Which city is better for small business: Vancouver or Calgary? (sales, real estate)

[girlcandy]

Hi all!
I have a small business and we are thinking if relocating. We ship within Canada and the US and we don't have a retail location. Any advantages I'd disadvantages to either city/province? Also is either city cheaper (rent, etc)? Thanks in advance!

[mikeyyc]

Taxes are better in Alberta. No Provincial sales tax, only GST. Alberta has a lot more employer friendly environment. Calgary is a transportation/distribution hub. Both are getting expensive, but if all you need is space, not a storefront, there is lots of space available in the industrial areas.

Generally speaking, Alberta is a better environment for entrepeneurial types.

[Esher1430]

No one will work for you for less than about 12-15 bucks an hour in Calgary, there is massive inflation here. Drive thru windows, shops etc actually are closed because they cant find any staff or cant afford them. If you want to employ anyone, i think you should consider this.

Neither city stands out as being cheap by any means. Calgary has to be in the running for the most expensive market in the country. It does have the tax thing going for it, but man is it ever cold.

[sanspeur]

This in this mornings news....

Cost of business rises in Vancouver

It's the most expensive city in Canada, according to KPMG study


Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun

Published: Friday, March 28, 2008
High real estate values have bolstered Vancouver's position as the most expensive Canadian city in which to conduct business, according to a KPMG study.
The study -- which examines 27 cost components and assigns a value of 100 to average costs in the U.S. -- said Vancouver's cost index has risen from 96.9 to 104.2 in the past two years.

Cost of business rises in Vancouver


Moderator cut: When referring to outside material, please quote only the first 2 sentences and then provide a link to the article