Living in Vancouver as a student is not cheap. Vancouver might be one of the most expensive cities in Canada to live in especially in terms of housing or rent. Nonetheless, there are still affordable places to live in Vancouver.
What are some cost-effective locations in Vancouver?
To find cost-effective accommodation, it might take months to get a good deal. But fortunately, there are some locations within Vancouver that are cheaper than the main ones. According to Liv.rent a rental platform that creates reports for the Metro Vancouver region, some of the cheapest neighbourhoods are:
- Surrey – $1375 for one bedroom and $1735 for a two-bedroom unit
- Victoria-Fraserview – $1647 for one bedroom and $2366 for a two-bedroom unit
- Abbotsford – $1532 for one bedroom and $1835 for a two-bedroom unit
- Langley – $1833 on average for a one-bedroom unit
- Renfrew, Vancouver – $2033 on average for a one-bedroom unit
- New Westminster – $2158 on average for a one-bedroom unit
- Brighouse/City Centre, Richmond – $2160 on average for a one-bedroom unit
- South Vancouver – $2215 on average for a one-bedroom unit
- Burquitlam, Coquitlam – $2251 on average for a one-bedroom unit
Prices can vary from year to year, all the ones mentioned above are in Canadian dollars and are an average for a monthly unfurnished unit. There might be cheaper places, and better deals that can range from $800 to $1100, however, those are harder to find, there are not that many and is not guaranteed that you might get a place at that price.
There are many sites where you can look for housing, but always be careful and make sure the people you are communicating with to arrange your stay are not a scam. You can ask for the help of an advisor or someone that is already living in Vancouver from your place of study to find out safe and accurate places that you can stay in.
What are some specific neighbourhoods that might be cheaper?
Some of the specific neighbours within the locations mentioned above that might be cheaper are:
- Guildford Town Centre, Surrey
- Newton, Surrey
- South Surrey
- Willowbrook, Langley
- Willoughby, Langley
- Surrey City Centre
If you have in mind other locations that you are interested in from Vancouver, try to look on other websites like Craigslist, renting sites or platforms (like Liv.rent, Rentals, Zumper, etc.), Facebook marketplace, and many others.
What are the types of housing styles that you can find?
You can find a variety of housing styles and options all around Vancouver. However, the most common ones are:
- Houses: Probably the biggest among the housing styles, can be shared between a lot of people. However, leasing a house by only one or two people might be very expensive so landlords might be renting different rooms from the house at the same time.
- Apartments: Can be seen in high buildings or low buildings. There are smaller than a house, and can be shared with other people but depending on the size of the apartment maximum of 2 – 4 people. Might be noisy from sounds from other apartments or neighbours.
- Ground-level suites: They are a type of basement, sometimes it is easier to rent just an entire floor of a house, and a lot of people in Vancouver put their basements to rent. It might be noisy from above, colder, and darker but it is not something bothering is a great and affordable way to live.
If you need more help with housing, please contact us. Also, check out Google Maps while looking for a place to understand how far is it from Acsenda or work.