BC resident salary

[SEAL]

Can someone from BC shed some light on whether they find their salary as a resident adequate or not ? My understanding is that living in BC is expensive, but looking at the resident salaries in other provinces they are all higher than BC except for Quebec. If I am planning to start a family (getting married but not kids), do you think this would be a problem ?

[medisforme]

I am married, two kids and a mortgage and the salary is definitely no where near enough (my partner is currently not working due to medical illness).  I am continuing to use my LOC to make ends meet.  It is actually an extremely stressful way to live.  Counting the days until residency is done.

My co-residents who are single, renting an apartment, have little problems making ends meet.

 

ps.

I am at a regional site, not Vancouver.

[QuebecMD1]

5 hours ago, medisforme said:

I am married, two kids and a mortgage and the salary is definitely no where near enough (my partner is currently not working due to medical illness).  I am continuing to use my LOC to make ends meet.  It is actually an extremely stressful way to live.  Counting the days until residency is done.

My co-residents who are single, renting an apartment, have little problems making ends meet.

 

ps.

I am at a regional site, not Vancouver.

How old are you?

[End Poverty]

On 8/13/2017 at 8:34 AM, SEAL said:

Can someone from BC shed some light on whether they find their salary as a resident adequate or not ? My understanding is that living in BC is expensive, but looking at the resident salaries in other provinces they are all higher than BC except for Quebec. If I am planning to start a family (getting married but not kids), do you think this would be a problem ?

 

.

[Mithril]

R1 salary is just under 51k a year in BC.

Typical costs in first year:

Rent, utilities, internet ~$1500 per month = $18k per year.

Food ~$300 per month = $3600 per year.

Phone ~$50 per month = $600 per year.

CMPA = $2200 per year.

Car insurance = $180 per month = $2160 per year.

Gas = $50 every 10 days or so, depending on how much you're driving = $1825 per year.

Membership dues to various organisations is another $200 per year.

Altogether that's around $30 000 in costs in a year, not including random stuff like paying off a car, vacation, toiletries, UBC fees, and potential LMCC part 2 fees.

 

[End Poverty]

On 2/15/2018 at 11:46 PM, Mithril said:

R1 salary is just under 51k a year in BC.

Typical costs in first year:

Rent, utilities, internet ~$1500 per month = $18k per year.

Food ~$300 per month = $3600 per year.

Phone ~$50 per month = $600 per year.

CMPA = $2200 per year.

Car insurance = $180 per month = $2160 per year.

Gas = $50 every 10 days or so, depending on how much you're driving = $1825 per year.

Membership dues to various organisations is another $200 per year.

Altogether that's around $30 000 in costs in a year, not including random stuff like paying off a car, vacation, toiletries, UBC fees, and potential LMCC part 2 fees.

 

 

[Edict]

17 hours ago, Mithril said:

R1 salary is just under 51k a year in BC.

Typical costs in first year:

Rent, utilities, internet ~$1500 per month = $18k per year.

Food ~$300 per month = $3600 per year.

Phone ~$50 per month = $600 per year.

CMPA = $2200 per year.

Car insurance = $180 per month = $2160 per year.

Gas = $50 every 10 days or so, depending on how much you're driving = $1825 per year.

Membership dues to various organisations is another $200 per year.

Altogether that's around $30 000 in costs in a year, not including random stuff like paying off a car, vacation, toiletries, UBC fees, and potential LMCC part 2 fees.

 

I guess if you eat out though that number can jump. I believe the after tax pay of residents in BC R1 is around 45k? 

Definitely, it isn't the easiest to live off of, but it is doable. The problem is most of us are graduating with student loan debt, probably have car payments and probably do want to eat out and travel and buy stuff, so that can all add up. $1500 a month in rent can get you a reasonable place but really looking at rent, downtown rent in 1 bedrooms in Vancouver are closer to $1800-2200 a month, you can get $1500 elsewhere though. 

You don't get the same kind of lifestyle or spending money you would get elsewhere for sure from what I have calculated.