Living Expenses in Canada - Vancouver BC

Living Expenses; Some Do's & Don'ts; Life Saving advice and more:

If you are moving to Vancouver Canada Here is some advice:

1. If you are bringing your family , the basic monthly living expenses as of 2006 are:

• Living/rent- up to $1000 monthly for a small two bedroom apartment or town home.

• Heating/hydro/electricity etc... at least $300 per month...(this applies if you rent a home. For apartments it is usually included in the monthly rent, hence this amount can be disregarded)

• If you plan on getting a car... $400-600 per month for lease including insurance.

• Additional $1000 monthly minimum living expenses for a family of say four living on moderate/average standards... this includes food/clothes etc.

• You need to budget for $2500-3000 dollars monthly total expenses for a family of four.

2. Make sure you declare at the customs and immigration counter at the airport if you plan to bring any of your household items on a later trip from your home country. Otherwise you could be taxed for any left over goods you bring in on a later trip.
    

3. Though education up to high school is considered free, be prepared to spend at least $30 each month per child on things like fundraisers, special events, book fairs, photographs, programs etc. Also be prepared to provide a lot of coaching /teaching / homework help to keep your child up to minimum standards .
    

4. Most immigrants are under the impression that Medical is free...
   Remember you need to buy a medical insurance plan as soon as you arrive. This pays for your medical (Doctor’s visits, lab tests, x-rays etc, hospitalization and any medication used during hospitalization)... but does not include  ongoing medication/injections etc, and these can be quite expensive .
   Usually employers provide additional plans that pay whole or part of such additional expenses… though most employers medical plans do not become effective until you have successfully completed probation ranging from 3 to 6 months. So be prepared to take care of yourself and your family during this period.
    

5. Also please note that in BC, things like surgeries unless they are not really emergencies, usually have a waiting list...
    so most patients may have to wait for up to several months if there condition is not of a very critical nature. This can even include things like kidney stones, heart bypasses if they are not very urgent- depending on your condition..
    You may have to wait for several months, and sometimes even a few years... the waiting lists are really long and health facilities are limited.
    

6. If while in Vancouver Canada, any of your family members have a serious problem...
    Like fall and faint, or have problem breathing due to asthma, or get hurt badly, and you take them to the emergency room of your local hospital, be prepared to wait for several hours before you receive medical attention. Because only patients who are brought in an ambulance receive medical attention immediately.
    So if you face a serious situation requiring immediate medical attention... call an ambulance by dialing 911… You will have to pay the ambulance charges ($85 at present)...
   I have known immigrants who have faced very serious health issues just because they were not smart enough to call in an ambulance when needed.
    

7. Public transport buses are available in most cities in Vancouver, also the sky train operates in downtown Vancouver… However these are usually overcrowded, and may not easily fall along your route, depending on where you live. Also if you do not have access to a main transport artery… you may have to cope with long wait times, and may have to coordinate changeovers with other en-route buses carefully... Otherwise you end up wasting a lot of time and energy commuting.
    Also it is very common to live in one city, while you end up getting a job in another city... So I have personally experienced commute times of up to 1.5 hours each way (3 hour long commutes everyday!).
   In such situations be prepared to buy and drive your own car... this will totally improve the quality of your life by reducing your commute times, leaving you with more energy, and time to do other stuff.
    

8. It is a good idea to start a job search as soon as you land- as it could take up to several weeks/months before you are able to get a satisfactory job... though most stores/shops/malls do have vacancies on an ongoing basis… They pay at the hourly starting rate of $8:00 per hour and you may get only about  20 hours of work per week… So this is not really enough to pay off your expenses if you have brought your family along… you will have to keep looking for something more relevant to your interests.
    

9. Since you are coming to Canada, you probably already have a friend or relative down here, who is going to give you a lot of advice... But Remember to use your own brain too!
   Look at the living conditions of your adviser... has he been able to get somewhere… or is he just stuck in a dead end job etc….
   If his advise has not been able to get him somewhere,, will it be able to work for you?

Best time to arrive to Canada: Summer... June/ July /August

Immigration to Canada Articles:

• For the Canadian Immigrant

• Living Expenses & More

• First Things To Do Upon Landing in Canada

• Why do you want to immigrate?

• Discriminating employers/bosses

• Scarcity of Jobs

• Communication and personality problems for Canadian Immigrants

• Driving in Vancouver/BC Canada

• Upgrade Your Qualifications/Skills

• How to cope with stress in Canada

• Security and Peace… Racial inclinations in Canada

--------------------------------------------------

   Copyright [C] Shahnaz Rauf, www.snzeport.com 

• This article cannot be copied or published or distributed in any form whatsoever. Read them and enjoy them right here, if you feel any of them could be beneficial to your friends, you may recommend this page or the relevant article page to them. 

• These articles are for information purposes only So Use them at your own risk and liability.

•  All Material Here Is Copy Righted. Plagiarization / Copying Will be Prosecuted. ISP and Various Anti-Scam organizations will also be alerted.

Back To  Articles