It's a beautiful place to live....however, the demand being created for this small region that is land locked by ocean and mountains, has priced many locals who grew up here out. We have a shortage of housing, a lot of outside "investors" buying up property with cash and no conditions with no intention of living here FT. I have lived here for nearly 20 years, make a 6 figure income and still has to consider outside of the city for affordability. Personally, if you move here and contribute to the local economy and support local business and want to bring your family here, we welcome you. If you are an outside real estate investment corporation buying up properties with "no conditions" on real estate listings and pushing out families who actually want to stay here long term - shame on you. Go elsewhere!!
One quick thing. The City of Victoria proper is actually quite small. (100,000 as mentioned). But Greater Victoria is actually a mid sized city with about 400,000. Not that small and quaint as they have you believe.
People overlook that, Vancouver is only about 675,000 population, but the entire lower mainland including Vancouver is over 2.6 million. Population of Victoria is really 400,000. Other areas are only a street width away from each other, so it’s all the same thing.
Might wanna highlight some downsides as well. Low vacancy rates, crime increases and drug use around the downtown area, the job market isn't great unless you have a degree or trades tickets. The City has many bicycle lanes, also the Galloping Goose Trail which makes cycling a very fast way to get around town and to other subcommunities further north.
@@leithx7595 According to numbeo, its the 10th safest city in North America (out of 64 cities). So if Victoria doesn't feel safe....every other place is much worse.
You might die living there it's dirty I don't care you chose to live there there's something wrong with the atmosphere ecosystem it's not even worth living there i lived there twice
As a resident, crime and drug use on the rise (10th safest in canada? How many big cities are in canada?), lovely residential walks and family park near downtown, 3-8 inches of snow in the winter but the whole city shuts down, an ever evolving diversity of artisanal and craft foods/drinks, high cost for goods due to added costs during transportation. If you are renting don't plan on having pets.
Victoria is a lovely city. The waterfront and the views of the Olympic mountains are just stunning. We visited from Oregon back in 2018, and even though it is in another country, it felt just like home. I was struck by how the architecture, natural environment, culture, etc. are so similar to Portland. Great restaurants, too. For having a population of only 100K, it seems like a much bigger and more cosmopolitan city.
What's the alternative? Vancouver? Toronto? Canada has become expensive af outside of places like Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa that are frigid 10 months of the year.
@@UnsaltedCashew38 Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a lot of alternatives. Moving to remote locations to reduce cost of living is offset by the time and fuel cost required to get supplies. Of-grid living requires a lot of work and some huge start-up costs.
@@joedanay949 My uncle lives in Windsor Ontario which is a 4 hour drive from Toronto, no job pays more than $50k there but its affordable he says. It's also depressing and lonely for his family as no friends / relatives live within a 3 hour drive from him. Any area even a 2 hour drive from Toronto has housing prices over $1MM for a small place. I don't know what to do other than consider moving to the US which has an incredibly toxic political, pro gun and violent culture.
This seems to be a very interesting place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much! And please keep up the great job! Subscribed!!
Having spent 19 years on Vancouver Island I must point out the the temperatures suggested are a little inaccurate. The last couple of years had a heat dome with temps in excess of 40 degrees and then an atmospheric river in the autumn. Then there's the wildfire smoke that can turn the sky orange for days at a time. It is a truly wonderful place to live but there are downsides as well.
@@Seanonyoutube Yes I'm afraid it is to varying degrees. Some years it's not too bad but we moved 4 years ago so I couldn't give you an accurate idea for the last few years. There is an website called AccuWeather that has air quality ratings which you might find useful.
Local residents are saying not to move in Victoria because of crime, drugs and expensive living costs but it's exactly the same in any big city. In Montreal, you have to pay 1bed flat between 1500 to 2200/month for renting. Add also the increase of transport fees, gas, food and insurances, and criminality. There is not enough doctors for everybody here as well. Houses prices start around 700.000/800.000 outside downtown (downtown prices are more around 1 million/ 1.5 millions min.). By the way, Quebec province has one of the highest rate for income taxes. In BC, with a 65.000$ gross salary, you can save 3000$ a year comparing to Quebec.
Love the vid. I'm currently in the process of moving to the Coombs area! Going without a job offer, and staying with friends, here's hoping it works out!
@@karlosb8423 25% fired or quit because they refused the mandatory clot shot so-called vaccine. Of course, officially 2 janitors and a cook were the only ones affected, but that lie is obvious to everybody. The health care system is collapsing.
@@Tina-ep7mx hi Tina, thanks for the heads up, I'm from the Philippines, and planning to submit my student application in UVic. Right with all these comments I've read, I'm already having second thoughts. Imagine a pure Canadian is still struggling how much for us who only studying in a foreign land.
As a French living in Montreal for almost 4 years, I cannot compare but there are more and more gun violence and attacks in the last few months downtown MTL 🙄 I guess that it is the same in all big cities around the world.
I'm American and visited Victoria in 2018 with my family. It felt extremely safe and friendly. People would just stop to chat with us on the street, offer directions, and so on. I don't know where these comments about it being dangerous are coming from. Trolls? I'd like to see some actual data about the crime rate there. It might contradict the usual narrative coming from certain quarters.
@@mushroomsteve I think people in general seem to assume their cities get more dangerous just by nature of living there and having crime stories they hear pile up. From all the statistics I've seen, Victoria is one of the safest cities in a country already significantly safer than any well-populated part of the US.
@@Lizard1582 That makes sense. I think having a different perspective helps, for sure. And I know we get a bad rep (and deservedly so), but some American cities are quite safe -- San Diego, San Jose, Tucson, Honolulu, Austin. They have their share of problems, but they are all nice, safe cities. Good day to you.
As a Victoria boy i hate it when people drop in from outside to tell the world about my home town and don't even get a local to go over the proper pronunciation of the places they are reporting on. The University is U-Vic. You don't say each letters name, it's not U, V, I, C. Camosun is Ka Moe Sun Saanich is not san ick it has a ch not ck at the end
Thanks so much for the kind words! Victoria is a certainly a more chill pace of life in comparison to Vancouver but Vancouver city is going to cost you some more $$$ so its all about trade offs!
Lake Country, near Kelowna is my suggestion. I moved to kelowna from alberta before i knew much about anything in the area & I regret not moving to lake country instead. its only about 15-20 mins from kelowna if you drive & they have transit that goes between as well. the reason i wish i moved there is because my partner & i pay nearly $2000 (combined) for our basement suite in kelowna. but there are one-two bedrooms in lake country for $1200 range. good luck on your move! i am considering moving to victoria/the island in the future so Im curious if you end up there.
Yes yes, Stephen has been made well aware of some of his pronunciations in this video. He promised he won't do it again though so forgive and forget? 🫠
It starts snowing in October in Calgary, do you want to live there? Cheap real estate is the only reason to live there but that's because no one wants to be miserable 10 months of the year unless you're a polar bear in spirit.
Tis a beautiful island but we are getting full. You did not mention the bottleneck drive from Victoria up island. Great vid, well done. We love visitors, but best you don’t move here 🤣☺️😉
There is a worker shortage because there is no affordable housing on the island. Also about 25% of all workers in Canada were fired because of notta vaccine refusal.
@@myleshagar9722 25% lol bc is 82% vaxed and most jobs don't really require it. we have low unemployment because people born in the 50's-68ish are retiring and they are a substantial portion of the population.
@@TheSwisscanada You need to grab a brain { in response to your..you should move post} as the old saying goes. Lived here for 32 years now retired. No doctors, Cannot afford house prices, food prices, gas prices, it's rainy and cold for 9 months of the year and people are cranky and have an attitude. Welcome to Victoria!!!
@@gregkurtz994 I think you need to grab YOUR brain..... always complaining, being miserable and seeing everything in dark colors. it sounds to me that you are the CRANKY one. If I say, you should move, you get insulted, so stop being miserable and make the best of it. We all try.....
@@TheSwisscanada you go no where You wait and hope and prey you get on. Did you think you just roll up, get on and go? Lots of sailings get cancelled due to staff shortages. It takes a good amount of to even get to the terminals.
@@stephentadgh Also for future reference, the locals pronounce UVIC as "you-vic" rather than "U.V.I.C" Thanks for the RU-vid exposure for my beautiful city. P.S. the population you quoted is only for the 'City of Victoria' proper. Victoria is actually divided into 4 core 'municipalites' (Victoria, Oak Bay, where I live, Saanich, and Esquimalt) and is referred to as 'Greater Victoria'. Greater Victoria is basically one city with the municipalities all 'smooshed' together and a population of ~350,000. If you include the Western communities (Colwood, Langford, Metchosin - now usually referred to as 'Westshore) and the Saanich Peninsula (North Saanich (where the BC Ferry terminal is), Central Saanich, Sidney and Brentwood Bay (where Butcharts Gardens is), the population of the 'South Island' is ~450,000-500,000. More than half of the population of Vancouver Island lives south of the Malahat, the highway mountain pass that connects the south island to Central and North Vancouver Island.
Don't move there unless you have $2-million cash, and have passive income on top of that. Vacancy rates are near zero, housing is ridiculously priced, and jobs are not plentiful.
Thanks for the information. I am from the Philippines and planning to apply for student application at UVic. I've heard and read alot of comments here in you tube that Victoria is really an expensive city. Might as well continue our family Business here in the Philippines.
@@jasminfernandez5898 You know Canada has other cities right? Ottawa is decent priced still, Toronto has many universities but its getting expensive. Montreal is decent but you have to be interested in learning French to live there. If I were you, I'd go to Australia as its close the Philippines and has warm weather, trust me on this.
@@UnsaltedCashew38 thank you for your suggestions, I really like Australia since my sister is a citizen there already but the downside of having a student visa there, you can't bring your children right away. Still weighing things though.
That's true, a friend of mine just got their student visa along with her husband and 2 children. They will be leaving by Sept this year , unfortunately they will be staying in a rented rooms only.
Your video was made with...I believe all good intent with the little information you have regarding Victoria and the island itself. Please try to get your facts correct. Ie. There are no ferries from the capital to Campbell River, Courtney.you are well on the brink of becoming annoying.
@@UnsaltedCashew38 its not only the comparative cost of rent or mortgage, jobs here do not pay as well, taxes are higher, groceries are higher because everything needs to be shipped here, gas hovers around 2 bucks
@@UnsaltedCashew38 you can move here, but expect a 50K salary, 2200 for one bedroom, and high taxes on everything. Out of 4 people in my office, I am the only one not from Ontario and they call it the island “entitlement tax” Tipping is expected no less than 20 percent, and you even get the option at Subway here.
@@Aaron-fb1pq :( I should move to Austin Tx then or San Diego, CA. I've spent my life in Canada and I'm done with the cold and unaffordable housing. I'm 36 and still live with my parents....expensive is an understatement.
@@UnsaltedCashew38 My buddy was in San Diego last weekend, he said it’s awesome. Austin Texas is full of opportunity. From my personal experience (I do commercial materials sales so I’ve been around) I’ve lived in Denver, Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna, Victoria, and have been to Vancouver countless times. Calgary is by far the best quality of life. It has high paying jobs, sport teams, culture, reasonable cost of living, and Banff and the Rockies 45 minutes away. Cold in winter, but dry and sunny as well. This “outdoor lifestyle” being sold to you about BC really makes me question myself, how many days do I actually spend outside the city? Maybe 14 days total a year? Why not just save money and vacation with a chunk of it
I know right! Pricing seems to have gone up since this video went live but still a bit cheaper than Vancouver if you are looking for alternative options in BC
Why are you making this video when you don’t know basic facts like how to pronounce any of the place names or the population of the city you are talking about?
The more research I do the more I realize only way is to leave this freezing hell called country ! I live in Vancouver and no matter how great they say it is compare to the rest, it’s just miserable!!!!
Immortal! Nice to hear from you again, alas. Vancouver is not everyone's cup of tea that is for sure! But no one should be unhappy where they live. We hope you find somewhere that makes you happy :)
As a person who lives here: best of luck finding an affordable housing situation unless you make 80k+/yr, enjoy violet crime in the downtown core, utter lack of available Healthcare, rampant and open drug use and homelessness, and the general dead-eyed faces of miserable people with multiple jobs due to the high cost of living. Don't move here.
Do remote work if you can, I know several IT professionals that work in BC for companies in Toronto. I live in Toronto. I'm sick of cold weather and want to move to somewhere like Victoria or Austin Tx
as a tourist I felt like downtown victoria felt safer, but was really empty. near beacon hill park it was busier then downtown with so many dogs! topaz hill didn't look great in Victoria though. Vancouver felt like it was more vibrant, and it is easier to fly home. Oddly, I felt like Nanaimo had the worst of Vancouver and Victoria- lot of homeless people on the main street, spalling city so it was hard to get around until you got to the motorway. Groceries really were more expensive on the island. Goldstream and Ammonite Falls were really easy to get to from Victoria, but I enjoyed being able to go to Lynn creek by bus in Vancouver. I also found that it was easier to get out and about in Vancouver- you could hop on a plane and there were more destinations, there was the sea to sky drive, or the bus/train to seattle.
OK, first thing you need to know, we have a homeless problem, they are nice people cept if you piss a street person off, it's a sad state of affairs, but look at LA.
If you need sun shine in winter not so much. We are the kings if gloom. Downtown Victoria is a micro climate and does get considerably more hours of sunshine.
@@thinkingoutside970 I agree with you and we have almost no Hotels to buy for the homeless.(thanks to the mayor and councilors) very hard for professionals to be here, high rents, buying a house or condo is overpriced and now the health care crises(ambulance, emergency care etc)
I'm a Victorian born and raised This puts a gloss on our City and Island It has many problems due to overpopulation By the way, we call it Uvic, not U V I C! Anyone from here, or who has done some research, knows that! Also, while the drive to Tofino may be only 4.5 hours from Victoria, you drive the Malahat ( no longer a pleasant drive as it was when I was young) and it takes you down a winding route through rock slide country for the last leg.
Victoria is labeled super expensive and super boring. It rains alot, it is grey alot, people are clique. It is beautiful, where its not over over deveoped and under infrastructure
The physical environment of Greater Victoria is beautiful, but jobs, social life, upward mobility is not that great. It is like working for fast food wages while having to pay living expenses like you are a high ranking corporate executive. If you are just visiting or moving here to live, with about $10000000+ with you, then these do not apply. If you are just average Joe Blow, you will feel the financial burn and pain.
