Why the fuck are apartments so expensive in this city? It really makes no sense that this city is on par with Montreal (sometimes more expensive), Toronto, and Vancouver. The services, infrastructure, economy, and job market here do not warrant such a high cost of living IN A SHIT HOLE. Compared to two years ago, prices of bachelors/one bedrooms have doubled (I know this because I’ve been renting here for 7 years). This is the highest year yet. And it’s fucking ridiculous. $800 for a BACHELOR in a shit hole? Are you fucking kidding me? Who does this city think it is? Who do these landlords think they are? I guess they’re catering to the students with Mommy & Daddy’s rent money but fuck. This bubble is going to pop soon. It has to. —Don’t Want to be House-Poor
This article appears in Jul 21-27, 2011.
My rent was $1600 for a one bedroom for the past six years with no rent increase (LOVED IT). I am soon moving to a house that is only moderately higher in rent and the landlord rented my unit for $1800…….supply and demand!
I hate when people say it costs the same to live in Toronto, etc, as it does here… I’m pretty sure just a parking spot in Toronto can be more than $300 per month. Maybe you’re referring to Scarborough or something?
Scarborough = Bagtown w/guns. heh.
It’s all about location and type of apartment, OP. If you want to live downtown hfx you’re going to pay a lot for a piece of shit apartment, but if you’re willing to move uptown a bit you can find something decent for a decent price.
I will agree though that rental prices have skyrocketed in halifax over the past five years.
And you really have to compare what you’re getting for your money in toronto vs. halifax. The shittiest one bedroom shithole in Toronto (that’s not even downtown) will cost as much as a freaking NICE apartment in hfx in some neighbourhoods (not shitty ones, either).
You’re getting much more for your rent here than in Toronto.
Plus it smells nicer here.
I hear ya, not yet willing to jump into home ownership quite yet, my wife and I were looking for a 2 bdrm flat that allows pets. Most in the city were anywhere from 1200 to 1800 a month unless they were absolute trash. In some cases heat was extra!!!!! WTF? I know there are cheaper apts in buildings, but with pets it just doesn’t fly. I’ve moved outside the city, renting an entire 3 bdrm house with a huge backyard for just over 1000 per month. It’s absolutely ridiculous the difference 10kms makes in value.
That’s with pretty much any urban centre in the world. You get more bang for your buck if you’re ready willing and able to commute a few extra KM’s outside the city. Depending on where you go, sometimes rent/mortgage can be cut by as much as half or more by going an extra 10 mins away. Conversely, if you’re able to own a pad in a desireable location closer to downtown, then you can ask a helluva lot more when you decide to sell. It’s the old adage “Location, Location, Location!”
The rising rent definitely sucks and as others have said, it is almost always about the location. I guess if you want to trade in the bus pass for walking, there’s some saving in living downtown. Otherwise, it might be cheaper to move further away from the downtown and get a bus pass/carpool/car share. That’s what I’m doing!
I think living downtown isn’t as expensive as some say. I’ve managed to afford my life so far without being a doctor or whatever. I am moving even closer downtown soon and it’s really not going to cost that much more.. I’m getting rid of my car because I’ll live so close to everything and also work on the peninsula so my bus rides are only like 20 mins SO really I’ll be paying less for my life sans gas and primary driver insurance, maintenance, etc. But I find living in the suburbs somewhere, you need a car to get to work and even the stupid olivitron headquarters (grocery store) or dedicate like an hour+ each way to get somewhere by bus.
Yeah you can find some pretty decent places downtown for like $700/month. I have no idea what that would get you in Montreal or Toronto (probably not much).
The building on Spring Garden where the Smitty’s is, is only like $750 for a one bedroom, but they don’t allow kittehs 🙁
Yeah pets tend to complicate things, unfortunately.
First: Toronto is on par in terms of living expenses, as public transportation is far more efficient and food costs are much cheaper. Taxes are also less but that’s province-specific. I believe home energy costs are less expensive too, but I can’t be sure.
Second: PK, Scarborough isn’t bad, especially if you work nearby. Overall, you’re right, you get much more from an apartment in Halifax in terms of amenities and such things. But it gets to me when people in smaller cities (like Halifax) think that Scarborough is dangerous or whatever when in fact it’s less dangerous statistically than Halifax or even Saint John NB. Shit on it for the right reasons – being densely populated, polluted and extremely far away from most of the fun things that Toronto has to offer.
Third: OP, you must live in the South End/Downtown area. It’s expensive down there, and the apartments tend to be pretty crappy and small. Also it’s full of the rich kids who are kind of annoying anyway. Move to the North End/Dartmouth/Fairview. It’s much cheaper and not as dangerous as people think it is. Just buy a bike, so you can get away from the summer time swarmers if you need to.
When I moved here 7 yrs ago, my bachelor apptmt was 700 for 550 sq ft. that includes the balcony space.
A shoebox essentially… two people couldn’t fit in the kitchen… but you couldn’t beat the view.
instead of walking 15 minutes to work, now I take a 15 min bus ride and pay 700-ish for a two bedroom.
Get the fuck away from downtown and a better reality in pricing sinks in quickly.
That’s cause you’re on the wrong side of the harbour. Come to the dark side, Luke! Try Primrose and Pinecrest. Dirt cheap. Plywood cutains installed for free.
I agree with OP. There is the more qualitative aspect of paying such high rent in Halifax–specifically that it isn’t Toronto and you don’t get to live in such a vibrant city. Instead you live in a city full of people who think riding a bike around town is controversial and are incredibly proud of their fiddly-shit Cape Breton heritage. (OMG I’m a Caper!!!!!)
Canned — I was thinking of moving to Toronto and voiced the idea of living in scarborough and family from Toronto, currently living there, told me it wasn’t a great idea (i.e.: sackville with guns).
I live about 10 minutes outside the downtown core by car (if that if there’s no traffic). I pay $1025 for a three bedroom in a newer building which includes utilities, 5 appliances, HW floors, patio, and two bathrooms with walk in closets. There’s a bus stop outside my building and it takes my mom 30 minutes by bus to get to work (from the time she leaves till the time she walks in the door at work). Plus it’s within walking distance to all amenities such as drug stores, drs offices, restaurants, coffee shops and the shopping in bayer’s lake and it’s not even a two minute drive to the highway and underground parking is included.
All that for just over a grand.
My cousin pays more than that for her one bedroom in Toronto. She has two appliances and lives in an older building a ways outside the downtown core.
I know my rent is cheaper because the company I rent from purposely sets them lower to be competitive (which is why they never have any vacancies), but you really can’t compare what I’m paying to what I’d be paying in Toronto for the same thing (think well over 2k/month).
Well no offense to your family, because mine would probably say the same thing, but people from Toronto saying Scarborough is “Sackville with guns” or similar is actually more of a stretch than people from the South End saying the same thing about the North End.
I used to walk around Scarborough at night without a problem. As long as you stay clear of the few trouble spots, as in Halifax, you’re fine. I’d definitely recommend living there over downtown Toronto to save money, but fuck the 2 hour return trip into Toronto sucks.
But, yes, living in Toronto is expensive. And despite the fact that everything else is cheaper and you generally earn more money, it’s still more expensive, and the density of the city gets old fast, especially if you’re from the maritimes, IMO. I’d rather pay out of my ass for taxes, food, and gas, and earn less, for the lifestyle Halifax offers.
Overall though the Toronto/Vancouver vs. Halifax comparison isn’t a very good one. Look at Ottawa and Montreal instead. You can BUY homes there for less than you can here and apartments in Ottawa (in downtown’ish neighbourhoods) are usually bigger and cheaper than they are here. I hear Calgary/Edmonton is similar but I’ve never lived there.
the boy has a bachelor in downtown toronto, he pays about the same as our mortgage payment in halifax. his other expenses aren’t that high and he only uses transit
You absolutely cannot buy a home in Ottawa for less than in Halifax. Maybe in Hull, but that isn’t Ottawa. You certainly can’t afford a home anywhere near the core if you’re on a Halifax budget.
OP, you cite Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver….those are huge metropolitan regions where rent varies dramatically across the spectrum. Maybe you should move to East Hastings in Vancouver. In HRM, the rent varies by location, convenience, living conditions, security, etc. The market dictates what the consumer will pay. If you don’t want to pay $800/month then find another place in the city that is more afforable (like Fairview…if you like getting shot at). As for the city not being able to accomodate such pricing, plenty of educated people in HRM have well paying salaries and are willingly pay for their living conveniences.
I won’t shoot you….
probably….
though I can’t speak for the mass amounts of greasy skeezies in the area.
I can only speak for Montreal. It’s about on par with Halifax. Taxes are higher for single folks and people with families get better breaks than they do here. I know this because I work in payroll.
Really one man’s trash is another’s treasure. I’m sure some folks in big cities like Montreal or Toronto would prefer the Halifax lifestyle. I’m trying to move out of the city and I agree with you OP, Halifax is too expensive for what it is. To me and you, anyway.
However, it’s not as hectic and stressful as big cities, it’s pretty easy to get around by car, and you can get out of it in 5 minutes and be in the woods or on the beach or whatever. And it’s small, so the supply and demand definitely comes into play.
Maybe your standards are beyond your means. You might have to start thinking about living in Dartmouth or somewhere outside of downtown.
I remember the last time someone bitched about rent prices someone left a comment saying they were a landlord and they made a total of like 30 bucks in a year off of 2 nice, expensive units. They’re just paying their bills, a lot of them don’t make much money from renting.
And when I say “about on par” it means that it’s more expensive, but not outrageously. I don’t know what it costs to live downtown MTL but who needs to when you can get on the subway and be anywhere in like 15 minutes.
My main goal is to move to Montreal but I’d settle for Ottawa, 3 hours away is better than 14 hours away.