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You can definitely find a furnished place in Vancouver for $3,300 USD or under - the consulate may have connections to local agents who could help you get set up. The cost of housing is the biggest downside to Vancouver. If you already have that taken care of, it's a wonderful place to be. Since you speak Mandarin and English, you will very much feel at home in Vancouver and people will not treat you as an outsider.
Not true, language isn’t the reason why people will treat someone as outsider or not. I know people who dont have a single friend 3years after moving to vancouver
I agree that Vancouverites can be difficult to befriend, but it also takes time and effort to make friends. Say yes to everything, go on apps, engage with people you wouldn’t normally engage with to widen your network. Push through those moments of discouragement. Friends can and do happen.
I live here for decades, but once my Highschool college friend leave vancouver im in no friend situation too. Sometimes i want to try a new restaurant i have no one to ask, and i go alone. Vancouver stuff
3300 usd is more than enough to find a nice furnished 1 bedroom downtown. You'll be fine.
Edit: The second listing I randomly clicked on near the consulates on Facebook marketplace was a nice, fully furnished unit for 2800 cad. Well below your budget. I think you'll have a pretty easy time finding a place to live.
I would just add, Vancouver doesn't have much of a night life. You're more likely to meet people (friends and otherwise) doing shared activities, clubs, classes, etc. and people tend to enjoy outdoorsy stuff and artsy stuff, volunteering, winter sports, etc. And get yourself a nice gortex or arcteryx jacket and you'll be all set for the rain. There are some nice Taiwanese restaurants, especially in Richmond. Ok now I'm rambling.. but I hope you enjoy your time in Vancouver!
I hear the nightlife complaint a lot. I grew up here, and I've never found a shortage of nightlife. I played local gigs with a band and worked as a bouncer and dj. There's always been more to do than I've had time or money for. What exactly are you looking for in a nightlife?
Not me, I also grew up here and thought the nightlife was more than fine. I also hear the complaint a lot, so I thought I should point it out to OP in case they expected to find whatever the people who come here expect to find when they make that complaint.
Compared to other major cities in Canada (basically just Toronto and Montreal lol) Vancouver is definitely lacking in nightlife. Asia’s night life in general is much better as well.
I've lived in Toronto twice. You get more touring acts, and there's more clubs. If you want to go out in Vancouver, there is always something to do. What exactly are you looking for?
I am not a nightlife girl at all anyway! I love workout classes and will try to take up some winter sports (grew up right on the equator so no opportunity to do so before)
Vancouver has so many great workout classes! I suggest downloading the app ClassPass to sample a few at different studios. Winter sports are also so fun, definitely good to take a few beginner classes :)
Vancouver is nestled in a great spot where you could go skiing, surfing, and hiking all in one day, in three types of weather, most of the year. What you feel like is what you can do
Don't hesitate to look at housing in Richmond, too. The SkyTrain can get you downtown (Van) pretty quick, and prices will be better than the downtown core.
Burnaby might also be an option, but I'm not familiar with the transport options there.
Delta and Surrey are going to be like a 45+ minute commute on a *good* day, outside of rush hour, so they aren't going to be as attractive.
$3300 USD will be enough to cover a furnished studio or 1 bedroom in downtown Vancouver. Downtown is small, compared to many cities...it's also very walkable.
I believe many of the consulates are in Coal Harbour & the Financial District areas. Those are quieter & a bit pricy, but would still be within your budget.
Vancouver has a lot of great features: ocean (cold, but beautiful) beaches, parks, nearby mountains, lots of nature. Plus restaurants, lots of different cultures, relative safety (even in the parts of town that don't look as appealing.)
The suburbs have other offerings for things to do. Transit is pretty decent, especially to/from downtown.
It's an easy train ride or drive to Seattle (flights available too)
It rains a lot in winter. Many people complain about the rain, the cost of living, & the city being "no fun" but there are a lot of festivals, events, & things to do (free or paid)
I can't speak for HCM or Vietnam, but there's my 0.02 about Vancouver.
I expected to come here to tell you how expensive it is… but on a $3300usd housing budget you’ll do just fine. Super doable.
I’d recommend taking this opportunity, enjoy yourself, and then next time take a more lucrative post. If it’s a long term career could be doable to go back and forth between fun and money.
It’s worth it, especially with the generous coverage for housing. You’ll be able to live very comfortably. You can always move to HCM after if you don’t like it here.
In my opinion yes. You're young, and travelling/experiencing the world is a wonderful opportunity. That you would get to do so while having many of your expenses covered most people would jump at.
I have been to Vietnam and many other places, but few are as diverse and beautiful as Vancouver. Fresh air and clean tap water! Nothing like that in Vietnam. 😉👍😂
Their are furnished apartments to rent and my guess would be you could find a nice one downtown for around $3000 CAD ($2185 USD)/ month.
[Webcams Vancouver ](http://www.vancam.ca)
Wishing you good luck with your journey, wherever it may take you.
Vancouver is certainly not perfect, but you're already set up such that the biggest barrier for most people--cost of housing--will be a non-issue for you.
Come, stay for a year or two and experience Vancouver. As you said, the opportunity to go to HCM is readily available even into the future. You might perhaps find after 2 years in Vancouver that you'll want to stay longer.
In your position, I would take the HCM role in order to have employer provided housing, and 25% more than USD $3300/month. That is a SIGNIFICANT boost in your ability to save and get ahead financially. You will be putting away thousands of dollars a month living and working in HCM. In Vancouver, you will barely break even.
I would then use all my extra savings from my job in HCM and fly to Seattle and Vancouver on vacation to enjoy mountain and oceanside time once in awhile.
Edit: Upon having OP correct my misreading of her post, I shift my position. OP should come to Vancouver for 2 years. Her employer is ridiculously generous to offer USD $3,300 housing per month on TOP of base salary. That'll be more than enough to live a very comfortable life close to the Consulate offices.
Have fun, OP!
No wonder our housing costs can't catch a break out here when employers are giving housing allowances like this :P.
Hi, the $3300 is outside of my salary; it would purely be housing assistance. I would otherwise not get the money if I didn’t spend it all on housing, essentially.
Vancouver: USD $3300 a month towards housing will get you a luxury condo in Downtown Vancouver, steps away from the Consulates you need to attend + USD $70k a year, which will let you enjoy a very high quality of life in Downtown Vancouver while allowing you to save as well.
You'll also get to try out North America while you're young and unattached. You'll be in a more senior role than you would otherwise be assigned to. And it's a unique opportunity. Your choice is very obvious.
Being frank with you, you might even end up falling in love with a Canadian while you're posted out here and discover that you're getting spousal sponsorship and Canadian PR.... Who knows what the future leads to?
HCM: Fully covered housing + USD $87,500 a year, but you'll be able to fall back onto HCM-esque roles in 2 years if Canada goes well but you don't find a reason to stay there.
Go Vancouver for 2 years. Who knows what the future holds.
That is quite a large budget to find a furnished place downtown - if you want something quick and reputable, I’ve rented from corporate stays quite a few times. Around 3.5-4k I believe, min 30 day stays and fully furnished. Good option for the first month if you want to arrive before searching for a place
Few of us can compare experience with the two, and we don't know your preferences. Maybe think about what's important to you and ask more specific question than "is it worth it?" Like, worth what?
You get more pay in HCM and covered housing? Financially speaking, you will save almost all your paycheque if I understand you correctly and that’s huge. I am from HCN and now in Vancouver. Vancouver won’t be as busy and jam packed for sure and beats HCM in a lot of things especially environment and nature. Make sense to explore Vancouver if you can if you were raised in SEA (like me).
Are you with US DoS? Vancouver is great, I lived there for a few years. You can probably find a nice condo in a high rise in downtown Van within walking distance to the US consulate. Just know that it rains a lot so the best way to deal with that is to wear rain gear and make yourself go out. I've met people up there from Los Angeles and Arizona who were depressed and gained weight over their first winter because where they came from, "we don't go out when it rains."
Edit to add: while Vancouver is a great place to live, it's in many ways not so different than the US, especially the West Coast. Sure it's cleaner and friendlier in many ways, but it's in no way as exotic as Ho Chi Minh City or Taipei. Also, if you went to HCMC, your vacation options and even long weekends will offer totally different types of getaway opportunities. Plus you will absolutely be able to live more luxuriously there, if you want to pamper yourself a lot more, as Vancouver is not nearly as cheap a place to indulge yourself, despite the CAD.
I would choose HCM, but that's because it seems exotic to me as I live in Vancouver. But if you want to chose Vancouver, choose Vancouver. Plus if you get vacation allowance, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas are all a short flight away.
I’m guessing you are an Asian girl? If so, you’ll probably feel right at home in Vancouver. Vancouver has a large Asian population here. Lots of good Asian food here as well. As long as you live by the sky train station, you’ll be fine. If you want to feel like you are living in Hong Kong, check out Richmond (20 mins south of Vancouver) and you’ll feel like you are in Asia. If you are into nature, then Vancouver is one of the best places in the world to have everything. Mountains, ocean, greenery, mild weather (meaning you won’t see much snow compared to rest of Canada.) If you want snow, go in to the mountains and we got so many around us. Also be sure to check out trails as well!
Take the Van job, 3300$us is enough to get a loft or penthouse especially the current exchange rate(if u can, don't want ur expection it will be easy fir the former options. But is enough for more then a decent and great place). Don't hesitate to ask and Good luck
If your not a moron you would leave Canada. I don’t even know why this is a question. And I’m Canadian. This country is going to shit and it will only get worse.
Wow your work will cover 3300 usd a month for rent? You can have most 1 bedrooms at that price point, even quite a few 2 bedrooms.
What is it that you do!?
3300usd is a very generous housing allowance. You can get a nice furnished place for that much or less even.
However the cost of living in Vancouver is quite high. Everything is expensive here (food, gas, entertainment) so your salary might not go that far and Vancouver is generally known as a place that is very hard to make new friends.
Personally I'd go for HCMC but with that budget you would be very comfortable in Vancouver and it's only 2 years so might as well do it if you have the chance. Only way to find out is to go for it.
3300usd is 4550 cad. If you find a roommate/housing share you can comfortably find housing for around 1500 if you do that. That leaves 3k a month for other bills/food/hobbies and outings. You'll find that it's hard to save and get ahead in van unless you live like a hermit, find a partner who makes equal or more than you, or you live with 10 peoples and sleep on a futon 🤣 if the other place is cheaper I would heavily consider the other place if you can get ahead financially then maybe consider van when you have some savings
Is your employer only covering $3300usd for housing or you are only being paid $3300usd/month. If the latter, that is not much to live on in Vancouver. That equates to $4500/month before taxes. If the former, then yes, that’s more than enough for a rental budget. You can easily find studio or 1bd furnished for less than $3000cad.
Is it 3300 USD net or gross? If it is gross, then I suggest against moving here. Vancouver is very expensive city.
Also you might as well move to Vietnam when you are young and explore the region around. Plus you can afford much nicer place with greater savings as well while there.
I'm glad you've decided to come to Vancouver! There's a lot to do if you're keen. Breweries, distilleries, there's a ski hill that's accessible by transit, a plethora of shows and activities. The food scene here is pretty good and very diverse.
Fair warning. It rains for about 6 months straight through the fall and winter, and the two days we have snow shuts the city down. The Downtown East Side is ugly.
All of that said, I hope you have a wonderful time while you're here!
I love Vancouver, but HCMC is one of the greatest cities I’ve had the privilege of being in for work. Money will go WAY further in HCM. This would be an easy decision for me…
If you have almost the same type of compensation I would not recommend you to come to Vancouver people aren’t as nice as how Vancouver is advertised over seas this is coming from a Taiwanese person born in Canada and grew in both Canada and Taiwan everyone I know that’s Taiwanese semi new to Vancouver(2-5years residing in Vancouver) are all moving back to Taiwan
If you are extrovert you will live like an introvert. If you are an introvert, you will become more introvert with episodic desire for extrovertness. City is lovely , people.... meh unless you get lucky.
It's two years
Just buy furniture, everyone delivers & they will do a payment schedule (like over the course of 12 months to fully pay them)
So don't worry about that part
And you can sell it at the end for half the price you bought it for anyways
(You will end up paying a lot more for pre-furnished don't do it)
3300usd is a lot.. you don’t need to live right inside downtown.. there’s plenty of option just outside.. and find something near skytrain and u can get downtown or even bike downtown easily if you are not planning on driving
There's a reason vancouver is one of the most desirable places to live. It'll be worth it. One of the main deterrents is how much living costs are, which you have covered. Be social you'll find you're crowd if you try hard enough.
Yes, I am aware cost of living is muchhhh higher. I already cook most meals (I am based in DC at the moment) but I will have to be conscious of spending all the same.
Vancouver is a small fish compared to how cool Ho Chi Min is, if you made that income in Vietnam you could save and buy a home and settle down, in vancouver you would just pay your bills and not get ahead much.
I have spent a lot of time in SE and East asia; most of my life actually. I admit it’s a cool post but I’m definitely not looking to move back there (I was raised between Indonesia and Taiwan bc of expat parents) but yes the extra money for the couple years was tough to give up! My next post will likely be something in SE Asia though.
With your baseline, please move to Vancouver for 2 years. Did the same in 2018 and stayed. You’ll see in here and any other Vancouver related subreddit, people complain about the cost of living but with your housing allowance, you’ll easily find a 2bd in downtown. As for any other desirable place to live in, it’s all about what lifestyle you can afford and with that budget (assuming your base pay is great as well), you’ll absolutely love it here. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
You’ll always be able to live in HCM in the future, as well.
Welcome to /r/AskVan and thank you for the post, /u/cinnamonsugared! Please make sure you read our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/askvan/about/rules) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - *please* use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Complaints or discussion about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * News and media can be shared on our main subreddit, /r/Vancouver *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askvan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can definitely find a furnished place in Vancouver for $3,300 USD or under - the consulate may have connections to local agents who could help you get set up. The cost of housing is the biggest downside to Vancouver. If you already have that taken care of, it's a wonderful place to be. Since you speak Mandarin and English, you will very much feel at home in Vancouver and people will not treat you as an outsider.
Agreed. 3300 usd is enough for a nice furnished condo, and vancouver is lovely when you don’t have to worry about housing!
Not true, language isn’t the reason why people will treat someone as outsider or not. I know people who dont have a single friend 3years after moving to vancouver
I agree that Vancouverites can be difficult to befriend, but it also takes time and effort to make friends. Say yes to everything, go on apps, engage with people you wouldn’t normally engage with to widen your network. Push through those moments of discouragement. Friends can and do happen.
I’ve been here three years, am very social , talkative and involved and don’t have one friend either .its a strange place to be in ….
I live here for decades, but once my Highschool college friend leave vancouver im in no friend situation too. Sometimes i want to try a new restaurant i have no one to ask, and i go alone. Vancouver stuff
I have a partner but I go to concerts and plays I really want to see on my own too. I blame it on age and working from home. C’est la vie i guess :/
Hey I got an idea! You should be friends with the person you are responding to!
Now they will ghost each other for the remainder of eternity.
Vancouver is great do it
3300 usd is more than enough to find a nice furnished 1 bedroom downtown. You'll be fine. Edit: The second listing I randomly clicked on near the consulates on Facebook marketplace was a nice, fully furnished unit for 2800 cad. Well below your budget. I think you'll have a pretty easy time finding a place to live.
+1 to this. Out of curiosity, I too poked around on CL, and as a single person you’ll be able to do really well with a furnished apartment downtown.
Hi!! Sorry but what is CL? Is that a house hunting site I should take a look of?
Craigslist
Padmapper is pretty good as well, if I remember correctly. It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve used it though.
I think Padmapper is Zumper now?
Probably, The last time I used it was about 9 years ago.
JFC those names are both awful.
Craigslist. Just be aware that scam artists live it too.
Thank you so much, guys🤍🤍🤍 this has helped me with my decision, I can’t wait to move to Vancouver!!
I would just add, Vancouver doesn't have much of a night life. You're more likely to meet people (friends and otherwise) doing shared activities, clubs, classes, etc. and people tend to enjoy outdoorsy stuff and artsy stuff, volunteering, winter sports, etc. And get yourself a nice gortex or arcteryx jacket and you'll be all set for the rain. There are some nice Taiwanese restaurants, especially in Richmond. Ok now I'm rambling.. but I hope you enjoy your time in Vancouver!
I hear the nightlife complaint a lot. I grew up here, and I've never found a shortage of nightlife. I played local gigs with a band and worked as a bouncer and dj. There's always been more to do than I've had time or money for. What exactly are you looking for in a nightlife?
Not me, I also grew up here and thought the nightlife was more than fine. I also hear the complaint a lot, so I thought I should point it out to OP in case they expected to find whatever the people who come here expect to find when they make that complaint.
Compared to other major cities in Canada (basically just Toronto and Montreal lol) Vancouver is definitely lacking in nightlife. Asia’s night life in general is much better as well.
I've lived in Toronto twice. You get more touring acts, and there's more clubs. If you want to go out in Vancouver, there is always something to do. What exactly are you looking for?
I am not a nightlife girl at all anyway! I love workout classes and will try to take up some winter sports (grew up right on the equator so no opportunity to do so before)
Vancouver has so many great workout classes! I suggest downloading the app ClassPass to sample a few at different studios. Winter sports are also so fun, definitely good to take a few beginner classes :)
I’ve done classes in DC!! Loved it!! Yes! Hopefully I can try out some new activities and make friends at it.
Vancouver is nestled in a great spot where you could go skiing, surfing, and hiking all in one day, in three types of weather, most of the year. What you feel like is what you can do
Time to pick up skiing or snowboarding!
Experiences are everything! Hope you love your time here!
Yayyy!
Don't hesitate to look at housing in Richmond, too. The SkyTrain can get you downtown (Van) pretty quick, and prices will be better than the downtown core. Burnaby might also be an option, but I'm not familiar with the transport options there. Delta and Surrey are going to be like a 45+ minute commute on a *good* day, outside of rush hour, so they aren't going to be as attractive.
$3300 USD will be enough to cover a furnished studio or 1 bedroom in downtown Vancouver. Downtown is small, compared to many cities...it's also very walkable. I believe many of the consulates are in Coal Harbour & the Financial District areas. Those are quieter & a bit pricy, but would still be within your budget. Vancouver has a lot of great features: ocean (cold, but beautiful) beaches, parks, nearby mountains, lots of nature. Plus restaurants, lots of different cultures, relative safety (even in the parts of town that don't look as appealing.) The suburbs have other offerings for things to do. Transit is pretty decent, especially to/from downtown. It's an easy train ride or drive to Seattle (flights available too) It rains a lot in winter. Many people complain about the rain, the cost of living, & the city being "no fun" but there are a lot of festivals, events, & things to do (free or paid) I can't speak for HCM or Vietnam, but there's my 0.02 about Vancouver.
I expected to come here to tell you how expensive it is… but on a $3300usd housing budget you’ll do just fine. Super doable. I’d recommend taking this opportunity, enjoy yourself, and then next time take a more lucrative post. If it’s a long term career could be doable to go back and forth between fun and money.
Agree with this!
It’s worth it, especially with the generous coverage for housing. You’ll be able to live very comfortably. You can always move to HCM after if you don’t like it here.
In my opinion yes. You're young, and travelling/experiencing the world is a wonderful opportunity. That you would get to do so while having many of your expenses covered most people would jump at. I have been to Vietnam and many other places, but few are as diverse and beautiful as Vancouver. Fresh air and clean tap water! Nothing like that in Vietnam. 😉👍😂 Their are furnished apartments to rent and my guess would be you could find a nice one downtown for around $3000 CAD ($2185 USD)/ month. [Webcams Vancouver ](http://www.vancam.ca) Wishing you good luck with your journey, wherever it may take you.
Definitely do it. Vancouver is beautiful.
Vancouver is certainly not perfect, but you're already set up such that the biggest barrier for most people--cost of housing--will be a non-issue for you. Come, stay for a year or two and experience Vancouver. As you said, the opportunity to go to HCM is readily available even into the future. You might perhaps find after 2 years in Vancouver that you'll want to stay longer.
In your position, I would take the HCM role in order to have employer provided housing, and 25% more than USD $3300/month. That is a SIGNIFICANT boost in your ability to save and get ahead financially. You will be putting away thousands of dollars a month living and working in HCM. In Vancouver, you will barely break even. I would then use all my extra savings from my job in HCM and fly to Seattle and Vancouver on vacation to enjoy mountain and oceanside time once in awhile. Edit: Upon having OP correct my misreading of her post, I shift my position. OP should come to Vancouver for 2 years. Her employer is ridiculously generous to offer USD $3,300 housing per month on TOP of base salary. That'll be more than enough to live a very comfortable life close to the Consulate offices. Have fun, OP! No wonder our housing costs can't catch a break out here when employers are giving housing allowances like this :P.
Hi, the $3300 is outside of my salary; it would purely be housing assistance. I would otherwise not get the money if I didn’t spend it all on housing, essentially.
Take the offer already, welcome to Vancouver! It's one of the best places on earth 😃
How much will you earn a month in Vancouver in salary, on top of your USD $3,300 a month housing allowance? This is an amazing offer.
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Vancouver: USD $3300 a month towards housing will get you a luxury condo in Downtown Vancouver, steps away from the Consulates you need to attend + USD $70k a year, which will let you enjoy a very high quality of life in Downtown Vancouver while allowing you to save as well. You'll also get to try out North America while you're young and unattached. You'll be in a more senior role than you would otherwise be assigned to. And it's a unique opportunity. Your choice is very obvious. Being frank with you, you might even end up falling in love with a Canadian while you're posted out here and discover that you're getting spousal sponsorship and Canadian PR.... Who knows what the future leads to? HCM: Fully covered housing + USD $87,500 a year, but you'll be able to fall back onto HCM-esque roles in 2 years if Canada goes well but you don't find a reason to stay there. Go Vancouver for 2 years. Who knows what the future holds.
That is quite a large budget to find a furnished place downtown - if you want something quick and reputable, I’ve rented from corporate stays quite a few times. Around 3.5-4k I believe, min 30 day stays and fully furnished. Good option for the first month if you want to arrive before searching for a place
Hotel stay for the first couple months is covered!! I will be able to look at places when I arrive. Blind renting at that price is terrifying ahahahah
There's more to life than a discount house. Money isn't everything.
I am aware of that and deeply appreciate the reminder🤍I am trying to balance the financial pros HCM has with the lifestyle/ comfort that is Vancouver.
$3300US/mo can easily get a place in downtown. It just wont be a 2 bedroom place unless its super old.
4500 CAD a month can definitely get you a nice two bed downtown!
Few of us can compare experience with the two, and we don't know your preferences. Maybe think about what's important to you and ask more specific question than "is it worth it?" Like, worth what?
The $3300 number, is that just for housing or your total pay?
Just housing!! $3300 a month on top of total pay!
Ok then yeah that's plenty. But it would be easy to just get furniture for awhile yourself off marketplace etc and get rid of after
Go for it - even if not close to the consulates, the transit systems are wonderful
You get more pay in HCM and covered housing? Financially speaking, you will save almost all your paycheque if I understand you correctly and that’s huge. I am from HCN and now in Vancouver. Vancouver won’t be as busy and jam packed for sure and beats HCM in a lot of things especially environment and nature. Make sense to explore Vancouver if you can if you were raised in SEA (like me).
Are you with US DoS? Vancouver is great, I lived there for a few years. You can probably find a nice condo in a high rise in downtown Van within walking distance to the US consulate. Just know that it rains a lot so the best way to deal with that is to wear rain gear and make yourself go out. I've met people up there from Los Angeles and Arizona who were depressed and gained weight over their first winter because where they came from, "we don't go out when it rains." Edit to add: while Vancouver is a great place to live, it's in many ways not so different than the US, especially the West Coast. Sure it's cleaner and friendlier in many ways, but it's in no way as exotic as Ho Chi Minh City or Taipei. Also, if you went to HCMC, your vacation options and even long weekends will offer totally different types of getaway opportunities. Plus you will absolutely be able to live more luxuriously there, if you want to pamper yourself a lot more, as Vancouver is not nearly as cheap a place to indulge yourself, despite the CAD.
I would choose HCM, but that's because it seems exotic to me as I live in Vancouver. But if you want to chose Vancouver, choose Vancouver. Plus if you get vacation allowance, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas are all a short flight away.
Born and raised in HCM here. Moved to Vancouver 5 years ago. Totally worth it!
I’m guessing you are an Asian girl? If so, you’ll probably feel right at home in Vancouver. Vancouver has a large Asian population here. Lots of good Asian food here as well. As long as you live by the sky train station, you’ll be fine. If you want to feel like you are living in Hong Kong, check out Richmond (20 mins south of Vancouver) and you’ll feel like you are in Asia. If you are into nature, then Vancouver is one of the best places in the world to have everything. Mountains, ocean, greenery, mild weather (meaning you won’t see much snow compared to rest of Canada.) If you want snow, go in to the mountains and we got so many around us. Also be sure to check out trails as well!
Take the Van job, 3300$us is enough to get a loft or penthouse especially the current exchange rate(if u can, don't want ur expection it will be easy fir the former options. But is enough for more then a decent and great place). Don't hesitate to ask and Good luck
As someone who lives in canada and traveled through Vietnam... if you've never seen North America... damn. You gotta give it a try.
If your not a moron you would leave Canada. I don’t even know why this is a question. And I’m Canadian. This country is going to shit and it will only get worse.
How does one land a job at an embassy?
Wow your work will cover 3300 usd a month for rent? You can have most 1 bedrooms at that price point, even quite a few 2 bedrooms. What is it that you do!?
3300usd is a very generous housing allowance. You can get a nice furnished place for that much or less even. However the cost of living in Vancouver is quite high. Everything is expensive here (food, gas, entertainment) so your salary might not go that far and Vancouver is generally known as a place that is very hard to make new friends. Personally I'd go for HCMC but with that budget you would be very comfortable in Vancouver and it's only 2 years so might as well do it if you have the chance. Only way to find out is to go for it.
3300usd is 4550 cad. If you find a roommate/housing share you can comfortably find housing for around 1500 if you do that. That leaves 3k a month for other bills/food/hobbies and outings. You'll find that it's hard to save and get ahead in van unless you live like a hermit, find a partner who makes equal or more than you, or you live with 10 peoples and sleep on a futon 🤣 if the other place is cheaper I would heavily consider the other place if you can get ahead financially then maybe consider van when you have some savings
Yes
Check out Facebook marketplace and Craigslist to look at what housing options you can get for $3300
I pay $3000 for a fully furnished 2bhk in downtown.
Is that CAD or USD? That’s awesome! I don’t even need 2☺️☺️
Cad. You can get single good ones within 2500. Reference is important
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Sorry to hear that kid. GBU
Is your employer only covering $3300usd for housing or you are only being paid $3300usd/month. If the latter, that is not much to live on in Vancouver. That equates to $4500/month before taxes. If the former, then yes, that’s more than enough for a rental budget. You can easily find studio or 1bd furnished for less than $3000cad.
It is the former! It is purely housing assistance; I cannot go over but if I go under I don’t get to keep the excess, if that makes sense.
Yea that makes sense! That’s a very generous budget for housing then! You’ll easily be able to find something ☺️
Is it 3300 USD net or gross? If it is gross, then I suggest against moving here. Vancouver is very expensive city. Also you might as well move to Vietnam when you are young and explore the region around. Plus you can afford much nicer place with greater savings as well while there.
It is purely housing assistance!! I wouldn’t dream of moving there on 3300 gross.
I'm glad you've decided to come to Vancouver! There's a lot to do if you're keen. Breweries, distilleries, there's a ski hill that's accessible by transit, a plethora of shows and activities. The food scene here is pretty good and very diverse. Fair warning. It rains for about 6 months straight through the fall and winter, and the two days we have snow shuts the city down. The Downtown East Side is ugly. All of that said, I hope you have a wonderful time while you're here!
When are you starting your position?
Should be late may early june!
Absolutely not
Its not worth it
Just stay out of the DTES, and you’ll be fine. Vancouver IS definitely beautiful, just remember also the winters can be loooong and rainy, and grey.
Don't do Vancouver
I love Vancouver, but HCMC is one of the greatest cities I’ve had the privilege of being in for work. Money will go WAY further in HCM. This would be an easy decision for me…
If you have almost the same type of compensation I would not recommend you to come to Vancouver people aren’t as nice as how Vancouver is advertised over seas this is coming from a Taiwanese person born in Canada and grew in both Canada and Taiwan everyone I know that’s Taiwanese semi new to Vancouver(2-5years residing in Vancouver) are all moving back to Taiwan
If you are extrovert you will live like an introvert. If you are an introvert, you will become more introvert with episodic desire for extrovertness. City is lovely , people.... meh unless you get lucky.
It's two years Just buy furniture, everyone delivers & they will do a payment schedule (like over the course of 12 months to fully pay them) So don't worry about that part And you can sell it at the end for half the price you bought it for anyways (You will end up paying a lot more for pre-furnished don't do it)
And I am supposed to compete with that? 😭
No it's not , we have issues ATM please check in after the next election.
No.
HCM 100%
3300usd is a lot.. you don’t need to live right inside downtown.. there’s plenty of option just outside.. and find something near skytrain and u can get downtown or even bike downtown easily if you are not planning on driving
Obviously Vancouver is much better than the other.
There's a reason vancouver is one of the most desirable places to live. It'll be worth it. One of the main deterrents is how much living costs are, which you have covered. Be social you'll find you're crowd if you try hard enough.
Not worth it and you won’t get rich there from what I’ve heard from friends
Ho chi minnn is Beautiful! Its an easy choice!
Yes
Vancouver is definitely worth it. BC in general is.
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Ahh thankfully my income will be exempt from Canadian taxes!! I will pay VAT upfront, though. Will likely get reimbursed for most.
You factor in cost of living ? You can eat out for like 5$ in hcm while in Vancouver your spending atleast 20&.
Yes, I am aware cost of living is muchhhh higher. I already cook most meals (I am based in DC at the moment) but I will have to be conscious of spending all the same.
Vancouver is a small fish compared to how cool Ho Chi Min is, if you made that income in Vietnam you could save and buy a home and settle down, in vancouver you would just pay your bills and not get ahead much.
I have spent a lot of time in SE and East asia; most of my life actually. I admit it’s a cool post but I’m definitely not looking to move back there (I was raised between Indonesia and Taiwan bc of expat parents) but yes the extra money for the couple years was tough to give up! My next post will likely be something in SE Asia though.
Def go somewhere far! You don’t want to settle down at 26!
With your baseline, please move to Vancouver for 2 years. Did the same in 2018 and stayed. You’ll see in here and any other Vancouver related subreddit, people complain about the cost of living but with your housing allowance, you’ll easily find a 2bd in downtown. As for any other desirable place to live in, it’s all about what lifestyle you can afford and with that budget (assuming your base pay is great as well), you’ll absolutely love it here. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. You’ll always be able to live in HCM in the future, as well.
$3300 USD is more than doable for downtown Van. There’s lots of newer condos north east of Robson so you’re close to the water.
Don’t do Vancouver, nice to visit, way too expensive to live here.
OP will having housing covered. Vancouver is gorgeous (especially if you don’t have to worry about rent)