Anyone living in Vancouver?

Soo, I am going to go to Vancouver in July of this year (if all goes well with the visa) to write my Master's thesis there. I was just curious if there is anyone on this board who lives in Vancouver. I know almost nothing of this city, and I am a bit scared to just go into a city I know almost nothing about, so I would be really grateful if anyone on here has any sort of information on that. What is that city like? How high are the costs for grocery and living?

I live in Vancouver, and I hate to say the cost of living here is enormous, from groceries to living accommodations - the city is beautiful, though. There are quite a few things to do here, with the mountains and ocean too - plenty of hiking trails and such.

Well, at least it seems like i have found a room for a reasonable price, but i still worry about the cost of groceries and the like and if i will be able to pay for all of that from my savings. What would you estimate is the cost for groceries for a month?

For myself, it's around 200 per month. That pretty much takes care of everything, without any major frills. Of course, that doesn't count drugstore items, such as shampoo, toothpaste and other extras. I'm not sure what the total is, as I don't generally keep track of that stuff and buy on an as-need basis.

The nice thing is there are plenty of dollar stores that also sell food and DS items, and it can help you save a lot of money.

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mumofsixbirds
For myself, it's around 200 per month. That pretty much takes care of everything, without any major frills. Of course, that doesn't count drugstore items, such as shampoo, toothpaste and other extras. I'm not sure what the total is, as I don't generally keep track of that stuff and buy on an as-need basis.

The nice thing is there are plenty of dollar stores that also sell food and DS items, and it can help you save a lot of money.

Although I live halfway across the country, I would recommend Dollarama for as many items as possible.They deal with large corporation and name brand food and hygiene items.

http://www.dollarama.com/store-locator/

Search on the right by city: Vancouver BC and set the area by 25 km to find about 20 store locations.

Thank you both, Cassia and mumofsixbirds for your information and helpful advice.

You're most welcome!

I wonder, how does it look like with Healthcare? I know that I have to apply for the BC Medical Services Plan if I plan on living in Vancouver for more than 6 months (which I will), and that I have to purchase guard.me for the waiting period of three months before I receive the insurance from BC Medical. Is this correct?

Someone told me that it would be enough to just be on guard.me the whole time, but I am not sure if it really works like this.

Any information would be helpful, as it is not as easy as I thought to get the information.

I wish I could give you advice on that one, but I got on my medical plan (BC Medical) when I first got put on disability many years ago. I'm no longer on disability, but I do the copay thing now.

This link may help.

I don't live in Vancouver or anywhere in Canada, but what I would recommend is contacting the international student office at the school you'll be attending. I bet they could help you straighten out those issues and answer your questions. I don't know how it works in Canada, but in the US the universities usually offer their own insurance plans that you can buy at a discounted rate.

ETA: I'm jealous of you; Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been!

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Ketchup
I'm jealous of you; Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been!

Seconded!