6 Things I WISH I Knew BEFORE Moving to VANCOUVER CANADA 

It's easy to make friends in Vancouver - take a ride on public transportation and begin complaining about the rain and high cost of living. Someone will hear you and join in, which is your cue to invite them on a bike ride. Then you've got a friend for life.

Who lives in Vancouver and is watching

I've lived in Vancouver for nearly 30 years. It sometimes rains here for over 60 days in a row. So long you may actually forget what it's like to have a sunny day.

I've lived in Vancouver my whole life, since the 60's. I'd just clarify a couple of things from my perspective. There is quite a bit of cloudy and rainy weather, but the patterns have changed a lot over years. I think some of these stereotypes are based on the past. The rains, especially after a long dry spell, are often much heavier, and not so much the drizzly weather that we used to often get. But it seems the days are more split up with a nice day here and there more of the time; not as much of the long, endless rainy spells. In the last few years we have also been having long, dry summers where it barely rains for a couple of months. We used to have more rain in the summers. As far as transit (I was a transit driver for 11 years), yes it's an expansive system, but if you live in the suburbs rather than Vancouver proper, it's not nearly as good. The system also totally breaks down when there's a decent snowfall because the buses aren't equipped with snowtires nor chains and they get stuck on hills; and the buses can run very late. The skytrain system also sometimes has some difficulty in the snow when too much snow is on the tracks. But all that being said, Vancouver is a gorgeous city, and there's a reason why I've stayed. :)

I’ve grown up here, the Raincouver nickname does fare true, I remember quite a few times where it literally rained for a whole month

I'd disagree with a few things. I think its really hard to make friends here. People are really closed off. Also in the winter, from October to February we barely had any days of sun. That's a great chunk of the year of rain.

The negative things are very important. It helps set expectations so newcomers can avoid disappointment.

For clarity, the "bad" part of town being referred to is called the Downtown Eastside and it is only a few blocks radius. The Eastside of Vancouver runs nearly 70+ blocks north to south and has many many great neighbourhoods

As someone that lives in Portland, OR. It does actually rain way more up here in the PNW. The thing is, it doesn't rain hard. The thing to clarify is that we get a lot of DAYS of rain, not big storms. You can put on a hoodie and be perfectly fine. With that all said these last few years have been exceptionally dry, as evident by the highly elevated risks of fires.

thing is with the rain ,it makes for a very clean city , no dust

The weather has changed drastically in the last 20 years. I moved here in 1996 and back then winter was basically 4 months of straight overcast or rain. There was multiple stretches where it was 30+days without any direct sunlight, and nowhere near as cold as it is these years.

Hey! Just wanted to say that I really relate to literally every single point of yours aha. While living in Vancouver myself, I can say that Covid definitely affected the meeting new friends part. Your videography and editing are very smooth and nicely shot! Keep doing you dude!

I live in North Vancouver and it's paradise. Moved here from Ottawa and have never regretted it.

It snows but doesn’t stay long. Thanks to the rain.

This was a great video man thank you! 💯👊

Thank you for not capturing footage of the homeless! I was a bit apprehensive about your covering that point but ended up admiring your stance. Also, you are absolutely correct about the exaggeration of weather. I worked in retail and people were complaining if the sun was out AND when it was raining. Not that bad, people.

I have been living in Toronto 10 years and thinking about to move Vancouver after Christmas. Your videos helping me mate. Keep it up great work. Cheers!

I lived in metro vancouver my whole life and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I remembered visiting Toronto and was just in awe of how huge the city was compared to vancity. But I agree with some others that it can stay raining for weeks and your best friends are umbrellas and boots. I didn't really realized making friends was difficult outside of work/school but l find it the same for myself. Definitely will try to share more smiles and reach out to others when I can :) keep the videos up.

I lived there from 2006-9 and loved the city, the rain didn't bother me as much as lack of finding work and I am in IT. I did a lot of projects there but I met so many people who were more advanced in IT and were still struggling to find a decent job. Just about anyone I met that had moved there was telling me to be prepared that finding work can be a challenge and many of them like me moved for that reason. There is also a huge homeless and drug addicts in Vancouver that is become an epidemic, they are not just on the east side either, many come to the west side and brake into cars. Vancouver is a nice city but it got too populated and a lot of greedy investors who jacked up their rents there, considering their apartments are old and overpriced. Vancouver is becoming a cross between LA, NY and San Francisco.

Absolutely! ...Great job, Adam! 🌲🌦️🌤️💯

“I haven’t had time to order that yet” 😂😂😂 that was funny

YES! ive lived in vancouver my whole life and i dont even mind. the weather here is actually quite nice!

Thanks for giving me some hopes about Vancouver brother! This is exactly what I needed 🙏🏼🍻

Awesome video! I am 28 years old I grew up in Vancouver (Kitsilano) and I have lived now in Ontario for the last 10 years. Very accurate description of Vancouver and very cool to see the perspective of someone young and not from there give their take on it! Am going to watch some more of your vids about Vancouver I miss it so much

Really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on Vancouver. Born and raised and still here . East Van actually. Hence my first ever comment on RU-vid is to implore you to clarify your comments about the area. You were speaking about the downtown east side. A small section of downtown bordering a corner of East Van. If you haven't already spend some time driving around getting to know the area. You'll be pleasantly surprised if you really do think East Van is what you described. I've got 54yrs of knowing the place and could talk your ear off about Vancouver so I'm definitely going to subscribe and look forward to more on my hometown 👍

BRO you really upping the production quality, surprised you don't have more subs! They coming :D

As someone who works down in Hastings w/ folks, it’s really nice to see you speaking the truth of the area. Most people there are usually pretty nice, and keep to themselves, but it’s good to keep your wits about you. And thank you for not filming people on the streets. It’s really refreshing to hear that take!

Yes there's homelessness and rough people everywhere across the world , but honestly our dtes is one of the worst skid rows ranked internationally- the drug addiction and overdose issues here are out of control, it can even be viewed effectively as far as Burnaby because these people get displaced and end passed out elsewhere. That aside I'll say that I'm not fond of Vancouver, the pricing is just arrogantly ridiculous for simple accomodation. A positive thing is that for a very trades heavy province , in contrast Vancouver has an extremely healthy arts community. So if people move here and have interest in commercial arts fields of work, it is a hub for that- there's an abundance of animation , design and film companies and lots of local talent, students to network with etc. Movies like Tron Legacy as an example were filmed here and of course everyone knows shows like the Flash have had regular shooting schedules in Vancouver.

As a Costa Rican who moved to Vancouver I wished I knew that people were plain and boring, serious and not friendly.

I’ve lived here my whole life bro Vancouver once it rained for 45 days straight there was some flooding

I really appreciate the helpful info you share in your videos! Thank you so much!

Great Video, accurate info. Thumbs up for you Adam, great and honest way to describe our beautiful Van. Thanks!

The car insurance price thing is very useful. I think you should do more contents on prices like clothes, dining or health related stuffs.

That’s a pretty good overview. As someone who’s lived here all of my 61 years, and whose family has lived here over 100 years, let’s just say - the place has changed. As for rain, 2 years is not enough to experience the amount of rain that can befall the city. Our record consecutive of days with rain is stuck at 99 days in a row. We’ve also had many months without measurable sunshine. That being said the last several years have moved closer to the drier end of the scale. Don’t be fooled, those of us who’ve been here fore decades realize that when it starts raining there is always the possibility that it could last for weeks. You mentioned the poorer side of Vancouver. I’m not going to discuss the details of that problem other than to state that it is not in East Van, but rather the Downtown Eastside (DTES) that has the majority of the problem, not to say that it isn’t expanding considerably. One thing people I’ve met who’ve recently moved here find confusing is all the North- South- East- West- naming conventions. West End, West Van, West Side, New West, North Van Municipality, North Van City, North Shore, North Burnaby, East Van, East side. Etc.

It's really important to mention that people won't see the sun from Oct to Feb, that takes a told on your mental health, so the quality of living is not so good during those months.

You sir have given me enough insight for my upcoming moving to Vancouver, GREAT JOV MATE!

Oh I love the rain ☔ 😍

Vancouver has a lot to offer and depends on where you are in your life, your needs, and what your goals are. It has it cons and pros. And even with the cons, it still attracts a lot of young professionals.

Feels so good to hear that it doesnt rain that much

Great video man! Definitely some points that i needed to take note before moving. Thank you and looking fwd for more fruitful information about vancouver or canada as a whole!

As someone who lived in Vancouver as an exchange student: 1-) Yes, the transit system is really good. You can usually find a bus that goes to anywhere, if you dont want to walk. The busses most of the time comes on time. There is always a seat that you can sit (unles you are in downtown). Also theres no traffic (unles you are in downtown). And you dont have to be in downtown all the time if you are not required to. 2-) It rained in vancouver, it snowed in vancouver its true. But you are deff right that it didnt rain everyday, and i saw the sun enough. Maybe it was my luck idk but there was a day which was 28 degrees in may lol. I dont remember a single day that was rainy in June. I wondered if it was my luck and got many sunny days so after i left vancouver i occasionally checked the weather forecast of vancouver. It still seemed okay. However it seem like it rains more in fall. I was there from february to july. 5-) I was an exchange student in highschool, it was seriously hard to make friends as an introverted new foreign girl, eventhough i tried hard to make friends tbh. But i think it really depends on your luck. 6-) I wasnt aware of that street at all and one day i decided to walk to downtown cause i missed the bus. That was when i found out about that street. Didnt feel safe at all, was sad to see it but i guess every city has a bad part. In general vancouver seems to be safe.

Nice video. I moved from Toronto a year ago. There is noticeably more rain here compared to Toronto, but mostly Oct-Feb. I personally prefer the rain over the harsher winter in Toronto though! I'm paying $1600/yr for my car insurance - I have the 40% discount and am also saving $500/yr by recently switching to BCAA for the optional insurance (pro tip for the rest of you out there!).

This video really provided me with the perspective that I needed as I'm planning to move here from Ontario.

Great voice over also great info about Vancouver! Thanks for sharing sub!👍✨

ahh this made me miss home! I grew up in Vancouver but moved to Texas 10 years ago. I'm due for a visit soon! Can't wait to be back

Great points dude! Looking like you're focusing on your craft with great b roll and transitions!! I love that so much! Some experimental advice, I notice a lot of harsh cuts on beat or exactly at the end of sentences. One thing I've tried out recently and found huge improvement is J and L cuts. Hope to see you implement this soon, it's so exciting once you experience this discovery in your own craft ❤

Great video. My son relocated / immigrated from Norway to Vancouver just recently. A very nice city and I really loved our stay there in 2018 even though in January. Take care!

Thanks for making this!! :)

Before moving to Vancouver from Ontario, I was told… " so you know what BC stands for?" it stands for "BRING CASH"…. Now after a few couple of years being here, I totally agree and get it. As for rain? doesn't bother me one bit. I rather have rain and small tiny winter you guys have than the Awful winters from Ontario.

We used to live in Vancouver, well Delta to be specific. We left when our kids were young so we could afford a better lifestyle. Both our kids, now 26 and 24 yrs old have moved back. Our daughter in Vancouver and our son lives with his gf in Naniamo. Now, we are moving back in 2.5 yrs when my husband retires. :) I can't wait!! Thanks for the video.

Thank you for sharing this info!! 👍💕

Thanks mannn ! this video really helps me a lot !

1. Transit: It's fairly reliable, it's not cheap and it gets more and more expensive as Translink (the private company that runs the system) is horrible at managing their funds and constantly asks for more, they've also screwed up with things like fare gates and tap cards (somehow, other cities have done it better than us yet we spent millions to "research" ) also important note, actual proper Vancouver isn't all that big to begin with and the downtown core is easily walkable from the waterfront to the bridge crossing to the other side. 2. Weather: It rains A LOT, it's overcast and grey a lot of the time...so if this affects you a lot, don't come here and it for sure rains for more "than a few" days like the guy in the video said, it's common to have rain start and stop for days at a time which extents into weeks...it might not rain all day, but it's wet, humid and overcast and that can't be stated enough. 3. Rent Prices: Not just one of the most expensive in Canada but expensive in the WORLD period, for what it is it's in the top 10 easily...compare the average salary here with the prices and you'll see a major disconnect, factor in taxes, food costs (also very expensive) transit, internet, and cellphone bills and you can see where this is going. Also what is this goofy math this guy is doing? BC taxes are high and if you're making 80k a year you'll be having something like 65~ after taxes, factor in your rent which say is around 2k (you also need renters insurance, hydro, and other things) also 80k a year is more than the national average of a family household (yes that's right, that's 2 working adults...) so you're in the upper percent if you're making that sort of money as well. Last point here, 2k is what a ONE bedroom costs you...so unless you live with a partner or spouse that space is tight for a roommate, 2 bedrooms or more is well above 2k a month in Vancouver and some of the other parts. 4. Car Insurance: True, it's incredibly expensive, factor in gas prices which are regularly $1.22-30~ for a litre and you can see how expensive a car is, also parking is extremely expensive in the city too and a hassle, so as mentioned in the video you're more likely better off without owning a car for the sake of saving several hundred if not thousands of dollars. 5. Friends: There is a huge amount of people that study here from all areas of the world but more particularly Latin (Mexican mostly) Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, Polish, South-East Asian....so if you're from one of those places or speak that language it might be easier to strike up a convo or make friends, otherwise it's very bubbly and self-isolated here for the same reasons...a lot of people are from all over and don't really mesh well when the base foundations/culture are lacking. Age also plays into this...being 20~ makes making friends way easier...when you're over 30+ it becomes a lot tougher. 6. Not so nice area: Yes, this area is really bad and has kept getting worse and worse, it's really not uncommon to see people going to the bathroom in public in alleys, shooting up drugs or just generally having some sort of mental disorder, now this doesn't happen all the time but it's quite common as well...I've heard stories of people being attacked for no reason, punched or whatever just because they walked by at the wrong time. Just be on your guard and avoid the area if you can. Recap, make sure you have a good high paying job if you want to live comfy here, simple math using his example from the video (if you make 6k a month and have a car etc) $6,000 (keep in mind this isn't an average income for MOST people and certainly not a student or recent grad) -$1500 (rent, I'm being generous for the price, it's a lot more usually trust me) -$30-60 (hydro on average unless you like to leave your lights on all the time, this is for two months use fyi) -$300-500 (food, depending on how much you eat, what you cook, how much/little etc) -$70-130 (internet, can be cheaper but you suffer from slower speeds, something "decent" is around 60 at least) -$40-100 (cellphone, this is super variable by the carrier, plan/deals/etc) -280 (car insurance, this is a random pick but can be more/less depending) -$110 (Transit, if you want to use it and assuming you only want a smaller area to travel This is just the basics to get by, this doesn't factor in eating out, entertainment, concerts or shows, clothing or anything else...

Dont understand young ppl who move to a big city n live in apt all by themselves.. Then complain the rent is expensive n they hv no friends.. What are you in your 50s.. In a city, you hv roommates, dozens of them.. You meet ppl like Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica, Rachel n Smelly cat.. Thats how u hv fun n built connections.. Buy a scooter, buy a bike, a skate board.. Cars are for families..

Lived here my whole life fam, it rains A LOT trust. The past 2 years that you have lived here have probably been some of our best weather to date

Love the video! Thank you for sharing.

I would edit this to "downtown eastside", as East Vancouver is actually lovely! Respect for not showing negative footage of Hastings 👏

Thanks for making this video, I appreciate it. We came there a few times on holiday and miss the place ❤️

Cheers Adam! These type of videos help a lot

I really love to come back and visit again Vancouver i love to see more of your videos love it and Vancouver is one of my favorite place to visit and i hope someday i can move there but for now i love living here in Edmonton Alberta

Nice video man. Just a couple of items here I would highlight: 1. The tax for a 80K salary in BC is almost 30%, and 2. I do think it rains A LOT between mid October and mid May, but the amount of beauty during the other 4 months makes living here really worthy. Cheers and thanks for showing this!

Thanks man lot of nice info

Love the video!! 😗

I think the overwhelming thumbs ups on the comments disagreeing with regarding the rain, cost of living and people say it all. I lived 25 years in the area and I am glad I left so just give it some time because making videos like this when you are 21 years old has it risks…

Making friends is tricky in Vancouver. Some will be your friend and you can make friends with their friends. But there are a lot of clique type friendships going on. Many is the time (I've lived here 30 years) that a co-worker or friend will invite me to a party, dinner, gathering, whatever and all of my friends friends wouldn't even look at me. If I try to strike up a conversation they just turn and walk away. Unbelievable. A coworker invited me to his house party. Summertime, 20 or more people in the backyard. I walk into the backyard and within one minute every last person went into the house. I took the hint and left. It was unreal. (I'm a nice person! I bathe! My a$$ isn't hanging out of my pants!) I used to rent sailboats out of Granville Island. I'd invite a friend, he'd bring a friend. That friend 50% of the time either became Captain Bligh or wouldn't acknowledge my existence... on a FUCKING 21-FOOT SAILBOAT. P.S. I love how an ad cut in just as Adam said he owned a Lambo and I thought "What a Douch..." and the ad ended. Really poorly timed ad!

Loved your video. As an Australian, looking to move to Canada, (retired, but who knows,) your video was great and honest. Thanks. Keep going. You have no idea the people you touch.

I am really glad I found your channel! As i am also making videos about featuring the place where i moved in. I am so inspired seeing your videos. You are so good giving facts and informations! I would love to visit canada someday.

I am new to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, but I am very interested and curious to start investing in it, although I do feel this is kind of late now. Can anyone tell me what I need to do?

As someone who has lived in Vancouver for over 10 years i'd like to add some extra points to this for anyone looking to move here. 1. Not only is rent expensive, finding a place is also very tough. There is a less then 1 percent vacancy rate and most places don't allow pets 2. People tend to be very closed off here, there are a number of reasons for this. But if you come here alone you will have a hard time making friends. And when you do make friends they will generally be very flakey. It's hard to make plans with people as they tend to ditch you at the last moment to do something else and leave you hanging. 3. Dating is also extremely hard . If you're a guy expect to get ignored and ghosted a lot, unless you have a lot of money and a flashy car then expect nothing but gold diggers. If you're a woman expect to be treated like a commodity. 4. People can't ride bicycles for shit. We have tones of bike lanes that most don't seem to know how to use. Also taxi drivers are shit drivers. 5. Rush hour in downtown lasts for hours because of poorly designed streets, bike lanes, and a lot of traffic lights. Get to know your way around the alleys and side streets and you'll save a lot of time. Also if you commute to or from downtown to another part of the city Waterfront Road has no lights and almost no traffic. It's a great way to get in or out of downtown quickly and has a great view of the water.

I agree with every single one of your points, totally going to check out your other videos about where to rent at Van 👍🏻

Good and honest review about our city! Beautiful yes but price for sure! Enjoy while you here!

We immigrated from the Philippines 9 years ago. Year 5, we lease a car. Year 7, we bought a car through finance. Our household income is 200k but we’re still renting (savings on stock market hope it pans out 🙏). Most of my friends own a place. But we’re still afraid to take the plunge. My take away, living expenses is expensive BUT we love it here. The neutral weather is priceless! Edit: I’m from Burnaby, a city immediately to the east of Vancouver for those watching abroad.

I wouldn't say two years living in van would be representative of how bad the weather can be. It can be really stormy with rain almost every day. And sometimes its also 30degrees in October. It's a mixed bag. I mean it's raining very randomly right now if that counts for anything

Very honest video, thank you very much, changed my mind about these 'problems'

I have been watching videos about vancouver for a long time just because the city fascinates me even though i have never been. I live in Toronto and was always wondering how life expenses compare..this video basically gave me the breakdown...Great job bro..this is the best video i've watched about Vancou..

as somebody who was born and raised in the fraser valley and now live away, it saddens me that its completely impossible to move there without being a millionaire.

I think this is very well done Adam. I moved to Vancouver last year from the States (Houston) and I concur with almost all of your comments. I do have to laugh when people talk about the rain here. My response is always "Rain?? You call this rain??" It might "rain" for days here but it's literally a light drizzle. In Houston when it rained you would be drenched in minutes! Not to mention having to deal with hurricanes there (and I was there for the big one - Harvey just a few years ago - Now THAT was rain). I absolutely love this city and I'm so proud to call myself a Permanent Resident now. The East Hastings area is easily avoided while the rest of downtown is really safe and quite nice. I have a brand new 2-bedroom, 2 bath apartment in the Burnaby area with incredible views for about $2800. Is it expensive? Sure, but compared to many other major metropolitan areas throughout the world it's not that bad. Compare it to NYC or San Francisco and it's not even in the same ballpark. Thanks for sharing!

Love this video 😻

Thank you, it was very helpful with your clear explanation!

definitely agree that making friends outside work or school is tough, i've lived here since I was 3 and I have pretty much stopped asking people their names after I graduated high school and started working in the family business. Outside work I find people are just too stressed about making ends meet with the high cost of living to really go out and make friends, although being an introvert makes starting conversations with strangers a lot tougher. Add being a gamer on top of that and people kind of look down on you because of the stigma that gamers are in some way immature compared to adults that don't play games in their free time.

People complain about rain but rain in Vancouver isn't even close to that in other parts of the world hahaha

Brother these vids are super helpful... keep up the good work 😊😊🇨🇦🇨🇦🔥💯😍🙌

Raincouver sounds fun right now It has been a very sunny December so far!!

just moved out here alone and especially now with covid its so hard to make friends

Just wanted to correct my self on 2 points in this video ~ 1) The "Not so Nice" area is not "East Van". What I should have said is "Downtown Eastside" which is the area I was describing. 2) The Taxes on an $80k salary would be closer to $20k, and not $10k as I had said. Thanks!

You are a very well spoken 21 year old, thank you for making this helpful video. I am contemplating moving my family to Canada but now realize I might be in over my head financially. On the other hand, I'm getting quite sick of the Texas sun. Off to view more of your vids

Having been raised on the coast and a resident of Vancouver proper, from 1984 to 2017 (West side around VGH) and now living in New Westminster, I can definitely agree the price of apartments in downtown Vancouver can be very expensive if you plan on living in the midst of the party (ie: West End) which I did for the first four years. It's definitely gets cheaper as you move away from the downtown core and into the bedroom communities ie: Burnaby, New Westminster, etc. Of course to offset that it means you're into more of a commute on Skytrain, bus or your vehicle.

I'm a true born Vancouverite. You did well with this clip. I'm very proud of my hometown.☔🇨🇦

This was great. I am moving to Vancouver in September and trying to find a place to live, and this was helpful so thank you ! :)

I love living in Vancouver I have lots of friends/jobs/lots of outdoor activities/healthy lifestyle..., but I do like rain. A key factor to consider is that it rains six months of the year here or it is over cast/lots of clouds. April to August tends to be more sun. I know people whom have moved for this reason, as it is pretty much a constant 50-60% of the time, you need an umbrella/raincoat for certain and good quality that last.

This is all so great to know, thanks!

Loved the video Adam - my wife and I moved to Vancouver in 1994 (when we were young!) but made the decision to leave again a year later - worst decision of my life! The thing I miss most: just how laidback and cool the average Vancouver resident was! Hope that hasn't changed.

33 days of straight rain. Drove me nuts. I no longer live there.

I freaking love this. Commented b4 the start of the video... .. Vancouverite here lol love from east van man!!!!

Your awesome i lived there my whole life and u are right to be alert at night on the east side its a bit more harsher then i remember it but i do know it was not always like that when i lived their 🙌

Commenting again for the algorithm ↗️🔁🔄↩️↔️

"It doesnt rain so much" lol r u serious?? It rains for months straight. "Not doxhard to make friends" if we talking real friends and not acquintances its VERY hard. I consider myself lucky for having a solid group of friends but i know a lot of people that are so lonely they cant take it and move out. The amount of drugs in this city is something unheard of (even when compared to LA). But yeah LOTS of good things too.

Lived all over Canada 🇨🇦❤️, moved here about 6 years ago never looked back since 🎣 🎿 🚴 🥾 🏔 🚣‍♀️ ❤️❤️❤️

Very useful information! Thanks for sharing ! 👍👍

I've lived in Vancouver for 9 years. Mugging isn't to common in the east side. And this is pretty accurate.