Accommodation
With expensive house prices in Vancouver, renting has become a more viable option. The terms of the contract are basically 12 months and most homes are unfurnished.
Renting in a bachelor apartment ranges from CAD$600-$900 monthly, a one-bedroom apartment ranges from CAD$700-$1,100, a two-bedroom apartment at around CAD$800-$1,400 and a three-bedroom apartment can cost around CAD$1,000 or higher.
Expats can check rental vacancies online using sites such as The Province http://www.canada.com/theprovince/index.html, The Vancouver Sun http://www.vancouversun.com/, Community Newspapers http://www.van.net/, and http://www.renthome.ca/.
Buying a property
Among Canadian cities, Vancouver has the least affordable housing. Buying a two storey home in Calgary can only cost CAD$427,067 compared to CAD$917,500 in Vancouver.
The average cost per square meter of purchasing apartments in the districts of Kitsilano, West Point Grey, West End, Yale Town, Coal Harbour and Gastown is approximately USD$6,751 for 50-square meter apartment, USD$7,224.00 for an 85-square meter apartment, USD$8,280 for a 120-square meter apartment and USD$12,492 for a 200-square meter apartment.
Utilities
BC Hydro is one of the largest electric utilities in Canada that sends electric bills every two months. Costs of electricity bills vary on the size of one's home and the usage of heater. If the heater is powered by electricity, expect to get a bi-monthly bill of CAD$120-$600.
Terasen Gas is a private company that supplies residential gas in Vancouver and is regulated by British Columbia Utilities Commission. Cost of gas is approximately CAD$50-$100.00 per month.
Bell Canada Shaw and Telus are some of the satellite and cable providers in Vancouver. Cable prices vary depending of the packages; prices can start at CAD$30 monthly.
Internet connections in BC are mostly high speed broadband or DSL connections. Costs for monthly Internet are at CAD$20- $40. Expats will find hundreds of Internet cafes in downtown Vancouver wherein rates range from CAD$2-$4 per hour.
Food
For a dozen of eggs (large), the cost is around CAD$3.00 (USD$2.83) while a kilogram of white loaf bread costs CAD$3.50 (USD$2.36). Vegetable such as tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts and spinach cost around CAD$5.00 (USD$4.72) per kilogram. Flour and sugar is at USD$4.00 (USD$3.77) per kilogram. A 125 grams of instant coffee costs CAD$0.75 (USD$0.71) and a 500 grams ground coffee costs CAD$5.00 (USD$4.72).
Dining out in a restaurant is pricey; for a three-course meal, get ready to pay around CAD$50.00 (USD$47.15). Fast food meals are still a cheapskate choice at CAD$6.00 (USD$5.66).
When dining in restaurants, there is no service charge, but tipping is encouraged.
Transport
Vancouver's comprehensive public transportation is managed by Translink, which operates an integrated bus system, rapid transit (SkyTrain) and passenger ferry (SeaBus).
Owning a car in Vancouver can be expensive. Add to that the increasing price of gasoline that ranges between CAD$1.04 to CAD$1.11 per litre depending on the octane preferred.
More Expat Resources
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