Vancouver, BC vs Portland, OR. which one is better? (living, best, cost)

[WTL63]

based on:

quality of life
nightlife
scenery
daytime activities/events
shopping/entertainment venues
overall vibe

[Trafalgar Law]

Vancouver.

Love both though.

[dapper23]

Vancouver wins all categories easily except quality of life. That is very debatable and likely Portland if that encompasses COL.

Downtown Vancouver feels (and is) significantly bigger than DT Portland.

That being said, I think I like Portland more overall. It's close.

[C24L]

I prefer Portland cuz its in America

[OyCrumbler]

quality of life - Vancouver, except for cost of living, but Portland is great
nightlife - Portland by a large margin
scenery - Vancouver
daytime activities/events - Portland for me, but depends on what you like
shopping/entertainment venues - Similar to the above, depends on what you like
overall vibe - Portland for me

I think the major cities of the Pacific Northwest (and many of the smaller ones) are some of the best of North America. I'm excited that they're trying to slowly upgrade their transit connections to each other. My guess is 2018 ridership will have it top a million riders.

[mhays25]

I love both. But Vancouver because it's denser, much more transit oriented, and much more international.

[NOLA101]

I personally like Portland. Better character, much better nightlife and restaurant scene, and cooler vibe.

Vancouver is mostly ugly condo towers. The only real advantage in Van is that the surroundings are even more beautiful.

[OyCrumbler]

Vancouver’s towers aren’t individually much to look at, but I do sort of like the glassy consistency.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by C24L

I prefer Portland cuz its in America

Canada is America bestfriend

[DJKirkland]

I think I'll have to go with Portland on this one.

QOL I think depends on where you're at in life (most could afford a home in PDX vs. not really a possibility in the city of Vancouver). Rent wise the nicer parts of Portland are getting expensive so that might be a wash.

Vancouver's condo towers and downtown are nice to look at, but I find downtown Portland to be a much more interesting place to spend time. Nightlife in Vancouver is kind of 'meh' and overpriced. I've had better food in Portland as well.

Shopping - I'm sure Vancouver has better high end options than Portland. That being said, I think Portland has some great independent shops.