What is the cost of living in Vancouver, Canada?

Many Canadians feel that it is getting hotter and hotter in summer, especially in southern cities like Toronto. There are more and more days when the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius in summer. Even at night, the hot air is hard to disperse, making it difficult for people to sleep. Of course, installing air conditioning is one way, but it is expensive, and not every house is suitable for installation (power problems or technical difficulties in installation). In fact, as long as you pay attention to it or improve it from some small places, you may be able to make your house cooler without spending a lot of money. It only takes more than half an hour to get to the American border from Vancouver all the way south, which is similar to the time to drive from the west of Vancouver to the east. At the border customs, you can always see long queues. Many early Canadian immigrants can't help asking: Why do so many Vancouver people always enter and leave the United States? It turns out that these people go to America just to buy cheap things. The United States has developed economies of scale and low cost, and the average price is 30% cheaper than Vancouver.

According to experts, according to a well-known consulting company published in July this year? 20 14 global ranking of urban living costs? Vancouver became the most expensive city in Canada for the second year in a row, surpassing Toronto and Montreal, the first and second largest cities.

Vancouver, located on the west coast of Canada, has a mild climate and beautiful environment and has been listed for many years? The most suitable city for human habitation? , is it? Garden city? Every year, with a population of more than 30,000, a considerable number of immigrants take a large sum of money to buy luxury houses, cars and luxury goods, which causes the prices, house prices and living costs in Qi Fei to rise year after year.

Vancouver's housing prices have been the highest in North America for many years, leaving behind famous American cities such as Los Angeles and new york, because rich people all over the world want to own their own houses here. It is reported that/kloc-40% of luxury houses with a price of more than C $0/0 million were bought by foreigners or foreigners.

The high housing price brings about that the rent price also exceeds that of other cities in China. According to a document published by a Canadian website in July this year, the average monthly rent for renting a three-bedroom apartment in downtown Vancouver is as high as 3,052 Canadian dollars, while renting a similar house in downtown Toronto costs 2,629 Canadian dollars.

Another result of soaring housing prices is the increase of local taxes, because local taxes are calculated according to the annual adjusted valuation of houses. Living in a house in the west end of Vancouver, the annual land tax is more than 1 1000 Canadian dollars, plus the house insurance and the maintenance fee of the security alarm system, the daily cost of maintaining this house alone is more than 14000 Canadian dollars a year.

Bread is the pillar of life. Canadian food prices may not be expensive in the eyes of China people, but they are still much higher than in the past or other cities in China. When I go to a restaurant with my friends for several times, I always hear their complaints and sighs. The price of vegetables is rising year by year, especially the seafood that Chinese people prefer, which is several times higher than that of five years ago.

Vancouver's gasoline is basically the most expensive in North America, about 0.2 Canadian dollars per liter more expensive than Toronto's. No wonder Vancouver people never forget to fill up their car tanks and come back when they go shopping in American border towns. According to friends who often shop in the United States, the prices of gasoline and food in Vancouver are generally about 30% higher than those in the United States. No wonder many families in Vancouver use weekends to cross the American border for shopping and come back with big bags and small bags. Parking fees in downtown Vancouver are also insanely high, usually 6 to 8 Canadian dollars per hour, and between 25 and 36 Canadian dollars for a stop.

Other expenses are not low. The Vancouver Sun published a long report in July 19, saying that the cost of day care in Vancouver nurseries is the highest in the country, but it is more expensive than that in universities. The tuition and fees of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver for four years add up to 3 1 000 Canadian dollars, while the cost of a good nursery in Vancouver for four years actually exceeds 50,000 Canadian dollars, and the cost of baby care for 1 year-old is as high as 2,000 Canadian dollars per month. Some mothers have to quit their jobs to take care of their children at home, or simply let their 4 or 5-year-old children play at home.

With such a high cost, the income must be among the best in the country, right? Not exactly. The average income of Vancouver residents hovers around 20% year after year. According to the statistics at the end of 20 12, the per capita income of Vancouver residents in that year was 309 17 Canadian dollars, while the per capita annual income of Toronto in the same period was 32,900 Canadian dollars. The top five cities with the highest income are all in Alberta, another province in the west, because it is rich in oil.

1. Pay attention to the color of the roof: the ability of the roof to reflect sunlight is very important. According to the research report of Florida Solar Center, the color of the roof is an important factor in reflecting sunlight. For the same roofing material (such as asphalt shingles or EPDM), different colors have different reflective abilities to sunlight. For example, black materials can only reflect about 5% of sunlight, while white materials can reflect up to 25? 75%, a difference of 5? 15 times. So when you want to change the roof material, you'd better choose some lighter materials (such as white or gray).

2. Is there sufficient insulation? Check whether the insulation materials in the attic of the roof are sufficient. The thickness is preferably about 14 inch or more (the thickness of new paper building insulation materials is generally about 14 inch or more). The role of thermal insulation materials is to prevent the loss of heating in winter and prevent sunlight and outdoor heat from entering the house in summer. Many old houses have insufficient thermal insulation materials or uneven distribution. Strengthening the thermal insulation material in the house is the cheapest way to reduce the indoor temperature.

3. Strengthen the ventilation system of the roof attic: Because the heat of the sun will accumulate in the roof attic in summer, if the heat cannot be discharged as soon as possible, there is a chance to penetrate into the house. It is best to use automatic (adding fans) or natural means (adding more exhaust ports) to discharge heat as soon as possible.

4. When building a house, consider installing HRV (heating recovery adventure system) system. Because this system will regularly exhaust indoor hot air and inhale outdoor fresh air. So when it is hot in summer, starting this system can make the room cooler.

5. Strengthen indoor air flow: For example, many forced air combustion systems will have a design to control the fan, so that the fan can choose automatic or manual. What if we choose? Start right away? At this time, the fan will start to operate, driving the air flow in the whole room, which is equivalent to a central fan blowing through the whole room, and the indoor air circulation will be smoother. Or open the windows in the north-south direction of the house to increase the chances of wind entering the house, thus reducing the indoor temperature.

6. In the south or west outdoors, if the environment permits, a variety of trees can isolate or filter the heat of the sun, and the house will naturally be cooler.

7. Appropriate curtains or reflective glass can also isolate or filter the heat of sunlight. Consulting relevant experts can give you a satisfactory answer.

8. If there is a skylight at home, it needs to be replaced recently, and it is best to replace it with an openable skylight. Because in a hot house, the roof is the easiest place to accumulate heat, and the skylight that can be opened is the best outlet for directly discharging hot air.