Albertan cities have been very good about planning for future supply. Former Calgary mayor Nenshi explicitly zoned for future housing, which cities like Toronto and Vancouver refuse to do.
Yup, same with Edmonton. Housing prices here have been essentially flat for 15 years despite a steadily growing population, and that’s not an accident but a direct consequence of smart planning.
Don’t Albertan cities simply have more space to sprawl onto? Vancouver is bounded by the river, by mountains, by the other river, by the US border, by the ocean…
It’s a bit of a struggle for Vancouver to sprawl.
Vancouver geography is not that constrained. Land use is just very bad. The classic Vancouver skyline is a surprisingly small area. It’s surrounded by SFH suburbs. The Lower Mainland has tons of strip malls and parking lots due to car culture. It’s not a lack of land, it’s a bad use of land.
- BC Lower mainland: 36,000 km^2. Population 3 million.
- Netherlands: 41,500 km^2. Population 17 million.
- Belgium: 30,500 km^2. Population 11.7 million.
- Switzerland: 41,250 km^2. Population 8.7 million.
These countries are not Hong Kong. They have nature, a mix of big cities and small towns, and lots of low density areas. Switzerland is a famously mountainous region with lots of untouched nature and rural areas.
Compared to Calgary?
ah, I see what you mean now. Yes, Vancouver is MUCH more dense than Calgary. But Calgary isn’t just sprawling, they also deliberately planned for more housing supply throughout the city, including more density. Vancouver and the LM have not implemented such a plan.
I was expecting the rate to be substantially higher, but it’s only marginally higher. A little bit misleading. Also if there’s anywhere that’s shown that supply can try to match demand it’s at least in Alberta, so I suspect the rising housing costs are going to be temporary as more starts get underway. Likely also leading to lower unemployment.
Yeah but how are the news sites going to get clicks if the headline says “Canadians move to Alberta in moderate numbers”.
They make it look worse to get attention.
Despite the abysmal provincial politics, I hope people look at Alberta as a viable option to live a good life affordably. Edmonton and Calgary are about the right size they can offer most services, dining and entertainment options a larger center enjoys. While we might not have the vibrant urban cores of Van, Toronto or Montreal you do have the time to enjoy outdoorsy stuff and leisure.
Anyway, if you are thinking about it, keep on doing the research I think you will be surprised. Condos to SFH are all pretty reasonable in the grand scheme in pretty choice areas. And as much as it feels like I am pricing myself out by promoting 'burta, It makes me even more sad to see so many hopelessly priced out of their own cities with no options. Come on over we would be happy to have you here.
As for keeping up on employment, just like cost of living being cheaper so to is manufacturing opportunities, remote work opportunities etc… I think there is a future for everyone here.
As someone currently hunting rentals in Calgary: single minimum wage earners, even a bit above minimum wage, are quickly losing their future here. If I made less than I do (about 3100) I would find it very difficult to find a place unless I’m rooming with more people than there are bedrooms.
People working remotely on median-level incomes trying to escape the GTA or Metro Vancouver will find it great though.
Sorry buddy meant to get back to you. Yes I can’t argue there is already pressure on lower income earners to survive here. I hope it’s not that case anyone here is priced out, nor having to lower their own living conditions. We need real housing too, not just SFH out in the burbs or luxury condos.
Rental costs in Edmonton rose 11.3 per cent from June 2022 to June 2023, but the city still offers the most affordable housing out of any major city, according to data from Rentals.ca, a large online real estate network.
Prices are rising but it is still the most affordable… Not shocking.
The most shocking thing about moving to alberta was discovering that there’s no rental increase cap.
I’m not renting now, but I imagine a whole bunch of people who snagged a good deal are going to find out in a year when their rent is suddenly bumped up to market rates.
Presumably the rising prices are to at least some extent a side effect of people moving there to take advantage of the relatively low prices.
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