Where to live in Victoria?
 

I am looking for places to live in Victoria. It will be from September to April.

I want to know which area is nice, and which area to avoid.

My work is at Cook and Fort, so anywhere near there is perfect.

James Bay is a desirable neighbourhood near your work. Anything near Cook Street Village will be pricey, but it's got a great atmosphere with lots of young people. Lots of apartments & well served by busses. You can walk to downtown/your work depending on where in James Bay you live.

The Gordon Head/Cedar Hill areas are nice, but accommodation can be difficult to find in September as there are many UVic students that live in those areas. Still, for the most part both are pleasant neighbourhoods and the commute won't be long.

South Saanich/Royal Oak area is also nice and within a short drive of your work, although there's less condos/apartments in that area.

You may not be able to afford Oak Bay, because it's arguably the nicest area in Victoria. Unfortunately it's mostly geared towards seniors. Not a bad commute at all, as it's just 5-7 down Fort Street from your office.

Esquimalt (West Shore) doesn't have the best reputation but there are definitely some nicer places popping up on the west side of the bridge. Commute shouldn't be too bad, depending on where in Esquimalt you're coming from. Worth looking at if the price is good.

Stay away from Langford, Colwood, Central/North Saanich, and Sidney (imo). The traffic/commute is not worth it even if you're going to save some money. Langford/Colwood is not nearly as "redneck" as it used to be but it's still more of a working class neighbourhood. If it weren't for traffic it would be an OK option because the prices are very fair.

I'm sure there are other areas I've forgotten to mention. You can post specific places you're looking at and I'm sure people can tell you about the area and whether or not the asking rate is a fair price.

Would also help to know your budget, what you're looking for (condo? basement suite? house?), and whether or not you'll have a car.

Assuming you're looking for an apartment or basement suite, and you have a car, I'd personally be inclined to look at the following neighbourhoods roughly in order:

1) Downtown
2) James Bay
3) Gordon Head
4) Cedar Hill
5) Oak Bay
6) Areas around Mayfair Mall/Finlayson/Cook St. No real name for this area but it's basically the "center" of Victoria, just south of the Saanich municipal border.
7) Esquimalt.

thanks Amaru!

I am looking to live on my own, budget = $500-$700.
If I share with roommates = $400-600.

I will be driving to work (unless I live within 5 blocks, then I can walk), so I don't mind driving for 10-15 mins everyday. I just found this place near Lake Hill, looks pretty awesome. Better yet, there are plenty of parking.

http://www.rentbc.com/cgi-bin/tem_ha...15801&_search=

I guess I should mention I want the place furnished as well, because I don't want to spend extra money buying things I already have at home.

so far, www.rentbc.com has the most listings. CL and kijiji have close to nothing available.

I notice there are a lot of home stay places too for around the same price. I might look into those too.

Since I live in Vancouver, I will be going home pretty much every weekend. So it can just be decent and clean, nothing fancy.

If I search for something near downtown/James Bay, I assume I would need to pay extra for parking spots, or even no parking for that matter?

I'd go Cook St. Village. You work for Robbins parking or BC Ferries?

No, I am going to work for BC gov't.

Also, would anyone know if BC ferries offer discounts for fares?(not just the summer special) like annual passes?

I can't find it on their website or any information about it.

no.. they have these guarantee passes you can buy at extremely silly prices.

right now, they have a promotion going on during the weekdays.

also, remember to insure your car in victoria. it is around 40% cheaper than vancouver and no aircare.

ie. my SIR cost around 900 a year full coverage

victoria is pretty small, i work @ brentwood bay.. and live near hillside mall..its around a 20 m commute for me..

if you plan to drive downtown, it isnt cheap as well.. not as expensive as vancouver, but not cheap. when i worked downtown, i never drove.

Wow, I didn't know insurance cost so much less there.

Can I insure my car in Vancouver, and change my address when I get there and get the discount difference?

I think I will pay up to $150 for a parking pass, since buying a bus pass is already about $100 per month.

Gordon head is a good place to live

If you don't mind commuting and want to save the money, you can even do Colwood or Langford and get a nice place for the same amount you'll be paying downtown. I live in View Royal and travel time wise it's the same as Colwood/Langford.

Downtown/Cook Street Village is nice though, you can stumble home from the bar in 20 minutes easy.

Looks excellent. Lake Hill is a decent area, mostly single-family homes. Not far from your work, 5-10 mins tops, but then again I wouldn't really call it "close" to downtown.

Look what I found!

http://www.caprent.com/Properties/Br...ara_Place.aspx

half a block from where I work! but the rent is $700 + utilities (I only will need Internet though) + parking.

Big downside is that I doubt the place is furnished, so I will need to spend about $1000 to buy the basics.

Or should I look else where and pay for monthly parking.. hmm...

I wouldnt want to deal with the colwood crawl in the afternoons though if he's working government hours

700 is dirt cheap for a bachelor basically right dt

500-700? good luck. when i was looking, anything under 750-800 was not in very good shape, BUT you CAN find some great deals. my rent was $800 in a nice older building with the same owner/landlord that built it in the 70s. nice, clean, and quiet.

since you are staying here for only 6 months and expected to go back to vancouver every weekend. i personally think you wont be tooo attached to your living area for you will just be going to work and sleeping.

when i did this in vancouver, i saved absolutely no money.. it is $100 roundtrip for the ferry and i ate out almost everyday in vancouver for food is soo cheap there. only came back to keep my ex happy

I would consider $100 cheap. I am working in Ottawa right now, and I paying anywhere from $450-$700 every month to go home for long weekends.

Rent in Ottawa is cheap, I am paying $500 for a room, everything included.

at least victoria is closer to home