About VanCityGuide
A one-person editorial project for newcomers to Greater Vancouver.
VanCityGuide is run by Cenk Karakuz from Vancouver. The site exists because newcomers and visitors to Greater Vancouver need clearer, more honest guidance than they currently get. This site focuses on source-linked, task-oriented information and makes the limits of desk research visible.
Greater Vancouver is one of the most dynamic, diverse, and expensive regions in Canada — and one of the most confusing to navigate as a newcomer. CMHC rental averages describe a specific survey sample and reference period; they are not quotes for a vacant home. MSP, ICBC, tenancy and child-care rules each have official eligibility, document and timing requirements that can change. VanCityGuide links those primary sources so readers can check the rule that applies to them.
VanCityGuide is the alternative I wished existed when I needed it. Every guide on the site is the answer to a question a real newcomer would ask: how do I get a SIN, where do landlords actually post listings, what does a two-bedroom in Burnaby cost compared to Vancouver, which neighbourhood fits my family, how do I exchange a foreign driver's licence.
The site is independent. There's no sponsorship money in the newcomer guides, no paid placement in the restaurant picks, no affiliate links in the price tables. AdSense serving is currently disabled pending approval and consent setup. Any commercial partnerships must be disclosed without changing editorial conclusions.
The reader who shaped this site
A Norwegian newcomer caught a serious error. Here's how we changed because of it.
In May 2026, a Norwegian reader emailed pointing out that our BC Driver's Licence guide listed Norway among ICBC's reciprocal-exchange countries. It wasn't. The original content had been generalised from "EU/Schengen countries usually have reciprocal driving agreements" — a plausible-sounding leap that wasn't actually grounded in ICBC's published list.
That one email triggered an audit of the newcomer guides published at the time. We checked cited claims against their original authoritative source, removed seven incorrectly listed countries from the drivers' licence guide, corrected the 2026 BC rent-increase cap from 4.5% to its actual 2.3%, updated international-student MSP eligibility (students apply themselves, schools don't enrol them), and removed HSBC Canada from the bank-account guide (RBC acquired it in March 2024 and the brand was wound down).
The audit also produced a permanent editorial rule that now governs every cited claim on the site:
For any factual claim with a citation, the claim must be grounded in what the cited source actually says — never generalised from category-level assumptions.
And every guide page now carries a Sources footer showing exactly which authoritative URLs were checked against, and a methodology page documenting the standard.
The Norwegian reader is the reason this site is better today than it was a month ago. If you find something wrong, do what they did — send me an email.
Editorial principles
The five rules that shape every page.
No paid placements in editorial
Service-category and restaurant listings appear because we've researched them, not because anyone paid. AdSense serving is currently disabled. Commercial relationships must not determine editorial coverage.
No fabricated business names
Every restaurant, service provider, or local recommendation has been verified against at least one primary source — the business's own website, news coverage, or a verified social presence. If we can't verify it, we don't name it.
Show dates and gaps
Prices, regulations, and rates change. Cited datasets show their reference and retrieval dates; maintained guides show a review date. When coverage is older or unsupported, the page should say so rather than imply a fresh check.
Skeptical of round numbers
'Rent in Vancouver is $2,000' can hide the survey period, building type and whether the figure describes occupied units or current offers. We label those distinctions and do not present a survey average as a quote.
Newcomer-first
Most other Vancouver content assumes you already know the city. We assume you don't. Every guide starts from zero — what the rule is, why it matters, what newcomers commonly get wrong, what to do about it.
What you'll find here
10 cities, 47 neighbourhoods, newcomer guides, and source-linked planning tools.
VanCityGuide covers the practical side of arriving in or visiting Greater Vancouver. The main sections:
Money
Cost of living per city →
Monthly planning budgets for Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, and 7 more cities, with official statistics separated from editable editorial assumptions.
Where to live
City + neighbourhood guides →
10 Greater Vancouver cities, 47 neighbourhood profiles, with schools, safety, transit, and cost data.
Paperwork
Newcomer guides →
Step-by-step on SIN, MSP, rental search, BC driver's licence, bank account, taxes, family doctor, tenancy rights.
Compare
City-vs-city comparisons →
Side-by-side data for every Greater Vancouver pair. Cited rent, transit, school, and crime numbers.
Eat
Restaurants by cuisine + city →
Verified restaurants organised by cuisine and city. Cited prices, halal notes, reservation links.
Standards
Methodology & sources →
How prices are gathered, the audit cycle, the post-Norway sourcing standard, what to do when we get it wrong.
Get in touch
Corrections, questions, or a topic to suggest — I read every email.
The fastest way to reach me is through the contact form. For corrections to a specific page, mention the URL — I'll verify against the primary source, fix the page if needed, and credit you (anonymously by default, named if you ask).
Before you go
Monthly newcomer-focused email.
Rule changes, price moves, and the one guide to read before you sign anything. Free and double opt-in — unsubscribe anytime.