The cost of living on Salt Spring Island

It's taken me a bit longer than I thought to get to this next entry. Been too busy unpacking, painting and getting the new marketing on track.

One of the things I've been working on is my 'Salt Spring Island Buyer's Guide', which I have finally almost finished. It's about 34 pages, and contains loads of helpful information about Salt Spring Island, and the real estate market here. Some of the stuff I've included is a pull-out map, Salt Spring Island real estate market statistics, island history, amenities, and a run down of the buying process in BC. I'm offering them up for free to anyone who thinks it might be useful to them. If you're interested in receiving one, just contact me today and I'll be happy to send one to you, again, free of charge or commitment. The first ones should be printed next week.

I promised to give a run down of the cost differences I have found between Salt Spring and Vancouver. Now, granted I am coming from one of the most expensive cities in North America, but I am still rather surprised at how much less expensive it seems to live over here, when island's are traditionally more affluent areas.

On Salt Spring, houses are much cheaper to buy (this alone makes the island more affordable that Vancouver), but more expensive to build (due to the added transport needed for supplies, and labour shortages from time to time). Gas is more expensive, but car insurance is much cheaper (due to the lowered chance of accidents) and parking is free almost everywhere. Most groceries are the roughly the same price as anywhere, although specialty foods are more pricey, mostly due to lack of demand.

All and all, we're finding the bottom line for living expenses to be lower than what we dealt with in Vancouver. Which is sure a relief for two people who thought paradise would cost an arm and a leg.

All the best - N

New to the Island, again

My husband and I moved into our new Salt Spring home just a week and a half ago, and we are completely adoring island life. Everyone is so cheerful, and it seems everywhere we go, whether the supermarket or a paint store, we're getting just amazing service. Yesterday we bought a large quantity of paint and painting supplies, and the salesman started us an account (not even asking for ID), saying he'd bill us at the end of the month. We walked away with several hundred dollars of product, leaving nothing but our phone number! The level of community and trust is just astounding me after ten years in Vancouver.

Another surprise for us was how many services there are available here. I knew the island had grown up quite a bit over the time I was away, but I had no idea how extensive the amenities had become. My father once went an entire year without ever leaving the island - it was a talked about feat then, but I think that would be quite easy to achieve now.

The Salt Spring real estate market has surprised me too. Despite the increase in property values over the last ten years, there are still a number of affordable homes here. Granted, the homes are all incredibly affordable compared to Vancouver prices, but there are a reasonable selection of starter homes, town homes and inexpensive building lots available. If you're interested in taking a look, be sure to go to my contact page and I can set you up with listing updates.

My next entry is going to be taking a look at the actual differences in the costs of living here as compared to Vancouver. Some things are much cheaper here (or free, in the case of parking), and some things are quite a bit more pricey. I'll take a good look at it in the next few days.

Until then, have fun and enjoy the sunshine. - N