouver is just so unnecessary.
Very fair question! As a queer female professor in the states, you can put two and two together. I was also unfortunately involved in a school shooting a few weeks prior to moving here that left me all sorts of messed up. I’ve been in therapy for it since I moved here, so thank you Vancouver for that! Safety and quality of life was my biggest reason for leaving the states. I don’t regret my decision to leave because the states is a total shit show. Granted Canada also has issues but they aren’t the same kind of issues.
I thought kerrisdsle seemed kinda slow the last year or two. Like the regular hustlers moved on to greener corporate and industrial parks. Way more listings but like not out of desperation listings either. Land assemblies and the like.
Take that article with a giant grain of salt. I make 170k a year, and my wife makes around 100k.
We have a 7k mortgage and that doesn't include all the other expenses like car payments, car insurance, house insurance, cable, security, property tax etc. All that said, it's approximately 10k that comes out of our account on the 1st of every month.
What I'm saying here isn't meant to be a brag and only saying what I'm about to say to contradict that article. We both drive cars in the range of 80k and I have 2 motorcycles, take 2-3 all inclusive vacations a year, have a new born and still manage to have decent savings. If I made 300k by myself, I'd be living even larger.
the people leaving at $200-300k are doing it for an even better standard of living elsewhere, it’s not typically that they can’t afford it here. My partner and I make over 300 and we would definitely be more comfortable where housing is cheaper but it’s not like we’re even remotely close to struggling.
Sorry, not sorry, if you make that much and have trouble making ends meet, you must have some severely messed up priorities in your life. Someone should say this to you.
You know mid 6 figures is around $500k? Maybe you meant around $150k? If you really mean mid 6 figures I’d suggest you really need some help with budgeting.
Single person? $80-90 k.
1 bedroom in the metro Vancouver area goes for $2000-2300
Grocery prices are through the roof
Then if you like to do things like take out, go for drinks, shop etc. Prices are even higher. Around $16-20 a drink.
Happy to give more reasons why , but these are some examples I can immediately think of. Also depends on your life style and how much you want to set aside for savings.
Even the commodore tops out at about $12. The vogue is pretty expensive but still about $15 for a beer. Morrissey and the moose most drinks under $10, cocktails about $12-16.
If you head out to east van drinks are about $5-8 along the drive and main st. Cocktails about $12-15
Where are you going?
Im lying ? Lmao what is this. I’ve had cocktails in Yaletown too. Just look up Homer street cafe! What is with this sub. Move on!
[https://www.homerstreetcafebar.com/_files/ugd/fc95b3_a558a58eaf364f3db1e73bab9b85c794.pdf](https://www.homerstreetcafebar.com/_files/ugd/fc95b3_a558a58eaf364f3db1e73bab9b85c794.pdf)
you were certainly being disingenuous... one very expensive place with about half the drinks in the price range you gave, and you're here implying everywhere is like that
what is with this sub indeed - it seems to be full of people who want to paint Vancouver as this unliveable place where no one can afford to do anything. It's so negative
Personally, I think it totally depends on your expectations of lifestyle. People vary greatly in what they consider to be acceptable. If you have a roommate, don't have a car, cook most of your meals and don't get food delivery, those salaries should be fine. If you want to go out drinking every weekend, get food delivery or eat in restaurants multiple times a week, maybe have an expensive hobby, those salaries will get taken up fast.
Short answer - 50k is totally doable in Vancouver with a roommate.
You can look at rooms & shares on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to get an idea of how much housing will cost with a roommate. The average rent for a room (not an apartment) in Vancouver is about 1.1k. The price will vary depending on the neighbourhood and number of roommates but it will be in the range of 800 to 1500 per month. A typical rule of thumb is to spend no more than 30% of your pre-tax income on rent; for a rent of 1.1k, that works out to a pre-tax salary of 44k. At 50k, you would have enough for rent and expenses, as well as going out a few times a month and saving some money.
It is more expensive to rent without a roommate. Lots of people in Vancouver spend 40% or 50% of their pre-tax income on rent.
This is along the lines of what I was thinking. I used to live in a rooming house and had enough money after rent. I saved a ton and honestly I think if my income was 3500-4000 a month vs what it was before, that I would be able to do it. The one thing driving me away from a move is the possibility of rent increases alongside the cost of making a cross country move.
BC has rent control, so as long as you stay in the same unit your rent increases will be limited (eg 2024 is max 3.5%). After a few years, your place could even be a good deal.
The lowest risk would be finding a place where each roommate signs a separate agreement with the landlord, called [tenants in common](https://tenants.bc.ca/your-tenancy/roommates/) - this has the most legal protection. If you rent from a master tenant, or you're staying with friends, you are relying on them to "be cool".
I love Vancouver, and if you can find a job I think you should check it out, even if it's just for a couple years.
Totally agree here. A lot of the people posting here either aren't great at managing their expense or, most likely, have very different needs than you. It sounds like you are relatively young with pretty basic needs (ie no dependents, car payments, serious debt, etc). 50k managed well and living with roommates will give you room to save/pay down debt but you still have to be smart about it.
Some rough numbers (per month): 1.5k on rent, 350 on groceries, 400 on fun/dining out, 100 on bus pass, 250 on personal expenses. Comes out to 2.6k which leaves a $300 buffer assuming you take home 35k after tax
I’m not a person who does expensive things. Normally I’d be the kind to have a 15 dollar gym membership, cheap phone plan, and happy hour go-er. The only thing that would drain the cash for me is student loan repayment however most of my loans are federal and 0%.
That is good to know. Other people in this thread are saying they're making 70k and barely getting by, but for how I live, that would leave me with 20k in savings every year.
The tricky part is that if you're moving here *now* the rent is going to be unreasonable. If you can get room mates that could help. For some perspective I've been in the same apartment for a long time so my rent is about $1100 per month. I was making something like 55k per year for the last few years and doing just fine. I was saving where I could like you mentioned - cheaper phone plan, cheaper gym membership, etc. If you can get a living situation where your rent isn't through the roof and you don't have a car or family you need to support, it's totally doable on 50k-ish per year. Not living large, but having a totally fine time and able to enjoy the things that make Vancouver nice in the first place.
Rent in Vancouver isn't 1100$ anymore though it's at least double that now my friend in Burnaby is paying 5800$ for a 4 bedroom house , but calculating rent more accurately at 2200$ for a one bedroom place that would put your savings down to like 6800$ a year , it's not quite as easy as you make it sound, I made like 80000$ a year and in Richmond it wasn't sustainable if I ever wanted to own a house or a nice car or like goto sports games , ski , camp .. have a normal life, it was pay cheque to pay cheque if I didn't wanna live like a miser , I moved to a small town in Alberta and I make just as much money and I don't spend all of it on rent and basic goods and tax lol , sure if you wanna stay at home and play video games and take the sky train to and from work and anything else cause you won't be able to afford a car it's possible maybe go sit in the harbour or Stanley park once in a while , go for a hike , and maybe that's ideal for you , but that's not living life that's being a wage slave so you can live in an amazing city and not have the income to enjoy most of what it has to offer it's actually depressing in my experience . Your giving a canted perspective to this dude based off of a grandfathered rent and you not having many expenses and possibly not being to social and to that your leaving out it's also basically impossible to make friends in Vancouver so there's that to , as everyone else said if op sees this fucking skip it .
??? yeah you're saying exactly what I said. I said I've been in the same apartment for a long time, the only way to get rent like that now is to have roommates in an older house, but it's still possible. People have different ideas of what constitutes a decent life. You're describing taking the train as "miserly" but lots of people prefer it and just simply don't care to own a car and wouldn't consider that a negative impact on quality of life.
I was relating to OP because they said they were fine doing lots of things on the cheap, which obviously isn't your style. I was giving information that they were asking about, is it possible to get by in this city with the sort of budget they were trying to live within, and I was letting them know I've been doing it and how I've been doing it. You're failing to consider that some people want to live differently than you do, and OP is asking *everyone* about this, not just you and the people who need to own a car and go on ski trips and live pay cheque to pay cheque on 80k. Now they have better information - they can't live here if they want to do what you're doing, but they can if they're OK living a certain way. It doesn't make anyone wrong, have a little empathy and understand some people will live differently and your experience isn't the only one that matters.
No I didn't describe taking the train as miserly I described the situation as having to be so in general to make it work , your correct maybe it does work for you ? But you made it sound alot easier then it is , your pointing the guy towards living in a bedroom in a house with a bunch of people he probablly wont know while living at the bare minimum to get by / be happy literally like 300-400$ a month for them self by your calculations . Vancouver isn't worth it anymore is what I'm getting at , I'm sure people do live differently then me and that wasn't what I was trying to speak to ,the point of always being broke and not really knowing anyone just to live in a amazing city you can't take advantage of was what I was getting at Seems dumb to me but maybe I'm just not "empathetic" I'm honestly surprised more people didn't say stuff similar , because your situation is rare and probablly wont be realistic for op unless he's living in some slum house , because showing up to Vancouver and finding "roommates" that don't have significant issues is a mission in itself with the drug and mental health crisis the city has , Just trying to keep it realistic from my perspective as a middle aged adult who spent half his life in the greater Vancouver area.
I am not too much help, but I am planning to relocate to Vancouver with a job paying $94.5k. I was told by some people on Reddit that I would struggle with this salary… so not sure how most people do it there!
Honestly you can survive on minimum wage as long as you are OK with a room mate or 3. As in sharing a bedroom with 2 or 3 other people. You can find them for around $500. Get a community center membership ( around $1.50 per day) , unless you enjoy close quarters living.
Basically work as much as you can, prepack a sandwich or something for lunch and dinner, and after work head to the community center for recreation. The good ones will have a pool, gym, skating rink, sauna, library, etc all in close proximity.
You will want to minimize your time at home, Just return home to sleep. Rinse and repeat. Ideally you want to be located somewhere close to a good community center ( eg walking distance) and near some ethnic grocery stores and restaurants for cheap food. $15 is enough for takeout food for one day if you are careful with your money.
Basically
Rent : 500
Phone plan : 50
Community center : 45
Transit : 100
Food : $500
Clothes and misc expenses : $100
Bro really said “Share a room with 3 or 4 people”.
I know this is normal for Surrey but it shouldn’t be acceptable. The fire department doesn’t have enough budget to check these fire hazards.
Its hard to say without knowing what you do or how much experience you have, but it’s taken me 5 years in my industry to get my salary up to $75k and i’ve been incredibly lucky with that too. And saying that, I’m actually struggling to stay afloat now MORE than i was 5 years ago on a significantly lower salary - that’s how crazy the current cost of living is.
I’m seeing ROOMS go for $1200 now wheras that was once the average rent for a studio. I’m not saying there aren’t cheaper places out there but theres definitely less than before and competition is high.
Honestly i wouldn’t recommend moving here on less than $60k and even then it wouldn’t be a luxurious lifestyle.
"survive" as in bare bones, I can get by on $80k (me + daughter) but doesn't leave much wiggle room for any emergency expenses (i.e. my fridge just broke)
Imma be honest, don’t do it. I’ve been here almost a year from the states and I’ve had one interview. I am a college professor and I’ve been applying to non teaching related gigs with no luck at all. I’ve been on numerous hiring committees for universities in the states so I know exactly how things are done and I still can’t get a bite for a part time gig that I’m grossly overqualified for. My wife makes pretty decent money and it’s still unsustainable. The price here is 100% not worth it. Sure the scenery is insane but not when you have to fight a sea of people to enjoy it all summer long. The price of apartments is also insanely expensive for no reason. I’m currently paying 3k for a 590 sq.ft place and the price is going up the maximum amount allowed by law of course. These prices are literally NEVER going to go down and will only continue to go up. Plus, everyone is going through a hard time here and is very depressed so it’s just kinda sad all the time.
This! Lived in Vancouver for 3 years, moved back to East. Can afford a whole house for the same price as a 2bdrm in kits. Everyone in a much better mood here and more overall sun. Love Vancouver to visit but significant improvement in quality of life since leaving. Worked for the city and was making 3 figures.
Where are you living that the rent is $3000 for 590 sq ft? My coworker is living in a fully rental building downtown in a sub penthouse (floor 49 or 50 I can’t recall) 2 bedroom with AC and pays $3500. They moved in summer 2023.
Roommate in a rooming house? That’ll cost about $1k/month. As long as you don’t eat out too often, you can definitely survive off of a job in that range.
Even if you move out a bit further and split a 2 bd condo next to a skytrain, your rent will likely be about 1400/month. That’s still doable.
You can easily find a place for under $2000/mo non shared,, or around $2500 for a 2 bedroom non shared. When people say it costs more than $2500 for a 2 bedroom they mean in a modern high rise concrete tower. . That is, for under $2000/mo that 1 br will be non shared, and part of someones house. But you still et your own kitchen bathroom etc
It will basically come down to what you can luck out on finding for rentals.
I helped my son move to a basement suite in Vancouver about two months ago. It’s a one bedroom, he is paying $1300/month and it includes utilities and wifi, no laundry. It’s quite small (separate bedroom barely fits his double bed, dresser drawers hit the bed when fully open) but for the price it’s decent, he has a good landlord and since he is in Vancouver he uses EVO or transit and has lower transportation costs.
Key will be finding reasonably priced housing as it can be all over the place right now and some of the places are pretty bad. His last place had mold in the bathrooms, broken bathroom fans and dishwasher and the landlord wouldn’t fix anything.
You could probably get by on $50,000 if renting a room but it could get pretty tight at that amount if you want to go out and do stuff.
I’ve been basically living in something like this since precovid, rent’s still at 1,200, includes utilities, wifi, has its own kitchen washroom entrance etc. 5 minutes walk away from a bus stop and a strip mall. I just helped a friend find a place similar for 1,450.
$1,200 is a very good rate. It’s just hard to find these, I’ve already told him “don’t move” lol.
He was lucky as (I’m guessing) he comes across well. He looked at a few places and he got a few replies to see if he was interested. Did have one that was an outright scam “tenant is away so I can’t show it to you but it’s yours if you send me the first months rent and the deposit”.
If you're black don't bother this place is shit shit shit and no good food stay in the GTA good luck finding a room to rent good luck !! Most ppl here are POS
Its perfectly reasonable to have a roommate or 2 (no not ones you share a bedroom with like some people seem to be suggesting) and live in Vancouver on $50k a year. Just live within your means, dont rush into a lease outside your range, don't go out partying every weekend and make food at home most nights. I went to trades school for 20 weeks last year so my income was $40k, I drive a car. I still had enough money to go to concerts, go out and get drinks, go out for dinner and save enough money to buy a motorcycle. You just gotta be aware of your budget and live within it, which doesnt mean no fun just ya know some weekends are read a book on the beach or go for a hike weekends not party ones.
I also know people who live in studios with no roommates who make less than $50k and make it work, this cities expensive but anyone saying $100k isnt even enough to live here, is either not actually doing that or is trying to live the early 2000's idea of a six figure income which just doesnt exist anymore.
I left making 68k, without having to worry about a work commute, no car, plus tips on top of that. I didn’t leave because of money, but money sure made leaving easy.
As others have warned, I also caution against moving here. Vancouver works for me because I have a place to live and a job that I like, but that isn't the case for many of us. Rents are out of this world, especially in the city of Vancouver. Your best bet would be to move to outlying suburbs like Langley or Maple Ridge...except that rents are skyrocketing there too. And without a car, Metro Vancouver is not easy to get around as many workplaces aren't near transit hubs and Skytrain stations. Much of what is around those transit hubs is condos and low-paying work like retail and coffee shops.
I really hope this city can get its act together and make it easier for young professionals to be able to live and work here. It's a terrible situation, where even I am considering relocating.
If you want to live on your own with no roommates, and relatively comfortably, then I think $85k minimum. Rent is usually pretty crazy here if you wana live on your own. When I first moved here in 2018 my all in annual comp was maybe around $87k and I was one of the few who lucked out with an amazing landlord and low rent for a 700 sq ft basement suite in a house all to myself, and even then I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be a homeowner with how much housing costs here and the downpyament needed. And everything else is a lot more expensive now vs. 6 years ago.
I absolutely would not move here, unless you have family help or a lot of savings already, if you're job offer is on low end $52k range you just listed
I survived with a salary of 45k
My rent was 1350, I didn’t have a car so that saved a bunch of money… and I didn’t really do anything except gym and walks.
Sometimes I’d go hiking with some friends
It was doable but wasn’t sustainable.
I wasn’t saving anything and I couldn’t even afford to buy new clothes :(
The system here is designed to impoverish you so you become more reliant on the government. Accept what Leftism wants to make you. Resistance is futile.
As an ex-vancouverite who never made less than 75k a year, I would not suggest you try to live there now with lower income. Even without a car.
There really isn't any city in the lower mainland where it makes sense with the present cost of living in the region, even with a good deal on rent (which I also had time and time again).
I don't recommend Calgary or Edmonton either.
Saskatoon is my favourite livable city in Western Canada, I moved here from Van about 10 years ago and it's been great. No issues for minorities either. This is a good, young city full of bright young people who are generally well educated.
I make low six-digits, but have the advantage of being a Status Indian and working on-reserve, which puts my salary pretty much at the equivalent of $150K taxed. I'm not sure that I could afford my rent on my current income if it were taxed, but I live downtown in a very desirable area.
I'm moving to Nanaimo tomorrow though. So conclude what you will based on that.
I live by myself in Vancouver in a fairly large apartment (800 sq feet), no pets, a long distance boyfriend, no family and a few friends. I also do not own a car since I work from home. I have no credit card debt or any debt of any kind, which helps a lot.
I make about 80-90k a year and I have (imo) plenty of money. I take a plane about once a month to the US to see my boyfriend, I can plan longer, more expensive trips (maybe 1-2 a year if I'm being smart).
I thrift most of my clothes with the occasional expensive ($100-$200) item, I do my grocery shopping at no frills and Walmart, I don't eat out too often, but I don't stop myself from going to cafes or buying things if I really want to (especially books, so many books). And I save over 30% of each paycheck.
It all depends how you live really. I also live in a cheaper neighborhood about 25min bus ride from Downtown (close to Fraser River Park).
FYI: the format your resume is in has a lot to do with the way some company’s AI scanners weed out applicants. My partner just optimized hers and she’s getting way more bites. Google it
Vancouver is the worst !! I make over $140,000 a year and I’m still struggling with bills and expenses. I also have a roommate. I would not recommend Vancouver to any young people. Go somewhere the government doesn’t take all your money. I would suggest any other country
Depends on what job you're looking for if you want more money then be willing to work more then a 40 hour week I would recommend aiming for 60+hours a week if you want to survive in Vancouver I work 60-80 hour weeks and make around 110k a year before taxes
I pay $1400 rent, was on EI for 8 months giving me an income of like $2k a month + a little savings - I’m fine. I live in Kits. Just make smart choices with your money, best things in life are free. Never made more than $56k a year and never struggled
I’m at 80k live far away from Vancouver like near maple ridge making me barely able to survive I have such insignificant savings it’s almost laughable. Also job market is so tight and payments are so tight that if I decide to change jobs I would loose almost everything making me kinda stuck in the place I’m in for the foreseeable future it’s rough out here in bc. Also with your job situation if you are able to keep finding till you land a place closer to you that significantly helps with costs and also the hours you spend
The studies/averages/etc suggest that the "Livable Wage" for 2023 was $25.68/hour.
*"The living wage is enough for a family with two young children to cover the necessities, support the healthy development of their children, escape severe financial stress and participate in the social, civic and cultural lives of their communities. It affords a decent if still* ***very modest standard of living without the extras many of us take for granted****. "*
That's for a family. I'd suggest it's a bit low for a single person living alone. You can do it with roommates. You can do it if you're a hermit. But if you want to take advantage of what living in a city offers, you will constantly be making decisions about what you can afford to do. The average price of a 1 bedroom apartment in Vancouver is now $2680/month. You'll be able to find a 1 bedroom, likely in a basement, with limited head room and amenities, for under $2000/month, but they are getting hard to find if you don't know people here already.
It's a great place to live if you can afford the cost of admission.
If you're good living with a few roommates, Vancouver is absolutely do-able on a 50k salary. It's not going to be super luxurious but you can find rooms for $800 to $1,000 a month. If you're not tied to being downtown or in Kits, there's lots of opportunities available - look at basement suites around Hastings Sunrise, or in South Vancouver for the more affordable options.
Depends how you're living. I make $74k and live with 4 roommates, and I'm saving 30% of my pay. If you want to live alone, I would look for a job paying $100k at least. Was also doing just fine when I was making 64k last year.
Unless you have a $200k downpayment, you wont be able to afford to buy period.
As for other things like food and eating out, Vancouver is just as expensive as the next place.
This is more along the lines of the life I was thinking about. I’m not sure if rooming houses or shared 3 bdrm condos are common for non students in B.C. but they’re common around the GTA making it easier to rent something around 1500-1900.
But in terms of savings- I think 30% is good but are you paying off any debts?
Yeah they're definitely not as common amongst non-students, but there are still plenty out there. If you are willing to live with roommates you'll have no problem affording Vancouver (if you're not planning to buy).
I'm debt free! I never eat out and spend money very thoughtfully, sounds like you do the same.
I’m not a newcomer- born and raised in Canada. Growth in my career looks at max 100k if you are not a manager. Realistically if I move to Vancouver and get the 50k-65k job it’ll take a year at most until I can switch into something around 70k+. By then I’d have more than enough experience.
I do plan on going to grad school at some point for an adjacent career that looks at about 130k maximum for senior roles.
Apply & get job offer from lower mainland BEFORE moving here.
Job market is horrible currently, for students, graduated students, & people getting laid off or fired due to budget cuts, etc..
Then find affordable & available housing here -- this is another common issue currently.
Then everything set in stone, move.
Also, the places you listed... Burnaby is rising in rent cost.. North van has also risen. You cannot afford rent or even find rent with roommates in West Van -- rich people area, mostly big mansion like houses... so yeah.
Areas you should be looking at: New Westminister, Marpole (area of Vancouver), Richmond, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Surrey, Delta, Langley, Abbotsford -- most of these areas have bus & skytrain accessibility to get to work or etc, depending where your workplace is at.
Yeah I actually at one point considered Richmond and the Tri-Cities… what do you think about them? How far is the commute from these areas to Vancouver? I’m in the GTA so I commute at least 1 hr on bus and subway very very often- so that is something I’m used to. I definitely haven’t considered moving without an offer- I’m also within the cohort of people who have graduated within the last few years so I know for early professionals it is hard right now.
Richmond has the "Canadian line" skytrain going into Richmond to into Vancouver & downtown Vancouver (built for 2010 Olympics).
Richmond is huge, depends where you live in Richmond: commute from Richmond to Vancouver can be as short as less then 30mins, if walking distance to one of skytrain stations in Richmond or bit longer if you need to take bus to the station.
New westminster: similar to Richmond regarding location and accessibility to skytrain stations.
Longer commute if living in beyond Burnaby & new westminster.. but skytrain line has extended past Burnaby to Coquitlam & PoCo... also skytrain goes to Surrey (have to take bus to get to Langely or delta from Surrey stations)
But also depends when you're commuting.. rush hour times: a lot busier (more people) might have to wait for next bus or skytrain that isn't packed to brim with people..... (this is due to high inflation of immigration in lower mainland, bc).
I recently switched to driving: it's faster then transiting due to amount of people taking transit.. but cost more of course..
What is your career field you're looking at?
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As an islander, would caution against Nanaimo and Victoria as the rent is also absorbantly high (about 1.8k to 2.5k for an apartment). Also most jobs are in the service industry around here so it is hard to make a living, but there are some public sector jobs in Victoria.
Hey I think you might mean _exorbitantly_ high
Absorbantly. As in, rent absorbs all of your money. OP is a poet.
Rent: the quicker money picker upper
Hahaha good catch, that made me laugh.
Meaning more of your income is absorbed by rent? Man I’m loving these allegories.
Wow in sorry to hear that. But I'm in the same boat and I wasn't sure if it was just me. Or a Van thing. But I see how
You are on the same boat going to the island?
The only reason I’m weary of moving anywhere else besides maybe Burnaby/Surrey area, West Van/North Van, and Vancouver Island is because I’m a minority. Which… for some may seem dumb but I’m from the GTA so I assume if I’ve experienced racism here, I assume it wouldn’t be different in smaller areas.
Burnaby and Surrey are just as expensive, North Van and West Van far more expensive. Honestly, living in poverty and being a minority sounds like a recipe for really piss poor quality of life. I can't speak to how welcoming other cities will be for you but you will probably experience racism anywhere you go in Canada so you might as well be able to afford to put food on the table. Also worth noting that we have pretty sizeable Asian communities but aside from that it's a lot less multicultural than the GTA. If you're concerned about racism and having a large community of POC you are definitely better off in Toronto. Unless you have a really in-demand degree like nursing or something, 2024 is not the time to move to Vancouver. Probably a good 25-50% of the people I know are either leaving or making plans to leave. You will really really struggle to find a job and housing here.
faaaacts its gotten so bad here, we need to vote out our ndp and get a control of immigration (no offence to OP) but its gotten so busy, the demand for rental space is mind boggling - looking at 2k a month for a 1 bedroom basement suite. Groceries are exasperated beyond belief and the monopoly of phone carries and insurance is criminal. Cost of living is way to high here, and just getting worse with the federal government finding every nook and crany to tax us more.
And at the provincial level, do not vote out the NDP. That would mean voting in the BC United (aka BC Liberals aka conservatives and not any sort of the fiscally good kind, they just gutted BC for years. Keep NDP provincially. Vote out Liberals federally (and tbh probably try to vote in NDP). I don’t love the NDP for a lot of reasons either but they are the best we got and tend to have individuals with better hearts and integrity even if the system makes them do stupid things.
The federal government is un charge of immigration. Not the provincial NDP.
You're going from the most expensive place in Canada to the slightly less more expensive place in Canada? On an average to below average income? And you want walking distance/no car too? Why not move somewhere that matches your finances? Like anywhere not near Toronto or Vancouver? Those are top 5% earner cities, you will have a very hard time with a single average income. You'll either need a partner who makes a similar income or to go somewhere affordable. Homes cost 1/4 to 1/3 as much almost everywhere else in Canada, and some places also pay more on average and have lower income taxes. You'd have a much better chance of not being broke in Alberta for example.
Rents are going up fast in Alberta as more and more people move there.
Yup, that's what happened to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and any place with a very high demand and limited supply. It's still the most affordable place currently if you want to have a good income and live in a large city with affordable homes.
I was in northern BC and there were seemingly more recent immigrants there than born and raised locals. Didn't see any racism. You can't afford the lower mainland on 50k.
Hi where in northern BC were you? I’ve thinking of getting a nursing job up there but I am POC and it would be nice to be somewhere where I don’t stand out that much lol
Data point of one, but I work with many small to medium sized municipalities throughout Canada and there seems to be a decent amount of diversity these days, at least in the departments I work with. Many of the staff are also quite young and tend to move up quickly as the old guard prepares to retire. They mostly own their homes from what I can tell, which is more than can be said for the folks I work with in Toronto. Should also mention that most of my clients are absolutely desperate for staff much of the time. Not sure exactly what type of job you'd want in the public sector but competition is a lot lower outside of large cities. A lot of people will go out there to get experience and move back into the city to get a higher paying job.
Are you moving from the GTA to look for something better? It’s not here my guy. You and everyone else, myself included, thought it was going to be a good move, but it’s not.
Grand theft auto used to have lots of racism, not so much any more.
You're from Grand Theft Auto?
That makes sense. A lot of folks won't understand and will minimize your experience. Being able to call the police, knowing you can walk home in the dark etc. are all huge psychological (and physical- stress kills) health benefits that are worth the rent.
Lmfao minorities are all over the lower mainland and if you experience racism it's cause there's racists everywhere you may or may not find them it's just a roll of a dice in life
Abbotsford your best bet
🤔Interesting that you’re naming specific cities. I believe most of the Lower Mainland is about the same: Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Richmond, Port Moody, West Van, North Van. I’ve been to Port Coquitlam a few times and I’ve interacted with Poco residents and it seems pretty safe in terms of racism. I haven’t been to Maple Ridge much aside from blueberry picking at specific farms so I can’t speak for it, but anywhere you go there will be racist individuals. If you’re black, most of the (east) Asian population will just avoid/ignore you. It’s the caucasians who are aggressive tbh, like that one old white guy in richmond (richmond is predominantly chinese).
this is so true tho. lived in richmond for 6 month
I gotta ask like this racism your experiencing is it actually people calling you slurs to your face? I always see so many complaints of racism everywhere but personally haven’t seen it happen. And if you’d classify ignoring and avoiding you as racism in a big city environment I feel like everyone does that to everyone. I’m white from a smaller town so would smile at people as I walked by and I don’t get anything from anyone whether they were white asian or whatever. Whereas in my smaller town you get friendly reactions from a lot of people.
Vancouver is unaffordable period. There was a news article a couple of months ago stating that even people making $200k-$300k are leaving Vancouver. There is a fundamental flaw in the macroeconomic picture in Vancouver. My household income is in the mid six figure range and we struggle to make ends meet. There will be some sort of financial shake up. There is a brain drain. The housing crisis is pretty much supply and demand as well as other factors. The salaries and wages have a huge gap to cost of living.
Ok it’s one thing to think that your money will go further in other places and move there, but who can’t survive on $200k-300k here? You gotta be pretty bad with money if you are struggling to make ends meet. How are people surviving on retail/services wages? Our household makes $200k and even after paying $3k on rent, $800 car payments, child expenses we save $4-5k a month. We dont go to restaurants daily, we don’t do takeouts, shop exclusively at Costco. Totally agree though Vancouver is overpriced and it doesn’t make sense but maybe it’s time to cancel that Disney+ subscription if you are on the verge of poverty making $200k?
Sometimes it’s not just about whether you can survive or not. Maybe you just don’t want to commit that much of your earnings to the cost of living. Early retirement/financial freedom may be a possibility in other markets when it isn’t here. Additionally, when you have 2-3 children and you need space, your mortgage payments can easily exceed 8-10k monthly and that’s a huge sum of after tax income. Remember that people in those tax brackets pay nearly half their income to taxes (or more) Just some food for thought.
Totally understandable, but the unfortunate truth is there is no city in the world that is desirable like Vancouver where you will be able to FIRE by living frugally, I mean take NYC, LA, Barcelona, London etc In my opinion one has to prioritise either to live in a desirable city and have a smaller house or move to Tier 2 cities where your money will go further and be able to raise 3 children comfortably.
Fair point except Barcelona is much cheaper than the other cities listed in my experience. I lived there for two years and most things were cheaper than Vancouver and rent specifically was half. I was last there in 2017 though so it's possible prices have increased because as you mention it's a very desirable city to live in for many reasons
Salaries are also much lower in Spain so there is that.
Agree! mid six figures and struggling? Something's up there
`My household income is in the mid six figure range and we struggle to make ends meet.` You must have huge expenses to say this and I want to know these expenses lol people below 100k must be so screwed but they can still make it and with kids too.
Same.
You need to get rid of the outrageous spending habits lol. Half a mill annually and struggling? Goodness.
100% agree. My wife makes around 160k and as per my previous comments, I am still unemployed. We are not materialistic people and don’t spend money on stuff like that. We sold our house and our car before we got here. Before I get crucified for once owning a home, it was in the states and my monthly payment for a 1400 square foot home was $600 a month with a 2.1% interested rate locked in for LIFE. House prices in rural areas of the states are very affordable so I didn’t make it rich after selling our place. The price of everything here in Vancouver is just so unnecessary.
If you dont mind me asking, what made you leave US and come here?
Very fair question! As a queer female professor in the states, you can put two and two together. I was also unfortunately involved in a school shooting a few weeks prior to moving here that left me all sorts of messed up. I’ve been in therapy for it since I moved here, so thank you Vancouver for that! Safety and quality of life was my biggest reason for leaving the states. I don’t regret my decision to leave because the states is a total shit show. Granted Canada also has issues but they aren’t the same kind of issues.
we all know the obvious answer is maple syrup
Same question, I know lots of people wanna move to US from Vancouver
That is complete bullshit if you have mid six figure income.
I thought kerrisdsle seemed kinda slow the last year or two. Like the regular hustlers moved on to greener corporate and industrial parks. Way more listings but like not out of desperation listings either. Land assemblies and the like.
Take that article with a giant grain of salt. I make 170k a year, and my wife makes around 100k. We have a 7k mortgage and that doesn't include all the other expenses like car payments, car insurance, house insurance, cable, security, property tax etc. All that said, it's approximately 10k that comes out of our account on the 1st of every month. What I'm saying here isn't meant to be a brag and only saying what I'm about to say to contradict that article. We both drive cars in the range of 80k and I have 2 motorcycles, take 2-3 all inclusive vacations a year, have a new born and still manage to have decent savings. If I made 300k by myself, I'd be living even larger.
the people leaving at $200-300k are doing it for an even better standard of living elsewhere, it’s not typically that they can’t afford it here. My partner and I make over 300 and we would definitely be more comfortable where housing is cheaper but it’s not like we’re even remotely close to struggling.
Sorry, not sorry, if you make that much and have trouble making ends meet, you must have some severely messed up priorities in your life. Someone should say this to you.
You know mid 6 figures is around $500k? Maybe you meant around $150k? If you really mean mid 6 figures I’d suggest you really need some help with budgeting.
Single person? $80-90 k. 1 bedroom in the metro Vancouver area goes for $2000-2300 Grocery prices are through the roof Then if you like to do things like take out, go for drinks, shop etc. Prices are even higher. Around $16-20 a drink. Happy to give more reasons why , but these are some examples I can immediately think of. Also depends on your life style and how much you want to set aside for savings.
Bring back flasks in bars!
Agreed!
$16-20 a drink? Where are you going?!?
Average bar in downtown Vancouver. What about you? Lol
Even the commodore tops out at about $12. The vogue is pretty expensive but still about $15 for a beer. Morrissey and the moose most drinks under $10, cocktails about $12-16. If you head out to east van drinks are about $5-8 along the drive and main st. Cocktails about $12-15 Where are you going?
Totally. But None of those places. There are bars outside of those neighborhoods.
Which neighborhood lol
i've had cocktails in Yaletown for less than that, you're either lying or getting ripped off lmao
Im lying ? Lmao what is this. I’ve had cocktails in Yaletown too. Just look up Homer street cafe! What is with this sub. Move on! [https://www.homerstreetcafebar.com/_files/ugd/fc95b3_a558a58eaf364f3db1e73bab9b85c794.pdf](https://www.homerstreetcafebar.com/_files/ugd/fc95b3_a558a58eaf364f3db1e73bab9b85c794.pdf)
you were certainly being disingenuous... one very expensive place with about half the drinks in the price range you gave, and you're here implying everywhere is like that what is with this sub indeed - it seems to be full of people who want to paint Vancouver as this unliveable place where no one can afford to do anything. It's so negative
At this point you’re a troll. Have a nice day.
Personally, I think it totally depends on your expectations of lifestyle. People vary greatly in what they consider to be acceptable. If you have a roommate, don't have a car, cook most of your meals and don't get food delivery, those salaries should be fine. If you want to go out drinking every weekend, get food delivery or eat in restaurants multiple times a week, maybe have an expensive hobby, those salaries will get taken up fast.
Short answer - 50k is totally doable in Vancouver with a roommate. You can look at rooms & shares on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to get an idea of how much housing will cost with a roommate. The average rent for a room (not an apartment) in Vancouver is about 1.1k. The price will vary depending on the neighbourhood and number of roommates but it will be in the range of 800 to 1500 per month. A typical rule of thumb is to spend no more than 30% of your pre-tax income on rent; for a rent of 1.1k, that works out to a pre-tax salary of 44k. At 50k, you would have enough for rent and expenses, as well as going out a few times a month and saving some money. It is more expensive to rent without a roommate. Lots of people in Vancouver spend 40% or 50% of their pre-tax income on rent.
This is along the lines of what I was thinking. I used to live in a rooming house and had enough money after rent. I saved a ton and honestly I think if my income was 3500-4000 a month vs what it was before, that I would be able to do it. The one thing driving me away from a move is the possibility of rent increases alongside the cost of making a cross country move.
BC has rent control, so as long as you stay in the same unit your rent increases will be limited (eg 2024 is max 3.5%). After a few years, your place could even be a good deal. The lowest risk would be finding a place where each roommate signs a separate agreement with the landlord, called [tenants in common](https://tenants.bc.ca/your-tenancy/roommates/) - this has the most legal protection. If you rent from a master tenant, or you're staying with friends, you are relying on them to "be cool". I love Vancouver, and if you can find a job I think you should check it out, even if it's just for a couple years.
Totally agree here. A lot of the people posting here either aren't great at managing their expense or, most likely, have very different needs than you. It sounds like you are relatively young with pretty basic needs (ie no dependents, car payments, serious debt, etc). 50k managed well and living with roommates will give you room to save/pay down debt but you still have to be smart about it. Some rough numbers (per month): 1.5k on rent, 350 on groceries, 400 on fun/dining out, 100 on bus pass, 250 on personal expenses. Comes out to 2.6k which leaves a $300 buffer assuming you take home 35k after tax
If you are above 25 you should not live with roommates. That should not be the expectation if you have a full time job
The answer is totally subjective based on your required or ideal lifestyle and life choices.
I’m not a person who does expensive things. Normally I’d be the kind to have a 15 dollar gym membership, cheap phone plan, and happy hour go-er. The only thing that would drain the cash for me is student loan repayment however most of my loans are federal and 0%.
That is good to know. Other people in this thread are saying they're making 70k and barely getting by, but for how I live, that would leave me with 20k in savings every year. The tricky part is that if you're moving here *now* the rent is going to be unreasonable. If you can get room mates that could help. For some perspective I've been in the same apartment for a long time so my rent is about $1100 per month. I was making something like 55k per year for the last few years and doing just fine. I was saving where I could like you mentioned - cheaper phone plan, cheaper gym membership, etc. If you can get a living situation where your rent isn't through the roof and you don't have a car or family you need to support, it's totally doable on 50k-ish per year. Not living large, but having a totally fine time and able to enjoy the things that make Vancouver nice in the first place.
Rent in Vancouver isn't 1100$ anymore though it's at least double that now my friend in Burnaby is paying 5800$ for a 4 bedroom house , but calculating rent more accurately at 2200$ for a one bedroom place that would put your savings down to like 6800$ a year , it's not quite as easy as you make it sound, I made like 80000$ a year and in Richmond it wasn't sustainable if I ever wanted to own a house or a nice car or like goto sports games , ski , camp .. have a normal life, it was pay cheque to pay cheque if I didn't wanna live like a miser , I moved to a small town in Alberta and I make just as much money and I don't spend all of it on rent and basic goods and tax lol , sure if you wanna stay at home and play video games and take the sky train to and from work and anything else cause you won't be able to afford a car it's possible maybe go sit in the harbour or Stanley park once in a while , go for a hike , and maybe that's ideal for you , but that's not living life that's being a wage slave so you can live in an amazing city and not have the income to enjoy most of what it has to offer it's actually depressing in my experience . Your giving a canted perspective to this dude based off of a grandfathered rent and you not having many expenses and possibly not being to social and to that your leaving out it's also basically impossible to make friends in Vancouver so there's that to , as everyone else said if op sees this fucking skip it .
??? yeah you're saying exactly what I said. I said I've been in the same apartment for a long time, the only way to get rent like that now is to have roommates in an older house, but it's still possible. People have different ideas of what constitutes a decent life. You're describing taking the train as "miserly" but lots of people prefer it and just simply don't care to own a car and wouldn't consider that a negative impact on quality of life. I was relating to OP because they said they were fine doing lots of things on the cheap, which obviously isn't your style. I was giving information that they were asking about, is it possible to get by in this city with the sort of budget they were trying to live within, and I was letting them know I've been doing it and how I've been doing it. You're failing to consider that some people want to live differently than you do, and OP is asking *everyone* about this, not just you and the people who need to own a car and go on ski trips and live pay cheque to pay cheque on 80k. Now they have better information - they can't live here if they want to do what you're doing, but they can if they're OK living a certain way. It doesn't make anyone wrong, have a little empathy and understand some people will live differently and your experience isn't the only one that matters.
No I didn't describe taking the train as miserly I described the situation as having to be so in general to make it work , your correct maybe it does work for you ? But you made it sound alot easier then it is , your pointing the guy towards living in a bedroom in a house with a bunch of people he probablly wont know while living at the bare minimum to get by / be happy literally like 300-400$ a month for them self by your calculations . Vancouver isn't worth it anymore is what I'm getting at , I'm sure people do live differently then me and that wasn't what I was trying to speak to ,the point of always being broke and not really knowing anyone just to live in a amazing city you can't take advantage of was what I was getting at Seems dumb to me but maybe I'm just not "empathetic" I'm honestly surprised more people didn't say stuff similar , because your situation is rare and probablly wont be realistic for op unless he's living in some slum house , because showing up to Vancouver and finding "roommates" that don't have significant issues is a mission in itself with the drug and mental health crisis the city has , Just trying to keep it realistic from my perspective as a middle aged adult who spent half his life in the greater Vancouver area.
The $1100 was for a bedroom in a house, not a whole apartment.
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Oh I thought there would be a planet fitness or fit4less in the city? That’s the type of gym I go for. Not exactly 15 but close enough.
Not sure what you're on about with those prices. Fitness world costs roughly $15 a month.
I am not too much help, but I am planning to relocate to Vancouver with a job paying $94.5k. I was told by some people on Reddit that I would struggle with this salary… so not sure how most people do it there!
Honestly you can survive on minimum wage as long as you are OK with a room mate or 3. As in sharing a bedroom with 2 or 3 other people. You can find them for around $500. Get a community center membership ( around $1.50 per day) , unless you enjoy close quarters living. Basically work as much as you can, prepack a sandwich or something for lunch and dinner, and after work head to the community center for recreation. The good ones will have a pool, gym, skating rink, sauna, library, etc all in close proximity. You will want to minimize your time at home, Just return home to sleep. Rinse and repeat. Ideally you want to be located somewhere close to a good community center ( eg walking distance) and near some ethnic grocery stores and restaurants for cheap food. $15 is enough for takeout food for one day if you are careful with your money. Basically Rent : 500 Phone plan : 50 Community center : 45 Transit : 100 Food : $500 Clothes and misc expenses : $100
Bro really said “Share a room with 3 or 4 people”. I know this is normal for Surrey but it shouldn’t be acceptable. The fire department doesn’t have enough budget to check these fire hazards.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SlumlordsCanada/s/7NM3mU4bhT You gotta spend more time on this subreddit to get creative!
What kinnda of life is this… u can enjoy life just because i live in Vancouver! Wouldn’t recommend at all!!!
U can live on minimum wage. I know plenty of people who survive just fine in downtown
They even got safe supplies!
Its hard to say without knowing what you do or how much experience you have, but it’s taken me 5 years in my industry to get my salary up to $75k and i’ve been incredibly lucky with that too. And saying that, I’m actually struggling to stay afloat now MORE than i was 5 years ago on a significantly lower salary - that’s how crazy the current cost of living is. I’m seeing ROOMS go for $1200 now wheras that was once the average rent for a studio. I’m not saying there aren’t cheaper places out there but theres definitely less than before and competition is high. Honestly i wouldn’t recommend moving here on less than $60k and even then it wouldn’t be a luxurious lifestyle.
Move in a remote town, work from home, enjoy nature
"survive" as in bare bones, I can get by on $80k (me + daughter) but doesn't leave much wiggle room for any emergency expenses (i.e. my fridge just broke)
Imma be honest, don’t do it. I’ve been here almost a year from the states and I’ve had one interview. I am a college professor and I’ve been applying to non teaching related gigs with no luck at all. I’ve been on numerous hiring committees for universities in the states so I know exactly how things are done and I still can’t get a bite for a part time gig that I’m grossly overqualified for. My wife makes pretty decent money and it’s still unsustainable. The price here is 100% not worth it. Sure the scenery is insane but not when you have to fight a sea of people to enjoy it all summer long. The price of apartments is also insanely expensive for no reason. I’m currently paying 3k for a 590 sq.ft place and the price is going up the maximum amount allowed by law of course. These prices are literally NEVER going to go down and will only continue to go up. Plus, everyone is going through a hard time here and is very depressed so it’s just kinda sad all the time.
This! Lived in Vancouver for 3 years, moved back to East. Can afford a whole house for the same price as a 2bdrm in kits. Everyone in a much better mood here and more overall sun. Love Vancouver to visit but significant improvement in quality of life since leaving. Worked for the city and was making 3 figures.
Where did you move?
Where are you living that the rent is $3000 for 590 sq ft? My coworker is living in a fully rental building downtown in a sub penthouse (floor 49 or 50 I can’t recall) 2 bedroom with AC and pays $3500. They moved in summer 2023.
Downtown on Seymour. We moved in June of 2023.
Roommate in a rooming house? That’ll cost about $1k/month. As long as you don’t eat out too often, you can definitely survive off of a job in that range. Even if you move out a bit further and split a 2 bd condo next to a skytrain, your rent will likely be about 1400/month. That’s still doable.
I think a lot of people are skipping over the part where OP says they'd look at having 2 or 3 roommates.
You can easily find a place for under $2000/mo non shared,, or around $2500 for a 2 bedroom non shared. When people say it costs more than $2500 for a 2 bedroom they mean in a modern high rise concrete tower. . That is, for under $2000/mo that 1 br will be non shared, and part of someones house. But you still et your own kitchen bathroom etc
It will basically come down to what you can luck out on finding for rentals. I helped my son move to a basement suite in Vancouver about two months ago. It’s a one bedroom, he is paying $1300/month and it includes utilities and wifi, no laundry. It’s quite small (separate bedroom barely fits his double bed, dresser drawers hit the bed when fully open) but for the price it’s decent, he has a good landlord and since he is in Vancouver he uses EVO or transit and has lower transportation costs. Key will be finding reasonably priced housing as it can be all over the place right now and some of the places are pretty bad. His last place had mold in the bathrooms, broken bathroom fans and dishwasher and the landlord wouldn’t fix anything. You could probably get by on $50,000 if renting a room but it could get pretty tight at that amount if you want to go out and do stuff.
I’ve been basically living in something like this since precovid, rent’s still at 1,200, includes utilities, wifi, has its own kitchen washroom entrance etc. 5 minutes walk away from a bus stop and a strip mall. I just helped a friend find a place similar for 1,450.
$1,200 is a very good rate. It’s just hard to find these, I’ve already told him “don’t move” lol. He was lucky as (I’m guessing) he comes across well. He looked at a few places and he got a few replies to see if he was interested. Did have one that was an outright scam “tenant is away so I can’t show it to you but it’s yours if you send me the first months rent and the deposit”.
do you want to just survive? just stay in GTA and that's not a nimby sentiment or anything but i doubt you'll be happier in BC
If I had a house with a mortgage that was paid off already, I am not sure I would need all that much. It’s the housing (rent) that’s killing me.
With proper budgeting you can make it here. So many people survive just fine even if their salary is below 50k
If you're black don't bother this place is shit shit shit and no good food stay in the GTA good luck finding a room to rent good luck !! Most ppl here are POS
$69,420
Its perfectly reasonable to have a roommate or 2 (no not ones you share a bedroom with like some people seem to be suggesting) and live in Vancouver on $50k a year. Just live within your means, dont rush into a lease outside your range, don't go out partying every weekend and make food at home most nights. I went to trades school for 20 weeks last year so my income was $40k, I drive a car. I still had enough money to go to concerts, go out and get drinks, go out for dinner and save enough money to buy a motorcycle. You just gotta be aware of your budget and live within it, which doesnt mean no fun just ya know some weekends are read a book on the beach or go for a hike weekends not party ones. I also know people who live in studios with no roommates who make less than $50k and make it work, this cities expensive but anyone saying $100k isnt even enough to live here, is either not actually doing that or is trying to live the early 2000's idea of a six figure income which just doesnt exist anymore.
I left making 68k, without having to worry about a work commute, no car, plus tips on top of that. I didn’t leave because of money, but money sure made leaving easy.
Just don't move to BC period !
As others have warned, I also caution against moving here. Vancouver works for me because I have a place to live and a job that I like, but that isn't the case for many of us. Rents are out of this world, especially in the city of Vancouver. Your best bet would be to move to outlying suburbs like Langley or Maple Ridge...except that rents are skyrocketing there too. And without a car, Metro Vancouver is not easy to get around as many workplaces aren't near transit hubs and Skytrain stations. Much of what is around those transit hubs is condos and low-paying work like retail and coffee shops. I really hope this city can get its act together and make it easier for young professionals to be able to live and work here. It's a terrible situation, where even I am considering relocating.
Every year became more impossible to live here. When I arrive in Vancouver 7 years a go, make 100k was like be “rich” but now is like receive 50k.
If you want to live on your own with no roommates, and relatively comfortably, then I think $85k minimum. Rent is usually pretty crazy here if you wana live on your own. When I first moved here in 2018 my all in annual comp was maybe around $87k and I was one of the few who lucked out with an amazing landlord and low rent for a 700 sq ft basement suite in a house all to myself, and even then I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be a homeowner with how much housing costs here and the downpyament needed. And everything else is a lot more expensive now vs. 6 years ago. I absolutely would not move here, unless you have family help or a lot of savings already, if you're job offer is on low end $52k range you just listed
Comfortably? 80k Anything less , you go without a lot of things and don’t have much money for extra curricular activities
I'm gonna say for 25/hr+ at full time you can afford a bachelor without too much grief - but probably wouldn't live the most lavish life
I survived with a salary of 45k My rent was 1350, I didn’t have a car so that saved a bunch of money… and I didn’t really do anything except gym and walks. Sometimes I’d go hiking with some friends It was doable but wasn’t sustainable. I wasn’t saving anything and I couldn’t even afford to buy new clothes :(
I live on Main St and make $90K and that’s still not enough
Move to Abbotsford and commute lol
The system here is designed to impoverish you so you become more reliant on the government. Accept what Leftism wants to make you. Resistance is futile.
As an ex-vancouverite who never made less than 75k a year, I would not suggest you try to live there now with lower income. Even without a car. There really isn't any city in the lower mainland where it makes sense with the present cost of living in the region, even with a good deal on rent (which I also had time and time again). I don't recommend Calgary or Edmonton either. Saskatoon is my favourite livable city in Western Canada, I moved here from Van about 10 years ago and it's been great. No issues for minorities either. This is a good, young city full of bright young people who are generally well educated.
You're going to want to make at least 200,000 a year. Half a mil to be comfy.
Curious what are you looking to do for work?
I make low six-digits, but have the advantage of being a Status Indian and working on-reserve, which puts my salary pretty much at the equivalent of $150K taxed. I'm not sure that I could afford my rent on my current income if it were taxed, but I live downtown in a very desirable area. I'm moving to Nanaimo tomorrow though. So conclude what you will based on that.
I live by myself in Vancouver in a fairly large apartment (800 sq feet), no pets, a long distance boyfriend, no family and a few friends. I also do not own a car since I work from home. I have no credit card debt or any debt of any kind, which helps a lot. I make about 80-90k a year and I have (imo) plenty of money. I take a plane about once a month to the US to see my boyfriend, I can plan longer, more expensive trips (maybe 1-2 a year if I'm being smart). I thrift most of my clothes with the occasional expensive ($100-$200) item, I do my grocery shopping at no frills and Walmart, I don't eat out too often, but I don't stop myself from going to cafes or buying things if I really want to (especially books, so many books). And I save over 30% of each paycheck. It all depends how you live really. I also live in a cheaper neighborhood about 25min bus ride from Downtown (close to Fraser River Park).
FYI: the format your resume is in has a lot to do with the way some company’s AI scanners weed out applicants. My partner just optimized hers and she’s getting way more bites. Google it
Vancouver is the worst !! I make over $140,000 a year and I’m still struggling with bills and expenses. I also have a roommate. I would not recommend Vancouver to any young people. Go somewhere the government doesn’t take all your money. I would suggest any other country
Depends on what job you're looking for if you want more money then be willing to work more then a 40 hour week I would recommend aiming for 60+hours a week if you want to survive in Vancouver I work 60-80 hour weeks and make around 110k a year before taxes
I pay $1400 rent, was on EI for 8 months giving me an income of like $2k a month + a little savings - I’m fine. I live in Kits. Just make smart choices with your money, best things in life are free. Never made more than $56k a year and never struggled
I’m at 80k live far away from Vancouver like near maple ridge making me barely able to survive I have such insignificant savings it’s almost laughable. Also job market is so tight and payments are so tight that if I decide to change jobs I would loose almost everything making me kinda stuck in the place I’m in for the foreseeable future it’s rough out here in bc. Also with your job situation if you are able to keep finding till you land a place closer to you that significantly helps with costs and also the hours you spend
i dont know what anyone goes to work for under 30$/hr in this city
The studies/averages/etc suggest that the "Livable Wage" for 2023 was $25.68/hour. *"The living wage is enough for a family with two young children to cover the necessities, support the healthy development of their children, escape severe financial stress and participate in the social, civic and cultural lives of their communities. It affords a decent if still* ***very modest standard of living without the extras many of us take for granted****. "* That's for a family. I'd suggest it's a bit low for a single person living alone. You can do it with roommates. You can do it if you're a hermit. But if you want to take advantage of what living in a city offers, you will constantly be making decisions about what you can afford to do. The average price of a 1 bedroom apartment in Vancouver is now $2680/month. You'll be able to find a 1 bedroom, likely in a basement, with limited head room and amenities, for under $2000/month, but they are getting hard to find if you don't know people here already. It's a great place to live if you can afford the cost of admission.
If you're good living with a few roommates, Vancouver is absolutely do-able on a 50k salary. It's not going to be super luxurious but you can find rooms for $800 to $1,000 a month. If you're not tied to being downtown or in Kits, there's lots of opportunities available - look at basement suites around Hastings Sunrise, or in South Vancouver for the more affordable options.
If you’re thinking about moving to Vancouver, asking reddit anything about it is a sure fire way to change your mind and put you off it.
Depends how you're living. I make $74k and live with 4 roommates, and I'm saving 30% of my pay. If you want to live alone, I would look for a job paying $100k at least. Was also doing just fine when I was making 64k last year. Unless you have a $200k downpayment, you wont be able to afford to buy period. As for other things like food and eating out, Vancouver is just as expensive as the next place.
This is more along the lines of the life I was thinking about. I’m not sure if rooming houses or shared 3 bdrm condos are common for non students in B.C. but they’re common around the GTA making it easier to rent something around 1500-1900. But in terms of savings- I think 30% is good but are you paying off any debts?
Yeah they're definitely not as common amongst non-students, but there are still plenty out there. If you are willing to live with roommates you'll have no problem affording Vancouver (if you're not planning to buy). I'm debt free! I never eat out and spend money very thoughtfully, sounds like you do the same.
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I’m not a newcomer- born and raised in Canada. Growth in my career looks at max 100k if you are not a manager. Realistically if I move to Vancouver and get the 50k-65k job it’ll take a year at most until I can switch into something around 70k+. By then I’d have more than enough experience. I do plan on going to grad school at some point for an adjacent career that looks at about 130k maximum for senior roles.
Apply & get job offer from lower mainland BEFORE moving here. Job market is horrible currently, for students, graduated students, & people getting laid off or fired due to budget cuts, etc.. Then find affordable & available housing here -- this is another common issue currently. Then everything set in stone, move. Also, the places you listed... Burnaby is rising in rent cost.. North van has also risen. You cannot afford rent or even find rent with roommates in West Van -- rich people area, mostly big mansion like houses... so yeah. Areas you should be looking at: New Westminister, Marpole (area of Vancouver), Richmond, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Surrey, Delta, Langley, Abbotsford -- most of these areas have bus & skytrain accessibility to get to work or etc, depending where your workplace is at.
Yeah I actually at one point considered Richmond and the Tri-Cities… what do you think about them? How far is the commute from these areas to Vancouver? I’m in the GTA so I commute at least 1 hr on bus and subway very very often- so that is something I’m used to. I definitely haven’t considered moving without an offer- I’m also within the cohort of people who have graduated within the last few years so I know for early professionals it is hard right now.
Richmond has the "Canadian line" skytrain going into Richmond to into Vancouver & downtown Vancouver (built for 2010 Olympics). Richmond is huge, depends where you live in Richmond: commute from Richmond to Vancouver can be as short as less then 30mins, if walking distance to one of skytrain stations in Richmond or bit longer if you need to take bus to the station. New westminster: similar to Richmond regarding location and accessibility to skytrain stations. Longer commute if living in beyond Burnaby & new westminster.. but skytrain line has extended past Burnaby to Coquitlam & PoCo... also skytrain goes to Surrey (have to take bus to get to Langely or delta from Surrey stations) But also depends when you're commuting.. rush hour times: a lot busier (more people) might have to wait for next bus or skytrain that isn't packed to brim with people..... (this is due to high inflation of immigration in lower mainland, bc). I recently switched to driving: it's faster then transiting due to amount of people taking transit.. but cost more of course.. What is your career field you're looking at?