Ouch! haha but for me it is all about Alberta because i am saving money instead of doing nothing all day.

lol I was born and raised in the Lower Mainland, and live in Calgary now.

To the OP, if you've never been in Alberta during the winter months....you think the winters in Vancouver can be a bitch? Well out here it's a butch ass motherf*cking dyke! Calgary actually took the spot for the coldest place on earth for a day last year lol

it's hard for me to argue living anywhere else because i haven't experienced living in any other province or country before. growing up in east van, i love it. watching the city change and evolve is pretty nutty.
although the weather isnt amazing in vancouver, it's still much better imo
for us, it's moderate summers and not incredibly freezing - blizzard winters. places like alberta, saskatchewan, and manitoba all have blazing hot summers and freezing cold winters.

To answer the OP's question, I would settle for good in the GVA (for me Burnaby), even if I couldn't afford to buy a house. The main reason for this would be the fact that all my friends and family live here. This is, and I see this in the future as being the most important reason I would stay or leave a place - to be close to family/friends.

With that being said, I have been living in Edmonton for about 11 months. The job market was rough in Vancouver when I graduated from post-secondary, so I decided to look in Alberta. I landed a great paying job and I love what I do.

Having lived here for about a year here are a few things I've notived:

-Edmonton experienced one of its worst winters (in terms of snow) in a couple decades
-There were stretches of 3 to 4 days where the weather was -30 with windchill.
-Walking outside for 5 mins you can grow icicles on your eyelashes
-Even though the winter was cold and snowy (October - March), most days in the winter the sky is blue and the sun is out.

Having only ever experienced Vancouver "winters" it took a bit to get use to the cold weather. Comparing it to Vancouver, I would say its a personable preference:

Do you want blue skys and sun while it being an average of -15 to -20 with snow or do you want mild temperatures where it rains and is overcast most of the time? For me, maybe it will take another winter in Edmonton to change my mind, but I liked having the sun out. The dark gloomy days in Vancouver can get at you.

Living downtown, I have found that its fairly expensive here in Edmonton for what the city looks like compared to Vancouver. While there is no PST, gas prices are lower, car insruance is cheaper, the cost of lving in some instances can be comparable to Vancouver. I think this is due to the fact that salaries are generally higher here.

A lot of the people I've met here are from various parts of Canada, from BC to Saskatchewan to Ontario. Not too much into the clubscene anymore but its a more inviting experience here (Bouncers aren't d-bags, cover is cheaper, ratio of girls to guys is always a win, girls are friendly).

The summer here so far has been awesome though. Weather wise, way better summer than in Vancouver. It doesn't get dark here until 11 - and it barely EVER rains.

I have been enjoying my time here in Edmonton because I have met interesting people and even some people from Vancouver currently living here. I enjoy my job and don't really have any complaints. I plan on living here for maybe a couple more years, but I have every intention of moving back to Vancouver. I would even move back in a couple years if it meant taking less money, to be close to my family and friends.

At the end of the day its a personal perference.

Work to live, don't live to work.

Vancouver is awesome.. but it's just a matter of personal preference on whether or not you're willing to pay the price to live there...

If you want to move back east, let's consider the choices:

Toronto - The place to go if you're in finance (and what Asian kid isn't these days?.) Truly the only big city in Canada. More multicultural than Vancouver. The weather sucks, so be prepared to make some friends who have cottages in Muskoka.
Montreal - There's always something going on in Montreal. It has a joie de vivre that can't be matched. But, infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes. You must be billingual. And there's an uneasy xenophobia that lies just below the surface (I've been the victim of it myself.)
Ottawa - Safe, clean, and the economy is stable due to government. Great place to raise a family and lots of recreation available. Trouble is, you'll slowly die inside once you move there.

Cars that dont get dirty 2 days after u wash them and roads that arn't all f'd up by snow/machinery.

True.

I've been constantly asked by people in Vancouver when I am going to buy a place. They mention I could move to Coq, Surrey, White Rock, ... to find a more reasonably priced house. No offense, yet if I had to move to the burbs to find a nice house, I'm moving back to Ontario.

Sure the mountains and beaches are nice here, yet what's the point if you live > 1hr away from them. You're only going to enjoy them a couple days a year, and spend most of your time in the suburbs. I could live in Mississauga and do the same by taking a few weekend trips with the money I'd save from the lower cost of living and higher salaries.

So for now I rent, and will probably always rent cause I love it here and don't want to go back to Ontario. Its too bad most people don't see renting as being "settled" instead they see it as "settling".

are you for real man?

you're gonna base where you settle based on the bolded reasons above? just because you can get laid easier in calgary or the city layout is in a grid you want to use those reasons to justify living in that place? i didnt know thedirty.com became the source of living recommendations..... The only two things you could consider valid are the underlined ones, which really become 2nd relative to your JOB/CAREER

my word of advice, settle in a place like las vegas or dongguan, you probably would find it easier to get laid there than calgary or edmonton.

I've lived in San Francisco, Thousand Oaks (just north of Malibu) and Vancouver and even though I've had clients offer me seven figure contracts to relocate back to the Los Angeles area and many friends in southern California, I've chosen to stay and settle in Vancouver for the following reasons:

1) Family, pretty much all my family and relatives live in Vancouver with a few exceptions overseas. It's nice being close to family and not having to travel to see them on holidays and birthdays.

2) I love how beautiful and clean Vancouver is, great air quality, fresh water, mountains, beach, seawall, etc.. Yes I know there are areas like the downtown east side that are a disaster, but having lived and worked in southern California, walking through the downtown eastside is like a stroll in the park compared to some of the areas and issues southern California has with Black and Mexican gangs.

3) Work. I often hear people complain it's hard to make a good living in Vancouver, but perhaps that more an indication of their chosen career. Very often it seems to be graduates with bachelor of arts degrees complaining, well that's pretty self explanatory. Given the right career path, there is actually a lot of money to be made in Vancouver. Personally I'm involved with aspects of film/tv production and finance, so Vancouver for me is great combo of both for work.

4) Transport. I know a lot of people bitch and complain about our roads, traffic and public transit, but for me personally, I haven't taken public transit since I was 15 years old, so that has no effect on my decision at all. I have no issues getting around downtown Vancouver office to home to film studios in Burnaby and North Vancouver all within 30 mins or less and I'm happy with that.

5) People are generally friendly and outgoing here, everyone is so laid back here, at least from my personal experiences. Most everyone that comes to visit Vancouver is always impressed by how friendly and relaxed people in Vancouver are and personally I find that to be the norm rather the exception. Sure you might have the occasional snobby female or douchebag but that really isn't the majority here and you'll find that in any city. For the guy that mentioned thedirty.com, the same retarded shit goes on if you look at the dirty Calgary, LA, NY, Toronto, etc.. sections


To the OP, while I can afford to to live/settle in Vancouver I chose Vancouver even though I could make more money somewhere else for the reasons above. You have to determine for yourself what factors are more important to you and if you necessarily need to be a home owner or can be ok with condo ownership or renting.

^ how did you get into your industry?

It depends on what you value in terms of living, some friends love the east coast lifestyle and the easier access to NYC and Europe, so they live in Toronto and Montreal. Some people enjoy the outdoors we have to offer here and will do whatever it takes to stay here and make a living to enjoy those activities. Others work in industries that are hotter and offer more opportunities in certain cities. None of these can be valued by other people for you...it's up to the individual to weigh those personal priorities.

For me though, the big thing is that I'm able to buy a home mortgage free in Montreal compared to here...that's quite a bit of dough that I would save and use that money to enjoy other things in life...or retire 10 years earlier. That and the video game industry seems to be still quite strong there.

My private security related work with film/tv industry individuals, I've had many years of various combat and tactical training, my first gig just doing corporate security for a record label and just developed many contacts throughout the years.

Finance related, did the 2 year financial program at BCIT and took the courses at CSI. Anyone could just sign up, apply themselves and do the courses with the CSI, similar to real estate licensing. Hell I have friends that on are the Investor Relations side or vending together public deals that don't even have diplomas or post secondary education that have cleared well over six figures in their first year.

I have lived in Victoria basically my whole life (31 yrs). Cost of living in Victoria is almost as high as Vancouver. Gas is slightly less. Victoria is usually #2 or #3 in terms of most expensive real estate in Canada.

The job market is very competitive because it is very desirable to live here and there are less job opportunities compared to Vancouver.

I know that I will need to leave Victoria to really launch my career in my industry. I am currently considering a move to Kelowna for a position within my company. I actually just sold my personal condo today so I have flexibility to move.

Sometimes you have to go where there are positions in your industry then move back when your career has fully developed.

Man you guys comparing sports teams and whose won the cup are stupid as hell because that shouldn't determine where you live. And we all know Vancouver > Calgary and Edmonton put together right now.

What I plan on doing is buying property in Saskatchewan and renting it out. I've seen people pick up 6 acres for 90g's.

I will stay in BC, I don't care where. Alberta is a shit hole, my mom lived there for 1 year and she told me practicly everyday how shitty it was, the only reason she stayed there is because the business just started. Now she lives in Saskatchewan and loves it (apparently it has hills!).

My freind wants to move there but, he's pretty retarded in a sense that all he wants is money, big trucks and easy pussy, and from the pics I've seen they aren't anything to brag about to your buddies.

BC has so much variety compared to the rest of Canada, we even have our own fucking desert that no other province has. If money is your issue RENT, I would never buy a house If money was an issue.

Grew up in east van / surrey, currently work in fort mcmurray in an oil mine. I fly in and out every other week. Housing here is just as expensive as it is in Vancouver. Honestly, in my opinion, Alberta is a good place to work at but not so good to live in. I may be biased since I love Vancouver and nothing can compare to it. Maybe its because all my family & friends are there, summer and winter is a lot hotter / colder here. Almost all my co-workers are from back east (Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, & P.E.I). They work here only to make money.

Weather, lifestyle, transportation and food prices are totally different here than in BC.
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You failed to mention the AWESOMENESS of the air condition where you can't see the sky due to the excessive pollution and smog. :\
I also felt especially elated when I had to blow my nose on a napkin and the gunk was grey/black from the clean fresh air that HKG offers all year round :D

Don't get me wrong, Asia is a great place to visit and party, but to live in those mini-condo's in the hot humid weather and breath in black air. No thanks.

Whiel were on the topic. I'm abit un-educated on the "renting" side of things. I'm saving up to buy a condo/townhome/big apartment and living at home.

What appeals to renting people? I don't understand how paying rent can be better then paying for a mortgage. Something you rent, you don't own. However paying a mortgage means you will eventually own said property. I've always thought of renting as: your throwing away money that you will never see again. Compared to paying a mortgage where you will have a solid home to stay.

Anyone that loves renting want to give insight??

To the OP: Good luck with Edmonton/Calgary winters :troll:
Half of my gf's family lives there and can barely stand it.

I was also born and raised in East Vancouver and have lived here all my life. I have a tough time imagining settling down anywhere else. I'm someone that doesn't like change, so unless there's a really convincing reason to move elsewhere, I don't think it's likely to happen.

Recently I've moved to Edmonton to try the city out. All I can say is, once you've stayed here for longer than a month, you will want to go back to Vancouver ASAP.

I am enjoying my time in Edmonton but I have huge pet peeves.

1) Mosquitoes...TONS OF THEM and the city refuses to spray pesticide (Off spray doesn't work on these damn things)
2) Lack of anything eye-pleasing. Almost all the buildings are made of red-brick
3) If you like Asian food, then Edmonton is gonna disappoint you in that department
4) Although there is less tax, some things are more expensive in Edmonton.
5) COST OF LIVING is HIGHER in Edmonton. The majority of the jobs here do pay more than in Vancouver, but certain essentials cost more.
6) Winter weather sucks, bad. If you think snow is bad in Vancouver then good luck here.
7) The people here dress much differently than people from Vancouver. I have never seen so meny grown men wear Ed Hardy or something similar. My God...it's like a Canadian city filled with Jersey Shore characters.
8) Edmonton Oilers - they suck.

OP, reconsider about moving to Edmonton. You can try it out

Can you elaborate on this? What essentials are more expensive? I'm not doubting you but this thread is the first time that I've heard of stuff being more expensive than Vancouver( Fort Mac not included).

Wether this is right or not, this is the type of mentality that will price out "locals" who won't be able to compete financially with the net inflow wealthy immigrants from not only overseas but the rest of the country.

i am very open to moving...vancouver is a great city but its residents seem to think its infitely better than most cities when in fact thats not true at all. i would move to toronto or possibly calgary but not edmonton.
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Which area did you stay at? I stayed in downtown in June and I didn't notice much unless you were by the river valley.

Edmonton's really green! lots of trees and everything, especially downtown and around whyte ave. and the type of trees they have make it really beautiful in the summer. didn't see much red-brick buildings. i thought the layout of the city and the buildings were nice! nice buildings. nice hotels! again, where were you staying?

Actually the Pho in calgary beats vancouver and calgary HANDS DOWN. Fresh muthafuckin Alberta beef, bitch. The Chinese food is okay. a not so good as vancouver but not that far off either. they have supermarkets with everything that you want though, like lucky 97 and T&T and other local asian supermarkets.

the only thing about food that's a bit dissapointing is more expensive and less fresh seafood (obviously, look where alberta is at). ie. it was like what. $6 for a california roll? LMAO.

Like what? things that are imported from Asia? produce is cheaper than calgary for sure. didn't see any of those farmer markets like in crystal mall where you can buy vegetables and fruits at below cost.

be more specific. what? calgary is way more expensive than vancouver even without the HST. edmonton is more cheaper, especially without HST.

I saw in the classifieds in tim hortons they were paying $10.76 per hour. Timmy ho's paying that much? ha ha! even if you work a mcjob in edmonton, they pay you way more.

that's what everyone says. i have to see if i can stand the winters. only seen the summer in edmonton and i love it! but the weather "sucks" in vancouver too. except that it's not as cold by a large margin.

I didn't see anyone wearing Ed Hardy or whatever. I did see wiggers and natives wearing hip hop gear putting up fronts and shiet.. everyone seems to hate native people in edmonton more than van. there are more of them in edmonton. the everyday-edmonton young adults often have piercings and tattoos and shit. kinda look like people that walk up and down granville.

haha my thoughts exactly. Density in urban centers in Asia, the food, the culture is all good and dandy, but I prefer fresh BC air as well. Only downside to fresh clean air is the much higher chance of allergies/hay fever.