Vancouver recently cracked the top 10 of a global quality of living ranking, but one of its close southern US neighbours, Seattle, ranked way below it.
Mercer recently put it the Quality of Living City Ranking for 2023, and Vancouver ranked number eight on the list.
The list specifically focuses on the quality of living for expatriates.
However, Seattle, a city that Vancouver resembles in many ways, ranked 52.
Why did it rank so low, and why did Vancouver rank so high?
According to Mercer’s methodology, quality of living is calculated based on several variables. The 2023 ranking includes 241 cities on five different continents. The report assesses living conditions against “generally accepted standards, providing a single premium recommendation for all signees.”
Housing, cost of living and mobility trends are some of the more extensive blanket terms that Mercer digs into for the ranking.
Other factors like rent and crime also likely play into the ranking.
Should Vancouver have so vastly outranked Seattle? We put together some of our own numbers with some general priorities people have living in big cities. You be the judge.
Housing
When it comes to housing, Mercer looked at variables like when rent increases substantially or when there are significant changes in the market.
According to Rentcafe, the average rent in Seattle is US$2,267. That’s about C$3,081, meaning average rent is slightly more expensive in Seattle.
What about buying a home?
In Seattle, the average detached home value is $824,000, according to Zillow. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says the average detached home price in Vancouver was $1,982,600 in November. You can get an apartment for closer to the Seattle average, as the detached apartment price was $762,700 in November.
What about crime?
According to statistics used by Mercer for its ranking, several major American cities saw increased crime rates, including violent crimes and homicides.
While both Seattle and Vancouver have similar population sizes, the amount of crime Seattle is seeing is far more significant.
For example, so far in 2023, Seattle has seen 56 homicides, while Vancouver has only seen 13. Seattle also is seeing more violent crimes in general than Vancouver, which includes rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
Drugs
Four years ago, KOMO News published a documentary called Seattle is Dying, which documented the city’s struggles with drugs and homelessness, an issue Vancouver has had its fair share of challenges with.
Comparing overdose deaths between the two cities is difficult. On this side of the border, overdose deaths are calculated provincially. Meanwhile, in Washington, there are numbers for all of King County, which has half the population of BC. Based on those geographics, BC has at least doubled King County’s overdose deaths between January and September, but that could be proportional to the population.
More numbers
Numbeo, a cost-of-living database, allows you to compare cities in the US and Canada. The data Numbeo uses is crowd-sourced, so while we don’t necessarily need to take it as gospel, it does reveal some interesting insights.
Looking at the data in Canadian dollars, Numbeo suggests that a meal at an inexpensive restaurant is around $26 in Vancouver and $32.67 in Seattle.
Beer, coffee and even soda are more expensive in Seattle, according to Numbeo.
Numbeo adds that consumer prices are higher in Seattle, rent is higher in Seattle, and groceries are higher priced in Seattle.
The one place that Numbeo says Seattle has the advantage is local purchasing power.
One thing definitely can’t be disputed. Seattle has a better lookout tower.
Do you think Vancouver should be ranked as highly as it is compared to Seattle? Let us know in the comments.
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