I lived in London and Vancouver prices felt like a punch to the gut

I lived in London and Vancouver's prices feel like a punch to the gut

Beth Rochester/Daily Hive

When I moved from London to Vancouver just under a year ago to start grad school at UBC, I was overwhelmed with excitement to begin this new life chapter.

Part of that was the expectation of finally living in a cheaper city than the heart of England. Boy, was I delusional.

Vancouver isn’t exactly known for being a cheap place to live, but I didn’t think it could match London’s prices, let alone surpass them.

Could I afford to eat anymore?

My first taste of the outrageous prices was the food.

When I landed in Vancouver after the long-haul flight, my stomach was naturally rumbling for something that wasn’t airplane food. But looking at the menu for each place, I couldn’t believe the price.

At first, I thought maybe it was expensive because I was new to the city and hadn’t found the right places to go. After all, I did have three years in London to figure out the cheap places to grab a bite.

Coming up to a year in Canada, I still can’t say that Vancouver has affordable places to eat. The meals are expensive, and then you have tax and a staggering tipping culture adding to an already painful bill. I never imagined my out-of-house meals here would consist of Mcdonald’s and the $3 slices of pizza from Megabite.

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Not eating out never felt like a big deal, though; I’ve always loved to cook. Cue my shock when I did my first grocery shop, and every single item was twice as much as what I was used to back home.

I think I spent a full 10 minutes staring at a block of cheese, trying to figure out how this 250-gram piece of joy could be going for $10. I had a strange decision to make: buy the cheese and bring financial ruin on myself, or forgo my small slither of dairy happiness for (minimal) financial stability?

Between the cost of cheese and finding marmite under an “ethnic food” section, every grocery store trip felt like an uphill climb.

Entering the Vancouver housing market

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Moving into student residence when I arrived was the smartest financial decision I could have made. My rent was about $100 cheaper per week than I paid in London. But unfortunately for me, student res was always a temporary home.

A couple of months ago, I had to face the dreaded housing market in Vancouver. Every day the prices of places outside of the university market absolutely astounded me.

Before I knew it, the rent I had been blessed with at UBC was more than doubled. Plus, every place had added expenses of having to furnish it myself. In London, every flat I had was furnished, but here I had to think about covering furniture costs myself. Thank God for Facebook marketplace.

Eventually, I found my lovely studio, but the rent costs more than what I paid for each of my flats back in London at just under $2,000 per month. It’s an added kicker that it’s more expensive for less space, especially when that’s considered a “good deal.”

Drinking away the painful prices

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I am well aware that drinking is not an essential expense. But it does help make fast friends – something I desperately needed when I moved here, knowing no one.

London isn’t known for having cheap drinks, but it does have some great happy hour deals that can go all night long if you find the right place. I constantly miss a great little chain called Simmons, where my friends and I would grab two cocktails for a tenner (£10) every night.

Vancouver sadly doesn’t boast the same drinks luxuries. Most bars sell beers for outrageous prices and then expect at least a 15% tip on top of that. Tipping for drinks in the UK is not something I’m used to doing.

In my first few weeks here I ended up paying close to $20 for a pint. Yes, I probably should have said no, but I was so baffled that I was putting down my card before I even registered how much it was.

I have managed to manoeuvre around the drinks scene to learn where I can grab beers for around $5, but it took a while to figure out. Plus, it’s not that fun to only have two places to go every time I want a drink.

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All-in-all, I’ve had the most amazing time in Vancouver. I’ve made friends I’ll keep for life, I’ve explored places I never would have dreamed of, and I’m a pursuing a career I love with great opportunities.

The one thing that would make the experience better would be if Vancouver prices started to ease up.

All I want is cheap cheese. Is that too much to ask?