IMO west coast living IS the BEST! If you're picking between Vancouver and Toronto I'd definitely vote for Vancouver - close to beaches, close to mountains, much better climate (typically not shoveling the white stuff all winter long). Both cities are expensive to live in and both are located where there are lots of "suburbs."

Best of luck with your move and studies! :) ;)

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Vancouver? I live there 28 years and would never go back. Horrible traffic, go to the beach and drive around all day trying to find parking, Way too expensive. Really quite an ugly mass of concrete if you don't see the North Shore mountains. Where ever you locate you want a Southwest face. November to March, sun rises 0930 and sets 1630. Most days are cloud covered and with a cold drizzle. If you get snow, Vancouver becomes a nightmare with people trying to make it up or down hills with all season radials. Nature? Well some North of Squamish, but a long drive and very mediocre. THE BEST PLACE IS: Victoria, big city has everything including nature, then North on Vancouver Island to Duncan (& Shaunigan Lake, Cobble Hill), then North to Nanaimo which has lots of nature (82,000 people Westwood Lake, the Nanaimo River, Pipers Lagoon) great fishing and crabbing too; or just North around Errington. Nanaimo only 1 hr. and 15 minutes North of Victoria. You want to see Vancouver, walk on the Departure Bay ferry and take the West Vancouver Blue Bus 157 Express to downtown. Will drop you at Stanley Park (the only good thing there besides the Granville Island Market) or up Georgia Street to the shopping centre. Robson Street great from the Art Gallery towards Denmain then West to Beach Avenue and English Bay. If you take your car on the ferry it cost $127 round trip. The ferry crossing to Horseshoe Bay is 1 hour and 50 minutes. All schedules on the internet. I live in Nanaimo for 23 years. Stunning parks in neighboring Cedar like Hemmer. Then Englishman Falls, Quallicum Falls, Just South of Nanaimo is South Wellington (no bus service there). Still very affordable housing and 8 minutes to Nanaimo. Just North of Nanaimo is Errington and Coombs, nice semi rural areas. 35 minutes from Nanaimo going West to Pt. Alberni is Cathedral Grove, original growth Cedar, Fir and Spruce trees 15 to 30 feet thick at the base. Cowichan Lake, between Ladysmity and Duncan is beautiful lake country (small logging town). Duncan has everything too, but I prefer Nanaimo. Has Vancouver Island University and a great music scene, great mall shopping. It is all good going North from Nanaimo to Courtnay, but the climate a little wetter and colder. Mt. Washington great skiing and hiking mountain just outside Courtnay/Comox. Better snowfall than Whistler. Cheaper mountain pass. The real gem is West of Port Alberni (also affordable but a little out the back, getting there you have to drive over Mt. Arrowsmith). Pt. Ablerni is just after Cathedral Grove about an hour from Nanaimo. Then continue West to Long Beach and Tofino (2 & 1/2 hours) You drive over the Coast Mountains and finally get to Kennedy Lake (huge) where the road T's. Uculet is south and Tofino north. Shopping in Tofino is good. It is now tourist priced. Bella Pacifica Campsite has hot showers and water & power. Bring your own firewood. On McKensie beach, great sand expanse with small waves (call to book but look at their website) Good for kids, but the water is cold and wetsuits help. At Long Beach the parking is $6 a day. Make the drive to Radar Hill. There is a trail to Radar Beach which is moderate difficulty. Just North of Long Beach is Schooner Cove, sometimes nude beach (high tide) about a kilometer of easy trail to the beach. At Long Beach the waves are huge, good for body surfing. You can get some wind on the beach. Anyway, that is where all Canadians and foreigners head. Watch the sun set over the Pacific. You can book on line at Pacific Rim National Park, but no showers. I just took hot water from the wash house tap in a bucket. Get a site facing the ocean and listen to the crashing waves all night. Nothing in Canada beats Vancouver Island, unless you are a city mouse. Homes in Nanaimo go for around 300,000 Canadian. Homes in Vancouver all over $1,000,000. Denmain Island to Hornby Island is nice trip. Parks there too. Tribune bay very sandy and shallow. Hippies there too. Quadra and Cortes Islands of Campbell River nice too. Campbell River mediocre and anything North of there is bushed and cold. Saltspring Island very nice, near Duncan. Vancouver Island is the place. Not to mention Point Roberts, just south of Vancouver is actually US territory and affordable, but you have a big commute to get to Vancouver. In the interior, Kelowna, Kamloops etc. big forest fire threat.

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WOW stand up guy that's brilliant thank you! So so useful! It's so great to hear about different areas as I think you only tend to heat about bigger cities when your not in Canada.

I have noticed there's a huge difference in house prices depending on area, we will be looking between around 250000-300000 for a 3 bed plus and would like a little bit of space with that so I know we have no chance of being in a city and don't think that's the best place for our daughter.

Thanks again!!

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take a look at the exchange rate too. Canadian dollar way below that of the US. My house in Nanaimo is a City Heritage home all fixed up and worth $300,000. Great location too.

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I agree that Vancouver is wayyyyy too expensive for housing. There are NO 3 bedrooms for $250,000-300,000. If you have your hearts set on Vancouver you would have to consider the suburbs (Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley) but a 3 bedroom home even in those areas could easily run $500,000.
Vancouver island is very nice but you should definitely research your areas of employment in the area you want to move to.
My sister lives in Kamloops BC (population about 80,000, about 4.5 hours from Vancouver). She loves being out of the very busy Vancouver area. It seems easier to raise kids in a smaller city too, more of a community feel than Vancouver. Both big and medium centres in British Columbia have decent public schools for your daughter. And nature is everywhere in BC, even in the middle of Vancouver you can go up Grouse mountain (20 mins. from urban skyscrapers) and be in the wilderness. That is the coolest thing about BC Canada :)

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