Vancouver

Living in the West End of Vancouver is a walkable, but more expensive area. Transportation along the Skytrain line is not bad as long as it doesn't snow - that tends to shut the whole system down which doesn't explain why they're building another one quite similar for the Olympics. It snowed a lot last winter and transportation (public) was even more unreliable than usual. Other areas of the city are horrible for public transport and if the weather is all right or you have good raingear - cycling is a much better option. For instance from Comercial drive its a ten to fifteen minute bike ride downtown, but can be 30 minutes to an hour on public transport with wait times and walking to and from bus stops or train connections.

Generally the streets are safe. The worst area is the badly policed entertainment district on Granville Street when the bars get out and drunk post-adolescent idiots forget how to behave. The seediest area, but not as unsafe is a two block area around Main and Hastings where drugs are still openly sold and used on the street. My 70 year old mother who could be a bit of a nervous nellie would walk through the area on her way to ballroom dancing classes and not be bothered, so its not that bad.

craigslist is one of your best options for researching housing options

Rent is expensive - $800/month for a basic basement suite (many homes renovate and rent out their basements as 'mortgage-helpers'). Getting a roommate may be more economical. I'm sure you can get cheaper, but don't expect anything habitable for less than $500/mo, and definitely not downtown.

Public Transport in Vancouver/Lower Mainland is not stellar. The trade off for the high rents in Vancouver proper is that everything is generally accessible by bus, bike, or walking.

Street are safe. There is a small area (Downtown Eastside, on a map would be the blocks around the intersection of Hastings St & Main St.) that has high crime, but would be mostly related to drug purchase/use. During the day is no problem. But, like anywhere, walking in poorly light areas, alone, is not recommended. Over the years there have been reports attacks on lone women running through the wilderness parks - by no means a common occurence.

Good luck!

hmm

my friend has a basement apartment just off the drive and its only around $500 its not bad

you can find cheaper places - surrey and the burbs are quite a bit cheaper - i looked at a lot of decent basement suites with my friend when he was searching and for $500 he could have gotten a couple two bedroom suites that included pretty much everything like cable, heat water etc but the savings you get you end up putting towards a bus pass and being far from the action but you may like the action in surrey

and my friend has a bachelor suite in the west end and only pays $600 or so - if you look and ask you can find some bargains still

Don't worry. Vancouver is a very safe city. You'll have no issues whilst you are here.

Shared accomodation in the city will probably be $500-600 a month. You shouldn't have much trouble getting around once you get your route down.

Have fun!

John

Overall, you are probably going to find that the cost of living in Vancouver is probably not that far off from Perth or Melbourne. Some things are more expensive, other things are less expensive. Perth housing costs have skyrocketed more than Melbourne or Vancouver, both of which have gone up about the same. Unless you live on the skytrain line, transit is horrible. If you don't have a car, you are going to find it difficult to see much other than the city itself. Vehicle costs are less in Vancouver than they are in Melbourne.

"Unless you live on the skytrain line, transit is horrible."

That's not really true. Unless you live out in the suburbs, transit is horrible. If you live downtown, transit is great... or unnecessary, as you can walk. Places like Kits and Commercial Drive are easy to get around on transit... or you can simply ride your bike. There are transit corridors in this city, such as the ones found along Granville or Broadway, that do not involve the skytrain.

""Unless you live on the skytrain line, transit is horrible."

That's not really true."

I beg to differ. Why does it take up to 45 minutes to get from Ladner to downtown and frequently 45 minutes to get from Commercial Drive to Downtown(if the bus isn't packed and passes you by which makes it take even longer or if you can't get on the Skytrain because measly two or four car train is packed full)?

"or you can simply ride your bike" - no argument. I think its the better option for urban life in Vancouver. Transit sucks! Cycling is working(in my opinion).

Carmanah - you know I generally totally respect your opinion, but even the Broadway corridor and the 99 b_line buses which used to be so efficient have become a nightmare. Full Full Full all the time except in late night or super early morning hours. Passengers are so frequently left behind, its pathetic.

story from 2004 - things are worse - not better

more and more

Thanks to all for your comments. This community is really great.
I may be getting a bike then! Where Ill be living is yet to be decided.

Getting a bike is a great idea. I have been living here for 2 months (I'm a Kiwi) and I bike absoultely everywhere. There are really good cycle routes, and it's fairly flat. I live in the suburbs, it takes me half an hour to bike to work, which is easily do-able.

We share a 5 bedroom house between 4 of us, the rent is about $400 a month each, including ALL bills. People here seem to be obsessed with living downtown, or in the really expensive areas of town, and they are usually adverse to sharing with others. My Canadian friends think it's bizarre that I share a house with strangers (obviously they are not strangers anymore!), but I get to live in a lovely big house with a huge backyard and nice flatmates, as opposed to a pokey little apartment or basement flat which would cost twice the money. And half an hour door-to-door to get to work is pretty quick.

If you are prepared to be a little way out of town, and share with others, then accommodation can be pretty cheap. And if you have a bike, transport around the city is no problem.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.