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Can anyone give a comment about the way of living in melbourne and vancouver (in general)... We're moving out here in Hobart, Tasmania and we're still undecided where to go next between these 2 cities...
The factors are School, Job, Weather, People, Cost of living and benefits from the government Thanks
A Friend of mine lives in Melbourne and finds Melbourne really, really boring. She is trying really hard to move back to either the UK or try ....Vancouver !
She says Melbourne is really a very suburban kind of lifestyle, very bland urban sprawl and really not a very exciting place to live. She really, really hates it.
Interestingly she loves Tasmania !
Vancouver however is more vibrant and you can still get all the joys of outdoors pursuits as well. Yes it rains a lot more but the winters are very mild and the autumns lovely .
Summary - 2 Awesome Cities - One with better weather, one with better mountains and world class ski-fields.
You are picking from two of the best cities on the world. I am a British expat who has lived in Melbourne the last 7 years, and visited Vancouver both of the last 2 years.
While both are great cities in almost all senses, what sets them apart for me is just how friendly people are, especially considering the size of them. Comparing to British cities there is just no contest.
While Vancouver's Winters are mild by Canadian standards, they are quite a bit colder than a Melbourne's Winter. So if weather is a factor, check the weather averages online, compare to where you are, and make your conclusions.
Both are quite outdoorsy and active cities, especially in their central areas, and both are by the water, which is very pleasant.
Melbourne is vibrant in its central area, with a diverse range of feels to each of its inner suburban areas.
Melbourne host numerous art, music, and other festivals throughout the year. Notable highlights include the International Film Festival, and the International Comedy Festival.
Sporting wise it is the capital of Australian sport, with a Grand Prix, the Australian Open Tennis, Test Cricket, Football (as in soccer), Australian Rules. The layout of Melbourne and the pricing of these events makes them very accessible, especially compared to the UK or US.
Eating out is fantastic in Melbourne. Cheap eating compared to the UK can be found easily, a superb range of cuisines, and even eating outside down a laneway listening to live jazz, year round.
Vancouver eating out is even cheaper!
Melbourne's outer suburban area does extend a long, and does tend towards a degree of sprawl since most houses are detached and have a decent block of land. I cannot comment on Vancouver for this, but I imagine that most modern cities (i.e. most of their development is in the last 50 years since cars became prevalent) are like this. I know that most US cities are generally even more centralised.
House prices have been going up a lot in the past years in Melbourne, going from highly affordable to quite unaffordable for those on an average income. If you are on upper end pay scales however, once again you would find the prices cheap compared to major world capitals such as London, Paris, New York. I sold a studio flat in London and for the same price could have bought a 3 bedroom flat in a good area in Melbourne, or a totally stunning 2 bed by the beach with sea views. Not sure about Vancouver, but I know most of the developed world experienced house price rises in the past few years which are now under threat due to the economic situation.
Cannot comment on schools, but I would imagine that in similar areas between the two cities standards would be equivalent.
I think to not enjoy life in Melbourne would have to be down to a lot of really bad luck, or a struggle to meet people and make friends combined with not really venturing into the centre of the city to experience all the amazing things it has to offer. Or just deep down not really wanting to live a city lifestyle. While I could live in any of about 18-20 countries based on the passports I have, I would not live anywhere else in the world. Though if someone put a gun to my head and said I had to live a year outside of Melbourne, Vancouver would be the first place that came to mind!
A Friend of mine lives in Melbourne and finds Melbourne really, really boring. She is trying really hard to move back to either the UK or try ....Vancouver !
She says Melbourne is really a very suburban kind of lifestyle, very bland urban sprawl and really not a very exciting place to live. She really, really hates it.
Interestingly she loves Tasmania !
Vancouver however is more vibrant and you can still get all the joys of outdoors pursuits as well. Yes it rains a lot more but the winters are very mild and the autumns lovely .
Haven't been to Vancouver but that's the exactly the opposite to my experience in Melbourne. Very vibrant fantastic city. Great restaurants, great people, lot of diversity. Really miss it.
The factors are School, Job, Weather, People, Cost of living and benefits from the government Thanks
I used to live in Vancouver. I found it quite vibrant. I've never lived in Melbourne but have been several times as I have family there. I find it quite vibrant too. Both have bland, boring outer suburbia but their inner cities are fun. Out of the two, I prefer Melbourne, for that. Everyone is different so you'll get different opinions, especially when it comes to subjective things like whether a place is exciting, boring, great, etc.
But you did ask specifics like school, job, weather, etc. Although not specific enough.
School - for you, or for kids? What age? Are you after private or public school? Jobs - what profession?
Weather - my parents live in Melbourne and even though they complain about the weather there sometimes, they say it's better than Vancouver's eternal greyness and damp, and iffy summers. I detested Vancouver's weather but then I don't view weather as a major factor in liveability. I used to, but now believe it's so over-rated.
People - both Canadians and Australians have very nice people, they also have jerks, like anywhere imo. Very subjective, as it can sometimes depend on you and how you come across to others. Canada doesn't seem to have as many hoons, ferals or drunks, though.
Cost of living - since housing is a major component of COL, neither has cheap housing but the latest Demographia report put Vancouver as less affordable than Melbourne. All other costs - hard to nail down, as it depends on you, your lifestyle, needs, wants, spending habits, etc.
Benefits from govt? Which ones? If it's for family tax benefits, then Oz is better. Canada penalises single-income families. Or at least they used to, maybe it's changed.
I am actually considering ReLocating outside my HomeTown Toronto, Canada. The places that make my List are Melbourne, AUS; Vancouver & maybe New Zealand. Haven't made the Final Choice yet.
I was also just in NZ last Feb.'08, Had a GRReat Time, then went back to Melb. I bounce back/froth frm Toronto to Melbourne about every 6yrs or so.
Haven't made it to VanCity yet though, I figure I have some time since I alread Live in Canada, sooo, I'm focusing mainly on trying to spend an Extended Time in Melb. & getting some paperwork for Visa Done. Right now, I am doing the Homework phase.
If anyone would like to ExchangeNotes, that would be GRReat.
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Last edited by MidKnitEBLueBird; 01-13-2009 at 03:35 AM..
melbourne for sure. vancouver rains half the year non stop. its a very depressing, and expensive city. canadas most expensive to be exact. the opportunities are also very limited. many phd;s end up in vancouver delivering pizzas. many local university graduates cant find jobs. a lot of them try to go to usa because of the limited opportunities in vancouver. their economy is expected to crash after the 2010 olympics. people who do live in vancouver are very happy though. they love it. but keep in mind. its very competitive.
Last edited by Cornerguy1; 02-03-2009 at 06:40 PM..
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Australia is getting very expensive for families, grocery is way overpriced in Australia. We are moving to Canada as the matter of fact. Vancouver is close to US, so there are much more biz opportunities, Australian personal tax is very high; and you get no benefits as quick as your income goes above $70,000 mark which is nothing in Australia considering you will then be taxed as hell. Rental here is very expensive, I guess good thing about Vancouver is it's so close to Seattle, you can buy much cheaper products in US (clothing, electronics).
Depending on what you do, there are very limited job opp. in Australia for many professions relating to IT, Media. We have been operating our biz for over 3 years and very few Aussie clients; almost all from North America even in recession. Australia is a tiny market, small population: good for environment, but bad for families as all taxes will be imposed on the small number of people.
Overall: I will go for Vancouver: I hate summers in Australia, it's so hot, over 40c constantly...been here 22 years and find it so ridiculous expensive to live here now, most families are just chasing their tails each month.
I agree with Moneycat's assessment of COL here in Oz. It's become even more expensive than when I first replied to this thread last year. I live in Perth which is far worse for grocery prices and housing than Melbourne. Every time I visit Melbourne and go to its markets and grocery stores, I'm depressed at the price difference. Perth is very expensive for food (groceries and restaurants), Melbourne better, Canada even cheaper and the US even more so.
We've decided it's impossible to retire here in Perth and have the lifestyle we want (good food and travel), so we're relocating back to Canada. But not Vancouver, as its housing costs are astronomical. Okay I suppose if you expect to earn a good income, but if you want to retire and try to break into the Vancouver market, most of your money would go for the roof over your head, imo. Unless you don't mind living way out in the burbs, and I've had enough of the burbs.
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Thanks
Notes.
