After spending nearly 1 Year in Canada I decided to move back to Melbourne Australia. I’d thought I’d list some reasons

Downsides to Vancouver

  1. Cheques – Canada still uses cheques! Paying rent is done via cheque usually if not you can use an Interac transfer but they charge you for this! Most banks also charge you to get a cheque book!
  2. ICBC – Car Insurance in Vancouver is actually done by the state instead of privately which means car insurance is more expensive, and also harder to change between parties and cancel!
  3. No Uber – Due to point 2 , it means Uber or any ride-sharing company has yet to setup there, which means Taxi’s still have a monopoly
  4. Grocery’s – I found the selection in Canada very different to the UK and Australia. Different quality of produce and hard to find some times
  5. Rent – Vancouver has to be one of the hardest places to find accommodation to live in. I’d rate it onpar with what I have heard of Berlin. Even Hostels sell out leaving nothing left before travel!
  6. Expenses – Internal Flights (cheaper to fly internally via US and back up )  Mobile Phone and Internet
  7. Fentanyl – The city has a big problem with homelessness and this drug is heavily around the city especially East Hastings
  8. Bike Theft – The friends I heard about having their bikes stolen in Vancouver made me not want to own one!

Positives to Vancouver\Canada

  1. Whistler – Amazing for moutain biking in summer and amazing skiing during the winter
  2. Outdoors – There’s lots of other mountains for skiing, e.g. Groose Mountain you can go after work. Vancouver island is a ferry ride away for surfing or a laid back weekend
  3. Seafood – If you like Seafood you are going to love this City\Country!
  4. Jobs – Close to America so a lot of American companies setup offices there as its cheaper ( Fortinet/EA Games/Microsoft and Film Production ) which is good for jobs
  5. Travel to America – Close to America for Trips and ordering cheaper things for America and drive across the border to collect
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