# Advice needed for moving to British Columbia.



## MirdifMellow (Jul 21, 2008)

Please can someone out there give me some assistance.

We are a family with two young school going children and we are in the process of looking at a big move.

We need help with everything as we havent a clue.

What would you need to earn to live comfortably in BC?
Where is the best area to settle with Children?
What are the schools we should look at?
What are the monthly costs of running a household (Cost of Living)
Do you pay rental by week or monthly?
What are the other costs ie Satelite TV, Internet, Mobile phones etc

I would appreciate all the help I can get


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

MirdifMellow said:


> Please can someone out there give me some assistance.
> 
> We are a family with two young school going children and we are in the process of looking at a big move.
> 
> ...


Do you have a job to come to, and as what?

1. $100,000 p/a
2. There is no objective answer. A great deal depends on where the jobs are.
3. You will need to use the school in your cachement area.
4. Depends on one's lifestyle.
5. Monthly
6. Varies depending on wants and needs.


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## MirdifMellow (Jul 21, 2008)

Auld Yin said:


> Do you have a job to come to, and as what?
> 
> 1. $100,000 p/a
> 2. There is no objective answer. A great deal depends on where the jobs are.
> ...



Thank you for your answers.

I hope you dont mind if I dig a little more on these questions?

1)Is 100,000 p/a a good salary for someone in the construction industry?
2)we have identified a job in Surrey British Columbia but am not sure about this area as they say its up and coming but I read somewhere that its not the best place to live?
4)I was just hoping for a general idea on Grocery bills for a family of four?
6)Not sure what is the normal ie is there a television service or do you have to subscribe to one?

Thanks alot for the reply it is a great help.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

MirdifMellow said:


> Thank you for your answers.
> 
> I hope you dont mind if I dig a little more on these questions?
> 
> ...


1. Yes, a good income but it depends on which functions one performs.
2. Don't believe all you read. All areas have good and bad areas.
4. You should look to $125-200 weekly depending on ages of your children.
6. There is free TV available but number of channels is limited. There are subscription services available and priced on which/how many channels selected.


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## Jesaleks (Mar 8, 2012)

I live in Surrey, BC currently (though am moving to Germany in July) and here is what I can tell you.

If you have children, it would be best to avoid the following areas:

Whalley / Surrey Central
East Newton
Guildford (some areas better than others, however)

Strive for the following areas:

Clayton Heights*** (my recommendation)
South Newton / Panarama Ridge 
Cloverdale


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## inutley (Jun 9, 2009)

MirdifMellow said:


> Thank you for your answers.
> 
> I hope you dont mind if I dig a little more on these questions?
> 
> ...


Hi,

I am an expat working for a construction comapny in BC - you do not mention what job in construction you are looking at - professional or trade? I can probably givbe you an idea of salry if you are more specific.
Regards
Ian


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## Missplaced_NewYorker (Mar 9, 2012)

MirdifMellow said:


> Please can someone out there give me some assistance.
> 
> We are a family with two young school going children and we are in the process of looking at a big move.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure exactly how much you'd have to make a year because it depends on how well you manage your budget and where you live. The Okanagan region and the Vancouver area are rather expensive. My city of Kelowna is the 2nd or 3rd most expensive place to live in the province (The cost is a shock because I'm from western NY state)

My husband grew up in Salmon Arm which is located in the Shuswap region just north of where we live now. The area is very small and considered ideal for families with young children by the people who live there including my mother in law. (They have a very nice community pool, public ice rink and an indoor play area called Junglemania all on Highway one) And the cost of living isn't as high as in the Okanagan. Plus in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions you get nice warm summers unlike other parts of BC.

The schools are determined by where you live. My older daughter attends a school within 1.5 Km from where we live. You get to choose out of 3, but you get preference if you live closer to the elementary school you want to go to. If you move to the Mission district of Kelowna everyone seems to want their K-6 children at Raymer.

Cost of running a household again depends on how you budget. But we have some of the highest dairy prices in north America. Right now I pay around 4.67 for 4 liters of milk and gas here is about 1.25 a liter.

Rent also varies depending on where you live and what type of home or apartment you have. For my husband and I we rent our 2 bedroom for 910$ a month with no utilities included. A house here in the Okanagan can sell for about 400,900 CAD depending on where it is and how large. 

Cable/Satellite ect ect. Many companies offer bundles for your cable, phone and internet. But I'm not happy with the selection of TV stations since I'm from the US. Back in New York my parents have over 300 channels for the same price as our 50 channels.

I hope that helped


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## MirdifMellow (Jul 21, 2008)

inutley said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am an expat working for a construction comapny in BC - you do not mention what job in construction you are looking at - professional or trade? I can probably givbe you an idea of salry if you are more specific.
> Regards
> Ian


Hi Ian,

It is professional as in Senior QS/Commercial Manager. If you can help it would be great, would hate to sign a deal and find out later that we shouldnt have.


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## MirdifMellow (Jul 21, 2008)

Missplaced_NewYorker said:


> I'm not sure exactly how much you'd have to make a year because it depends on how well you manage your budget and where you live. The Okanagan region and the Vancouver area are rather expensive. My city of Kelowna is the 2nd or 3rd most expensive place to live in the province (The cost is a shock because I'm from western NY state)
> 
> My husband grew up in Salmon Arm which is located in the Shuswap region just north of where we live now. The area is very small and considered ideal for families with young children by the people who live there including my mother in law. (They have a very nice community pool, public ice rink and an indoor play area called Junglemania all on Highway one) And the cost of living isn't as high as in the Okanagan. Plus in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions you get nice warm summers unlike other parts of BC.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much this has helped alot.


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