For example, to set up an account in Tangerine Bank, you must have either a Canadian ID BCID or another bank account in the country to issue yourself with a cheque to prove your identity. When you get set up , transferring money via Currency Fair is your best way to save on exchange rates. So all in all, 1 and a half years no fees. Ranging from food trucks, car rental companies such as EVO and Car2Go through to local online shops that do take away, you will need to use a credit card to pay.
Our advice is to shop around before you make any quick decision. We have spent hours researching the best options and cheapest companies for money exchange rates. Being Currency Fair customers for over three years, we were looking at different options before deciding that they are the best.
If you want to find out about the options out there and decide for yourself,. It is just not worth it! When it comes to sending money back home, we have found out that most of the banks charge you a set fee, and you have to go physically into the branch and lodge the request.
Having transferred money back home was not easy with TD; it took a lot of hassle, and in the end, we just transferred money to Currency Fair and from there to home much easier! If you need to do a quick money transfer without looking at the best exchange rates, your option could be a Visa transfer. TD has set up Visa card transfers for a fixed rate where you can transfer money within 24 hours to any Visa card in the world.
We used it once, and it is straightforward to set up — all you need is the name on the bank card, address, card number, and you are ready to go. The downside is that our TD account was blocked the following morning as they thought the transaction was fraudulent. We had checked several banks before decided to set up an account with one of them. As a result, we got a fee-free account for six months. As time goes by and we settled down, we have moved to CIBC for a year with no fees.
Read our article here on setting up a bank account when you move to Vancouver. If you have just arrived and need to go back home for a while, coming back again is easy. All you need is your passport and work permit — much easier than moving to Vancouver for the first time.
As long as you have your POE, passport, travel insurance for Canada , sufficient funds and outbound flights, you are all set. With BestQuote , you can compare the best insurance providers out there and choose a coverage suitable for you. Whether you are planning to hit the slopes or just want to explore the country, Fast Cover can cover you for the two years required by the IEC. There are neighbourhoods with distinct cultures and flavours, lending each a smaller town feel, despite being a part of one of the biggest cities in the second largest country on earth.
You will soon realise after moving to Vancouver that the weather is ever-changing here. It also rains a lot so be sure to bring a weatherproof jacket! The mountains and the ocean combined make one of the best cities with the most incredible views.
If you have only arrived and planning to enjoy yourself first and do a bit of exploring before you get a job, keep in mind that it is effortless to spend money here in Vancouver. Most attractions are not free of charge, and you will quickly realise that your budget is running low.
Well, ok, we might be exaggerating a bit; if you dig a bit and ask around, there is fun stuff you can do for free, like walking tours. Be sure to check out Viator and VPL. It also may be cheaper to get an annual pass for certain attractions if you are staying long term. Also, the Vancouver Art Gallery does a free admission on Tuesday evenings be aware — queues are long. There are several options for claiming your tax back, and you can do it directly yourself or get a company like taxback.
The safest option is to get someone to handle it to avoid any mistakes and not getting your money back. After just arriving in Vancouver, Sabina got the flu and had to visit the GP.
If you have insurance, it should be covered. However, there is a three month waiting grace period before you can claim it back from your insurance. If you have a visa valid for more than six months and work more than 18 hours per week, you can apply for the British Columbia Medical Service Plan MSP card. If you are one of the lucky ones, you managed to open an account with no fees for the first six months or even a year. After moving here, you have 90 days to switch over your valid licence to a B.
More information is available here. There is a small joining registration fee, and then you pay as you go look out for promo codes. Keep in mind that you need your B. C driver licence to be able to use this service.
Some people have mentioned that you can use Car2Go on an international license, but you have to change your license after three months. More info can be found on the Car 2 Go or Evo site. Nearby Cypress, Grouse and Seymour mountains receive snowfalls during the winter, creating excellent conditions for winter sports.
As a result, the service here is top-notch. Not only do many stars own apartments here, but movies and tv shows are being recorded here every day. Plenty of drug use and homeless people. You will notice that Granville Street and the area is packed with young people living on the streets. It is a sad and controversial view, but it seems everyone is used to it after a while. It seems to be more of a strange lifestyle choice. Although the price for a pint and other drinks is, on average, quite high, you will quickly learn that pm is best to have a drink.
The city has great bike lanes, and it seems that bikes overtook the streets in the morning and at 5 pm, the streets flood with people on bikes. Update : A new rental bike scheme has been put in place as of the end of summer in Vancouver , BC. You can learn more about Mobi and the service here. Something is happening every weekend, and the summer is packed with events. Because the season is short here, July and August are loaded with events taking place across the city and B.
We had no idea of what we needed to organise when we first arrived and how long it would take us. Seriously, you can go up to four months and seldom see the sun more on that below. Where you live in Vancouver will largely depend on your employment, life stage and finances. However, I can tell you what I considered and why I chose what I did. For this reason, we chose Yaletown.
Yaletown is part of the downtown peninsula, near False Creek. I like how this area is incredibly walkable: everything we need is within a 15 minute walk, and fun areas like Granville Island and Davie Village are within 25 minutes.
There are tons of parks and the seawall is nearby. The downside is that the area gets very little natural light so many tall condo buildings. We also considered Kitsilano and later considered moving from Yaletown to Kitslano because the area is just so nice.
Plus, there are no condo buildings so there is tons of light! But because there are no condo buildings, there is very limited housing especially rental housing. Kits is also the most expensive neighbourhood in Vancouver. So ultimately, we stayed in Yaletown. Most of the condo buildings are modern and glass and very pretty. The drawback is that the area is quite expensive. If you are super wealthy, there are some amazing apartments with incredible balconies and rooftop patios. But if you are working with a smaller budget, we found the apartments to be really tiny here.
The West End and nearby Davie Village is a really fun neighbourhood in the downtown core. The buildings are older here than they are in Coal Harbour, but the rent is more affordable. These are the neighbourhoods on the North Shore and, according to who you ask, are separate to Vancouver itself.
There is tons of housing here — both detached and condos. The big upside to living on the North Shore is that you are super close to the mountains yay, hiking, biking and skiing! The downside is that traffic is a nightmare. This is basically just the rest of Vancouver. To my knowledge, these areas are better for families who want a semi-detached or detached house that want something more affordable than what Kits or Point Grey can offer.
Uber is well-known and worldwide, but Evo is more specific to Vancouver. This is the one I use. Beware of bikers — The people of Vancouver are extremely friendly and cheerful… until you step into the bike lane. There are tons of bike lanes here and the easiest way to piss off bikers is to casually step on the bike lane without looking, walk on the bike lane as a pedestrian or stand in the middle of the bike lane taking pictures. Stay on the sidewalk.
Skip Starbucks — I have long been a dedicated Starbucks drinker and Vancouver has dozens hundreds? But there are even more independent cafes that are most definitely better.
Get out of the city — There are a ton of great places to explore outside of Vancouver. Take the ferry to Vancouver Island and explore the capital city, Victoria, or the popular surf town, Tofino. Yes… and no. Housing in Vancouver is really that expensive. Here are some typical rent costs for reference:. Average Price for One Bedroom Apartment source :. Groceries and restaurant meals are pretty similar. Gas and utilities are a bit more expensive.
Overall, Vancouver is a difficult place to make friends. Many people are already part of a natural friend group — either from their high school or from UBC. In that sense, Vancouver is unlike Toronto; lots of people move to Toronto after university and are all looking for friends. Meanwhile, many people from Vancouver stay in Vancouver. According to my friends, the best way of making friends is by joining clubs and activities for example, joining a climbing gym or yoga studio, or by participating in a hiking challenge.
Also, it helps to work in a place with people of a similar age and life stage to you. The final piece of information I got about making friends in Vancouver is that it can be easier for international expats, especially those from community-oriented places like India.
But there are very few blue-sky days. That said, I would still rather have the long stretches of rain than the heavy snowfall of southwestern Ontario or the extreme cold of the Prairies. I still went hiking throughout the winter and I would regularly see mountain bikers and cyclists as well.
That helped a lot with my mood. This was something I faced in university when I was applying to jobs out here. However, those positions that are open tend to pay quite well. This is because there are so many natural resources firms here. To make things easier, we chose to stay at a furnished apartment in Vancouver. Now, this is obviously more expensive than staying in an unfurnished apartment, but it is perfect for temporary accommodation while you get yourself settled in Vancouver.
There are tons of moving companies that can support you with moving your stuff to Vancouver. Housing is expensive more on that below so most people end up downsizing.
That means you need significantly less stuff. Receive a round-up of our latest outdoor adventures and exciting beyond the beaten path destinations direct to your inbox every month. You did a great job of providing an unbiased, informative answer to what can be a rather explosive topic between Canadians! I grew up in Vancouver but have spent plenty of time in Toronto, and would say your article is correct - an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with the two cities.
I spent over a year in Toronto and cannot complain. If you like a bigger city, watching sports and so. Choose Toronto :]. Hey there! We are Jean Robert and Gemma, a British-Canadian couple who love to explore beyond the beaten path by foot, road and paddle.
We love sharing these experiences to inspire and help others to do the same. Come join us on our adventures! We are adventuring locally and responsibly at this time. Please follow all health orders and travel restrictions. This site features affiliate links for products and services. This means that we may receive a small percentage sales made through these links at no extra cost to you.
If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small percentage at no extra cost to you Downtown Vancouver and Canada Place. What to expect - contents.
Downtown Toronto with CN Tower. Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. False Creek area of Vancouver. Downtown Toronto from CN Tower. First Nation totem pole in British Columbia. False Creek area in Vancouver from Granville Island area.
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