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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

neighbourhoods vancouver

    Best areas and neighbourhoods to live in Vancouver BC

    Top 5 Neighbourhoods to Live in Vancouver, BC

    by Nick & Raychel January 12, 2021

    After doing both a blog post and video on moving to Vancouver, BC, we received a lot of questions regarding “where is the best place to live in Vancouver?”. Since moving to Vancouver in 2008, I have lived in a few different apartments, shopped around a lot and now we’ll be breaking down the neighbourhoods in Vancouver BC and the best places to live in Vancouver.

    Find our YouTube video on the topic here!

    Mount Pleasant

    Mount Pleasant is one of the most colourful and interesting neighbourhoods to live in Vancouver. First, a little geography lesson: Main Street is the divide between East Vancouver and West Vancouver. Right at Main and Broadway lives an energetic intersection with lots of different, super cool, hip, and local shops.

    Around and beyond this intersection has a name, and this name is Mount Pleasant. Let’s paint a picture: coffee shops, breweries, bookstores, vintage clothing stores. If you’re looking to pick up some concert tickets, you’ll likely be hopping off at the Main Street bus stop. This area has a trendy and creative energy, which draws people (predominantly young professionals and first time homeowners) from all over Vancouver and beyond to hang out. 

    Best areas to live in Vancouver - Mount Pleasant

    Another great part about the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood in Vancouver is that there is a stop for the 99 B-Line, which is a speedy bus with limited stops – and anyone from Vancouver would tell you – If there’s a 99 B-Line stop near your house, that’s a huge advantage. 

    Another perk about Mount Pleasant? All of the great parks! There is a nice little skate spot called the Mount Pleasant Skate Park, there are community gardens, and this area is also home to Vancouver’s classic Dude Chilling Park – where we also park our converted ambulance when visiting the city. 

    South Granville

    If we were to move to Vancouver all over again, we would definitely consider moving to the neighbourhood of South Granville. 

    If you’ve done some research on Vancouver, you’ve probably heard of Granville Street, because Granville Street is a main street that runs North-South all the way through the centre of Vancouver, passing through a whole whack of different areas. North Granville Street would technically be Downtown, but you’ll never hear a local calling it that – instead, just “Granville Street” or “Downtown”. So if you hear someone talking about going to the club and getting late night poutine, they’re likely talking about the North End of Granville.

    Vancouver Neighbourhoods to live in - South Granville

    However, just over the Granville Street Bridge is Granville Island and then this area called South Granville, which is home to a wide variety of cute local shops. Here, you’ll find cute cafes, street art, florists, fashion boutiques and other local gems. The further South you go, it gets a little more calm and residential. 

    But the aesthetic isn’t the only thing drawing us to this neighbourhood. If you pop down to Broadway and Granville – voila, another 99 B-Line stop! And surprisingly, this area can be oddly affordable to live in if you wait it out for the right apartment. 

    Downtown West End 

    The Downtown West End is a lovely neighbourhood in Vancouver’s Downtown right next to Stanley Park and on Vancouver’s iconic seawall. 

    best areas to live vancouver - english bay

    Like many other cities, Vancouver’s Downtown has different pockets. The pocket that we’d look at when considering neighbourhoods to move to in Vancouver is this little slice of paradise near English Bay, Vancouver’s main Downtown beach. Oddly enough, hanging out around English Bay brings us back to our time living in Australia at Bondi Beach – palm trees, beachfront shops, fresh tacos, pizza by the slice, a little bit of clubbing. English Bay is also home to Vancouver’s Celebration of Light (fireworks festival) and the annual LGBTQ+ pride parade.

    One of the best parts about the Downtown West End is that it’s surprisingly affordable when you consider the views and lifestyle you get living right downtown. It really is lush!

    Hastings-Sunrise 

    This is a neighbourhood in Vancouver worth mentioning, especially now as it grows. Plenty of newcomers and Vancouverites alike are flocking to the Hastings-Sunrise area to take advantage of the affordability and authentic energy. Here, you’ll find some of East Vancouver’s most affordable happy hours and funky restaurants. 

    neighbourhoods in vancouver bc - hastings sunrise

    Now, for another geography lesson: Hastings-Sunrise is in Vancouver’s northeast corner, right near the PNE. So moving here means you’re not going to be near Broadway or a Canada Line Station – i.e. if you’re going to UBC, we do not recommend living here. That said, if you’re studying or working downtown but you’re looking for something a little easier on the wallet, this is the place to be. Hastings-Sunrise is one short bus ride away from Vancouver’s bustling downtown core. 

    It is packed with Asian markets, funky bars, diverse cuisines and some of Vancouver’s best kept secrets. 

    The Drive

    Ahh – Commercial Drive, one of Vancouver’s most iconic neighbourhoods – and yes, it’s making our list for one of the top neighbourhoods to live in Vancouver.

    If you’ve been researching Vancouver, you’ve probably heard of it. If you’ve never heard of it – here’s the gist. The Drive has an undeniable bohemian-new-age-hippie kind of vibe, so if you’re going to go buy your crystals and incense, then this is your place to do it. In addition and more seriously, this is another beautifully diverse area with loads of restaurants, clothing stores, hookah bars, tattoo shops and everything in between. Commercial Drive or “The Drive” has also been named Vancouver’s “Little Italy” because it is the home to Vancouver’s Italian community and culture.

    where to live in vancouver - commercial drive

    On the Northside of Commercial Drive, you’ll find Grandview Park, where there’s never a dull moment, and as you cruise up the Drive toward Broadway, you’ll be amazed by all of the local businesses lining the street. Once you get to Commercial Broadway, you’ll also find a Skytrain station which is a major bonus. 

    Lots of businesses means lots of jobs, so if you’re hoping for a job in the service industry and you’re looking for a good vibe, the Drive is the place to be. 


    Hopefully this gave you a little bit of a snapshot into what areas are best to live in Vancouver. If you have any more questions about Vancouver’s top neighbourhoods, or anything else, please let us know!

    Looking to move to Vancouver? Find our Pros & Cons list here!

     

     

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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  • Every choice comes with sacrifice. We chose to use our money that we work for to travel, and we continue to make that choice every day.

But making that choice means we haven’t been able to do other things that another 30 year old couple would maybe do. We sold our car, all of our things, we don’t have a stable place to live, we haven’t started a family, we don’t own a home.

We work overtime to afford our travels, and we have very little money for anything else. 

And of course, we must acknowledge that we have huge amounts of privilege to even be able to make that choice. Our strong passports allow us to see much of the world, we were born into a country where our currency is valued worldwide, and we always have a friend or family member’s couch to crash on if we need it.

So this post is not meant to complain, rather show: everything comes with a sacrifice - and if you’re considering giving up your stable life for full-time travel, there may be some things you have to leave behind.

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

__

Tags: #notluxe #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #budgettraveltips  #girlslovetravel #travelgram #getoutstayout #livetoexplore #travelblogger #canadiancreator #vancouverblogger #vanlifesociety #vanlifediaries #traveldiaries
  • We’ve lived on 3 continents by travelling slow and working when we end up 🫶🏼

& somehow our travels brought us back to our home city for the summer this year for the first time in 6 YEARS! Damn.

But we’ve said it once and we’ll say it a trillion times, we will do almost a n y t h I n g in the name of travel.

Any questions?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • If you want to live in a van in 2023/2024, here is our roadmap for getting started with van life. 

⇾ Embrace minimalism and downsize your possessions

⇾ Research different van options that fit your lifestyle and budget

⇾ Set a realistic budget for your van purchase or build

⇾ Plan your layout and storage needs

⇾ Learn about solar power and sustainability

⇾ Source materials and supplies for your build - you can learn on YouTube

⇾ Talk to insurance companies and classify your van as a motorhome

⇾ Download iOverlander and create a budget for your travels

⇾ Connect with the van life community and attend meetups

⇾ Hit the road and embrace the freedom of van life 

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • How much I spend in a day living *basically* rent-free in Vancouver 

As many of you know, we live in a van, but we also do housesitting with @trustedhousesitters 

Transit with a compass card is $2.50 which I use frequently - especially to visit my parents who also live in Vancouver 

This day we checked out To Live For Bakery @tolivefor.bakery which I highly, highly recommend to anyone who is cruising through the city and ends up on Nanaimo 

Also popped by @welksonmain for some N/A drinks from  @sobercarpenter & @getgruvi 

And our Trusted Housesitters membership is $11/mo totalling $0.38 for rent per day

& the one day total was $18.23 

Any questions?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe  #vanlifeculture  #traveldiaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vandwelling #discovercanada #vancitylife #bcadventure #canadiancreator #vancouverfoodie #veganfoodie #outdoorsycreator #minimalism #housesitting
  • Things we would have never done if we had listened to ✨ fear ✨(and these are just a few)

• quit our jobs to teach English in Asia
• sold everything we owned (twice) 
• moved to a country we’d never been to before (twice)
• converted an old ambulance into a tiny home with no experience
• drove from Canada to Mexico in our van 
• met up with people from the internet and became best friends 

But mostly, taken a chance on ourselves.

We do our best to not let fear or the opinions of others lead the way. 

Do you have any to add?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • Is van life really cheaper than renting? Van life costs vs. monthly expenses living in an apartment.

Not to mention the average price in Vancouver now is $2,700 - so not sure where we’d find that $1,300 rental anymore.

Any questions about van life?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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