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I'm mainly interested in the economic quality of life that my wife and I would have in these two cities. So I guess who would you think would have a better quality of life:
Denver, CO making $57k (US) or Vancouver, BC making about $60k (CA).
Because of exchange rate, I lean more toward Denver, but I know nothing about Vancouver so that's why I'm here.
Denver hands down and across the board. You'd be living like a middle class person in Denver and a poverty-stricken serf in Vancouver.
I live in suburban Vancouver and it's not even a contest.............your 60k will go no where in Vancouver.
Vancouver is more expensive than people imagine to be. It's not just real estate but rentals, hydro, insurance, the highest gas prices in NA, expensive food & restaurants, all made worse by low wages and little opportunity.
Vancouver is a low income city with little economic foundation {the largest corporation based in Vancouver is only 48th largest in the country}............Vancouver survives on house flipping by wealthy Chinese many of which don't even live here. Vancouver is a stunning 40% more expensive than the next most expensive real estate market in the country..........Toronto. The suburbs in Vancouver are "cheaper" but still beyond expensive.
The average price of a home in Vancouver is QUADRUPLE the cost of one in Montreal despite Montreal being a much more important economic centre and 50% larger.
Not even Canadians move to Vancouver anymore............just wealthy Chinese passport buyers.
You would need you head examined to choose Vancouver over Denver for economic quality of life.
I was aware that Vancouver was expensive, but I am appalled that it's as expensive as it is.
There have been some exaggerations in this thread.
Yes, single family housing in Vancouver is very expensive and getting more so.
Condo's for the most part are competitive to other cities as are rents.
Restaurants are not any more expensive than Toronto or even Montreal. In fact, I find them to be slightly cheaper than Toronto.
Fast food chains are more expensive that the US, but that is true for all of Canada I believe.
Individual family run restaurants are pretty much the same price you find in place like Seattle, San Fran and L.A. I mention these places since they are the ones I've been to lately.
Upscale restaurants tend to be slightly cheaper than their counterparts in Toronto, and the other places I've mentioned.
Go to some restaurant sites and see for yourself.
Hydro ( electrical ) compared to other places is not expensive. You can check the rates online at BC Hydro's site.
Food in grocery stores in Canada tend to be more expensive than most places in the US. The reasons are many, marketing boards for dairy,( it's not subsidized like in the US ) and transportation costs add to that as well.
However, when I've shopped in the US, I find that some prices are very close, especially if you want to buy BGH free or hormone free meat etc.
Gasoline, yes, it's is about 20 cents more per litre than in most parts of Canada. The gap between the US price and Canadian prices has widen recently since your gas has come down form nearly $4.00 a US gallon. Ours hasn't come down nearly as much.
Is it more expensive than Denver? Overall it is more expensive than Denver, but it's really not a fair comparison. Two totally different cities in what they have to offer. Vancouverites would NEVER think of Denver in comparing the cities.
Night and day.
I live in suburban Vancouver and it's not even a contest.............your 60k will go no where in Vancouver.
Vancouver is more expensive than people imagine to be. It's not just real estate but rentals, hydro, insurance, the highest gas prices in NA, expensive food & restaurants, all made worse by low wages and little opportunity.
Vancouver is a low income city with little economic foundation {the largest corporation based in Vancouver is only 48th largest in the country}............Vancouver survives on house flipping by wealthy Chinese many of which don't even live here. Vancouver is a stunning 40% more expensive than the next most expensive real estate market in the country..........Toronto. The suburbs in Vancouver are "cheaper" but still beyond expensive.
The average price of a home in Vancouver is QUADRUPLE the cost of one in Montreal despite Montreal being a much more important economic centre and 50% larger.
Not even Canadians move to Vancouver anymore............just wealthy Chinese passport buyers.
You would need you head examined to choose Vancouver over Denver for economic quality of life.
I know this is an old post, but "expensive food and restaurants" is really, really off and truly reveals the level of exaggeration of the unaffordability of Vancouver. Some of the cheapest food I've had in Canada, perhaps all of North America, is in Vancouver. You can eat a full sit down dinner with a drink for $6. Just hang out in Richmond... Also, sushi, even decent quality ones can be very, very cheap, like $5 for a box set. I think you've just got to get out of the fine dining/western food chain scene and embrace some of the "ethnic" restaurants. When I used to live in Richmond I ate out all the time, and it was cheaper than buying groceries to cook (there's a little Shanghainese fast food restaurant that served a full plate of noodles with meats and vegetables for $5, tax included. Or maybe they don't pay it. Who knows. Either way, the portion was large enough for two meals).
For the OP (though likely he's already made his move), the only way this will work well for you in Vancouver is if your wife is also making 60K. You'll survive. 120K household income sounds like a lot anywhere else, but you'll be scraping by as solidly middle class here. I'd still take that lifestyle over living in a mansion in a complete dump of a city, but your second choice (Denver) isn't bad at all, so I'd really strongly weigh all the pros and cons.
Vancouver's more expensive, and we live a fairly modest lifestyle despite a six figure household income. That said, we don't feel remotely poor, and we don't think we'd suddenly be driving his and hers Porsches and golfing every weekend if we moved to a "cheaper" city with the same income. The unaffordability really is overblown.
Go with Denver - booming economy, nice mountain scenery, and a downtown that's good enough for the needs of most folks. Unless you want to go the apartment or condominium route, you do not want to squeak by on 60k in Vancouver. That won't buy you any single family home in Vancouver or even the suburbs over an hour away. With the money you save in Denver you can take a vacation in Vancouver every summer.
Great cities both though!
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