After your moving abroad is finalized, it’s only natural that you want to get acquainted with your surroundings. Living in Vancouver, BC, offers many opportunities. The city has recently been recognized as the 3rd most livable place in the world. There are plenty of outdoor activities, great neighborhoods, and job opportunities. Here are some things you should know about life in the area.
Is It Expensive to Live in Vancouver? You Will Exercise Your Bank Card
It’s fair to say that this is one of the most expensive Canadian cities when it comes to the cost of living. Depending on the neighborhood, you will need a lot of money to buy a home. With an average of $1,036,000 for a home, this is way more than Toronto’s $870,000 and more than double of Montreal’s $435,000. In 2020, the Real Estate Board summarized that purchasing a house would cost from around $548,400 in Maple Ridge to $1,125,000 in West Vancouver, while buying a condominium apartment would cost around $360,500 to $801,300, respectively.
Renting Is a More Affordable Option
In spite of the city’s attempts to instigate a reduction in housing costs, the prices remain high. Therefore, renting is perhaps a better option when moving to Vancouver. The average rent for a single-bedroom apartment in the best neighborhoods is around $1,900 to $2,100. If you move a little farther out, there are plenty of family-sized affordable properties. In Burnaby, a three-bedroom house will cost, on average, around $2,100/month, while in Port Moody, it can go up to $3,000/month.
Living in Vancouver Canada Offers Many Job Opportunities
Adjusting to a new country like Canada shouldn’t be a problem since there is no breaking the language barrier, at least in Vancouver. Furthermore, the city is located on the west coast of Canada, in the province of British Columbia. British Columbia is a prosperous commercial hub, and Vancouver itself also has a highly diverse economy. It’s one of Canada’s largest industrial centers. The largest port in Canada is right here in the city, shipping overseas around $200 million worth of cargo each day and generating $7 billion in job wages across the country.
There are plenty of software developing companies in the area, with Electronic Arts employing over a thousand people in their Burnaby studio. Over 1,000 people work at MDA in IT and satellite technology. Working on developing alternative fuels, Ballard Power Systems employs around 700 people in Burnaby. Other tech companies in the area include Intel, Kodak, Nokia, Ericsson, and Microsoft. And there’s the movie industry. The so-called “Hollywood North” is the second-largest TV show production location in North America.
Unfortunately, with the recent global coronavirus pandemic, the usually lower unemployment rates in British Columbia have risen from just 4% in January 2020 to 14% in May 2020. Still, growth is projected to return by the end of 2020 with a 6% growth forecast for 2021.
More Things to Know About the City
Canada is one of the friendliest countries in the world with plenty of perks and opportunities, and Vancouver is no different. Here are some things that can help you with your day-to-day life.
Public Transport Makes Life Easier Here
There are plenty of options when it comes to Vancouver’s public transit, from buses (all are electric) and rail commuters to SeaBus (ferry). The West Coast Express connects it to other cities in British Columbia. Looping around the city, the Sky Train service is both frequent and efficient. Highway 1 is the only major freeway going through the northeast part of the city. There’s also a wide network of bicycle lanes with many people using it as their main transportation method. Around one in six people bike or walk to work, which is a lot more than in other Canadian cities. If you need help shipping a car overseas, get some professional auto transport service to ensure that your vehicle arrives at your new location without a scratch.
Weather Offers Plenty of Sun and Rain, as well as Snow in the Mountains
Although the weather can get pretty dry during the summer months (April to October), it’s rarely unbearably hot. On the contrary, late fall and winter offer plenty of rainy days (November to March). The upside is that snow accumulates on the nearby mountains during winter, enabling many fun sports activities, such as snowboarding and cross-country and downhill skiing.
Best Things to Do and See in the Area
When you live here, you can do plenty of things, almost as many as when living in Toronto. There are various restaurants for food enthusiasts, and outdoor activities are available year-round with many sporting events. Parks cover over 3,200 acres here, and many of the outdoor activities are very popular, including cycling, sailing, golf, canoeing, hiking, snowboarding, and skiing. As a growing art scene, it also hosts an International Film Festival, and it also serves as a major Canadian music center.
Company Can Help You Relocate Easily
When you’re moving internationally to Vancouver, an overseas moving company can provide you with any service you may need. Packing is one of the most commonly used services that you can get for your new place. You’ll learn what to donate or recycle and what to pack when moving abroad. If you have some items you want to keep, but you have nowhere to put them, you can get storage services.
With numerous amenities in British Columbia and its most populated city, you can expect to live a long and happy life here. If you secure a job that pays well, there are no reasons why you shouldn’t move here. In case you have some questions on how to move abroad, an international moving company will have all the answers you need.
