The Economist recently ranked Vancouver the third most liveable city on earth. While it certainly is a lovely city with many nearby amenities, it is also the second least affordable city in the English speaking world (surpassed only by Hong Kong). Vancouver is a very liveable city–if you’re wealthy. But for the middle class, it is a completely different story. Most people would love to have a luxury condo in Downtown Vancouver. However, even an ordinary two bedroom home in the city is well beyond the financial reach of ordinary citizens. Cities like Edmonton and Regina have far more to offer for middle class families than luxury cities like Vancouver.
Here is an article I wrote a few years ago on why Vancouver is so extremely unaffordable, and a more recent article on what to do about it.
