Vancouver's "out of control" cost is why this renter is moving to Langley

Vancouver's "out of control" living cost is why this renter is moving to Langley

@sociallykels/Instagram | Submitted by Kelsie Exley

After just over a year of renting in the downtown Vancouver area, a young woman is sharing how the “out of control” rental market caused her to move to Langley.

In June 2022, Kelsie Exley and her boyfriend moved from Maple Ridge into downtown Vancouver to “experience living in the city.”

She said the couple, in their early 20s, knew it would be expensive but felt it would be manageable with their income.

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During this time, she and her boyfriend lived in a one-bedroom with a den, bathroom and patio. Exley said she loved her apartment and finds it “stunning” with its views of the English Bay, mountains, the Lions Gate Bridge, and the Coal Harbour.

This 750-square-foot apartment costs the couple $4,300 a month.

@sociallykels Vancouver rental market is goin crazyyy peace out #vancouverbc #vancouverrealestate #vancouverrentalmarket #onlinebusinessowner ♬ original sound – Kelsie | Entrepreneur

Despite the high rental cost, Exley said she has “absolutely no regrets” because living in the city was a great experience. However, she said she’s had enough of the high cost of living and is warning others planning to move to Vancouver to “prepare to be a little bit stressed out financially.”

“Even with making very good money, we felt like… we’re not being able to have a very high quality of life. Although we love the city… it got to the point where we can’t really afford to go out to eat or do the things we wanted,” the content creator said.

“I just wish that people were able to enjoy it without feeling like it’s survival mode.”

Next month, Exley and her partner are moving to Langley, which is about a 40-minute drive from Vancouver.

They will rent a 1,400-square-foot townhome with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a car garage, and a yard.

This Langley home will cost $3,000 — $1,300 less than their one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver.

Kelsie Exley’s Langley townhome (Submitted by Kelsie Exley)

Kelsie Exley’s Langley townhome (Submitted by Kelsie Exley)

Kelsie Exley’s Langley townhome (Submitted by Kelsie Exley)

Exley said she recognizes only some have the flexibility to move out of Vancouver. Living further away from the city made sense for her because she works from home and will be closer to her family.

“Langley ended up being a good spot because we found that it was still kind of central. It’s close to the highway, it still has lots of good restaurants, malls,” she said.

“So we felt there were still good options in terms of being young and still wanting to go out and have fun.”

In the coming years, accessibility is expected to improve to connect Langley to Vancouver. By 2028, if all goes as planned, the 16-km-long Expo Line Surrey-Langley Extension between King George Station and Langley Centre will be running.

Crowdsourced data from Numbeo shows the average monthly cost for rent in Langley is 34.9% lower than in Vancouver.

While Langley’s living cost looks more affordable to Exley, she questions how sustainable the current rental market in Greater Vancouver is.

“I don’t even know how people are ever going to afford to buy a home. And we’re going to keep getting further and further from the city, and then what is it going to become? That’s just what I think, it’s like who’s gonna live here?” she questions.

Years ago, moving out of the Metro Vancouver region wouldn’t even cross Exley’s mind, but she told Daily Hive Urbanized, “Now I can see my perspective changing after living downtown.”

“$3,000 is still a lot to pay in rent, even for the townhouse we’re getting in Langley.

“It gets normalized a little bit… I wouldn’t think I would ever leave here because I love it so much,” she added.

“I will work my hardest to try to stay, but… I want to buy a home one day, and I want to have a family, and if that means that I need to go somewhere else — it would be really sad — but that’s what would have to happen.”

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