The two biggest cities out west for Canadians are Vancouver and Calgary. The Greater Vancouver Area has approximately 2.5 million people. Calgary has roughly half that with 1.4 million. Edmonton is a close third with around 1.3 million, but, in general, when people are debating between two west coast Canadian cities, they often discuss between Vancouver and Calgary, not Vancouver and Edmonton.
To assess which city is right for you, let's look at some key metrics from both cities. We'll look at housing costs, education, job opportunities, cost of living (other than housing), and activities and entertainment.
Without further ado, let's begin the comparison!
Housing Costs: Advantage Calgary
Calgary comes out of the gate with a big win on housing costs. There's no question that Vancouver's housing has become incredibly costly. The average detached Vancouver home runs for $2.2 million now. By contrast, the average detached Calgary home goes for a comparatively meagre $525,000, or less than 25% the cost of a Vancouver property.
When it comes to condos, the picture doesn't improve. A condo in Calgary runs for about $200-300k, on average. However, there's virtually no way a condo will ever sell for that tiny sum of money in Vancouver. Vancouver condos run for about $800,000. Therefore, a Calgary condo again runs at about 25% of the cost of a similar place in Vancouver.
Of course, in Vancouver, you can mitigate this cost burden by choosing to live further away from the city (like getting a place in Maple Ridge, for example). However, if you do that, you'll find yourself spending a significant amount of time in traffic if you have to work downtown.
There's no way to sugarcoat it: Calgary has much more affordable housing (although we will see that there's a reason for that!).
Education: Advantage Vancouver, But Both School Systems Are Excellent
For the most part, the Vancouver area has quality educational systems. Vancouver is home to UBC, Simon Fraser University, Capilano University, Vancouver Film School, and many other higher education institutions. Calgary is home to the University of Calgary, SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), and Mount Royal University. Public and private schools tend to be a little better in Vancouver than in Calgary, but both are quality choices in general.
However, education is not merely schools and buildings. Vancouver has one of the best-ranked library systems in the world. Vancouver also has a wider variety of educational opportunities outside of the classroom. The Vancouver zoo is bigger. Vancouver has an aquarium in Stanley Park, whereas Calgary lacks an aquarium in the city.
These extras, combined with the sheer number of available schools in the Vancouver area, give Vancouver the edge of education. However, your children will not have a bad experience in either city.
Job Opportunities: Advantage Vancouver
Vancouver has a much more robust job market that offers opportunities from a wide variety of sectors. Vancouver has a thriving tech scene and numerous positions across multiple different industries. By contrast, Calgary's focus is primarily still on the oil and gas industry.
Since oil companies have been earning significantly less money than in the past, Alberta's entire economic engine is sputtering. Layoffs and vacant offices plague the downtown core.
While it's possible to find a job in either place, you'll have a much easier time in Vancouver's economy than you will in Calgary!
Cost of Living: Advantage Calgary
Outside of housing costs, both Calgary and Vancouver are a lot closer in terms of living costs than you might expect. Calgary has much cheaper gas and lower prices overall for goods and services. The lack of a provincial sales tax certainly helps with this!
By contrast, the cost of gas in Vancouver is amongst the highest in the nation. Prices for goods and services have PST, making it very hard to get anything cheaper in BC than you would in Calgary.
The cost of living in Calgary is a bonus, but, unfortunately, that also comes with the loss of economic opportunity. Still, Calgary certainly has the advantage in this category.
Activities and Entertainment: Advantage Vancouver
There's quite a bit to do in Vancouver! You can visit the Capilano bridge, go hiking on some trails, go shopping, clubbing, dancing, or do anything else you desire. In Calgary, while there are certainly places to club and dance, they aren't quite the same as those in Vancouver. Calgary does have Banff nearby, but that's a 90-minute drive.
Both cities have CFL and NHL teams, however, Vancouver has an edge here because it has an MLS team while Calgary does not.
Vancouver has the edge in terms of diversity of cuisine. In Vancouver, you can get authentic food from every culture, which is fantastic. While Calgary does have options for dining out, they don't compare to Vancouver's.
Finally, Calgary's weather is so unpredictable that it makes activities hard to plan. Recently, the city had a massive hail storm that caused lots of damage - in June! With Vancouver, despite its perception, the weather is quite beautiful for most of the year. It's one of the reasons why everything is so green!
Which City Should You Choose?
Both Calgary and Vancouver have their pros and cons. Vancouver's is mostly the cost of housing. However, all the fantastic things that you can do in the city and the job opportunities available offset that problem. Conversely, Calgary has cheaper housing, but a struggling economy and fewer options for activities and entertainment can lead to frustration.
All in all, most people seem to find that Vancouver suits them more. It's a bustling city with plenty of food options, lots of job opportunities, and so much to see and do. With Whistler in our backyard, Victoria close, Seattle close, and some of the most beautiful coastline you'll ever lay eyes on just north in BC make most people feel blessed to live and work in Vancouver.
Plus, there are ways to mitigate the housing costs. If you're interested in making Vancouver your home, contact me, and we'll go over some options that will make that a reality!