Why is that?
For me, the draw of living in Canada is precisely being far away from their cities. The issue with that is being old and needing health care. Which it seems like canada basically is a crap shoot for and in no rush to try and make it better. I am vastly uninformed on Australia, but the weather is clearly better. For Canucks, Australia is more similar to the US in terms of tropcs to temperate. I would choose Australia based on temperature.
Either way, both are pay to play, and burning more and more every year!
Weather, government (Franco language policies), etc. Iād rather live in Vancouver.
New Canadians are also going to congregate in areas with other people from their countries, who mostly have gone to Toronto and Vancouver
There are certainly other reasons, Iām just spitballing. And Iāve been gone a few years, so cost of living differences might be attracting people from other provinces especially if they can speak a little French
Donāt you wanna be somewhere warm for retirement? Cold weather will make your arthritis worse.
Sorry, but no. This is true of Nova Scotia (but prices have been going up a fair bit recently), but so completely untrue of Vancouver island anywhere remotely close to Victoria. The prices for Vancouver Island are among the highest in Canada, unless your information comes from 30 years ago - I donāt know what you are thinking.
Nice if you like shoveling snow and dealing with freezing rain
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Iām on Vancouver Island right now for Xmas. So sleepy compared to Europe. The food prices? 14 CDN for Olive Oil that is 4 pounds in the Uk. The Kombucha is way better than UK though.
Real Estateāeverything of quality is 1 million dollars plus!
Having lived in Brisbane, Adelaide, Calgary, Kamloops and Victoria, I have lived years in both and been educated in both.
Australia is overpriced too but you can still get decent properties in places such as Cairns or near Perth.
Australia hands down over Canuckistan.
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Sleepy is what many want for retirement! Beats the big cities. But for folks with health concerns and mobility issues, itās kind of the opposite. Bit of a bitch! Victoria is great IF you can pay to play. But even then, the health care disaster in BC is no joke. Based on that alone, itās a hard sell.
Condos 500k+
1 bed apartments, 2k/month.
Seriously out of whack.
Hence why everyone is up in Cowichan our out sooke way. Even dumpy Langford is now expensiveā¦500k condos. Yeeesh!
I lived there for seven years in a house near Quadra Street. The newly wed and nearly dead live there. Fuck, I was bored. Give me the UK where I can lived near the Yorkshire Dales, have plenty of good ales, and go to London a few times a month or Scarborough if I miss the ocean.
Australia has the weather and way better political class, at least in the past. Fuck, Canada needs 1000 Sir Johs.
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You just need more stimulation. Many do. Thatās what big cities are for 
canāt comment on Australia, but for Canada, Victoria is great!
For me, the idea of traffic, homeless, garbage, pollution, noise, light etc is about as much as a turn off as one can have
On those points, the little I know of Australia, I would probably prefer it there haha.
FIFY
I arrived in Vancouver a few days ago, took a taxi from the airport to Canada Place downtown, and then took the new passenger-only ferry from Vancouver downtown to Nanaimo harbour to my parentsā waterfront property. Always love to arrive on that ferry or usually on Harbour Air as it literally is door-to-door service. But this time as I waited for the 930pm ferry in downtown Vancouver and watched the last minute shoppers all over and people congregating to the pubs and restaurants, I felt Vancouver, with its Xmas shopping and staff parties on this weeknight, was still less hectic than UK or French shopping at the very same time. Even Vancouver has a sleepy pulse in my opinion compared with your average mid sized or larger European capital. Overrated X100.
Under rated, you just like busy lol. I hate Vancouver, still better than Nanaimo granted. But I would take say Saanich over any of the city properties around there. But personal preferences etc. I like clean, quite and whatnot. My big complaint there is work. I cannot get things done as fast due to huge wait times (supplies, parts etc). But for life, itās heaven. Only wish we had decent health care, warmer winters and better governance.
I actually like Nanaimo better than Saanich. I lived in Saanich beforeāon Tattersall Rd. Nanaimo has amazing parks and a better harbor. Love boating around more in Nanaimo. And now Victoria has way more of a homeless problem. The downtown smells of rancid piss.
If I ever had to return, Iād probably do Parksville. But itās sleepy as you say.
Iāve been back 4 days, itās great to see family but am already bored on lifestyle.
As my wife perfectly categorized it in her Taiwan bluntnessāāthese people like to overeat and are waiting to die while wearing Patagoniaā
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I used to REALLY love Parksville. Grandparents lived there growing up. Rath Trevor, hell ya.
Too busy now though!
Maybe I think Victoria prices arenāt that bad because Iām comparing prices with Taiwan, Toronto, Vancouver, and Seattle, but I browsed a bit on Zillow over Christmas and it seems reasonable over there.
For example here is a decent corner unit townhouse with your own garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, short drive from Victoria downtown and about 550k USD before negotiation. No driveway so you donāt have to shovel snow when old.
Iām not sure I can find a similar deal in Taiwan for this build quality and environment. Itās bigger and better than the condo I bought in Tamsui.
If your budget is higher like >1m and you want a secluded environment but still close to Victoria, I saw some big ranches further outside of Victoria.
I prefer snowy weather.
Canada seems more accepting of immigration but the lack of jobsā¦ unless I work fully remote and can make money locally somehow in a rural area, might work.
I reveal my background Canada will just tell me Iām not welcome. Their law is zero tolerance, even minor convictions is a bar.
I might try Australia, I explain my situation they MIGHT let me in, or theyāll just say Iām not welcome. Theyāre cutting immigration numbers, so even if that wasnāt an issue, Iām not sure how Iād get in. But on the upside there might be more jobs.
Australia because its a first world country, Canada isnt really. Australia is also safer generally and much free-er.
Cairns has gone up quite a bit, I think more remote workers, plus other cashed up retirees.
Canada allows recreational marijuana use and Australia doesnāt, so I donāt see how Australia is more free.
Also look at how Australia treated resident non citizens during Covid and denied non citizen residents from going back to Australia. I wouldnāt want to be stuck outside my country of residence for so long if I was retired there.
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