Antony’s Weblog

Finally… this morning at 10:00, I got my driving license in British Colmbia, Canada.  It is not that easy to get one.  I have spent almost C$ 2000 taking driving course and taken driving test 5 times!  The driving license thing has made me crazy for about four months.  Fortunately, I am relieved now….

You can see the result of my driving test in the following picture.

This morning, before I went to the driving test, I was very nervous.  I have a great physiological burden because I have failed four times.  Failing the same test for four times is not a nice experience.  When I studied in the University of Stuttgart, Germany, when we fail the same subject twice, we have to leave the university (without any degree).  Fortunately they don’t apply the same rule for driving test in Canada…. puihhh….

Honestly, I would prefer taking public transportation whenever possible.  Why?  Firstly, we can do some other things when using public transportation, like reading a book.  Secondly, car maintenance and gasoline price are so expensive these days.  Thirdly, I am not good in driving….

I used to drive when I lived in Indonesia, but not very often because I didn’t have a car.  I usually used motor-cycle.  When I lived in Germany and Singapore, I didn’t drive at all.  The public transportations are simply too good, so we don’t really need cars.  Canada is a different story.  The public transportation is s***, especially in suburb areas.  That’s why I feel that having a car is a "must"; otherwise life would be very difficult.

Now my next challenge is buying a car.  I have to spend about $20K (not sure yet what kind of car I want to buy).  Oh my God….

One of the questions that may pop up in our mind when we relocate to a new place is "how much is the living cost?"  Before moving to Vancouver, Canada, I have done a small research too.  However, after arriving here, I was very surprise.  The living cost is higher than what I expected.  I would like to share my monthly living cost in Vancouver, Canada.

• Apartment rental: C$ 975
• Food and groceries: C$ 300
• Public transportation: C$ 70
• Telephone: C$ 50
• Television and Internet: C$ 85
• Entertainment: C$ 50
• Clothing: C$ 50
• Others: C$ 50

If you sum up all of the costs above, you will get the total of C$ 1630.  What do you think?  Is it quite normal for one person living in one-bed room?  Starting from this month, my living cost will be higher because I have a wife now.  It would be even higher when I have applied for mortgage and have bought a car already.

Just to let you know, I have a simple lifestyle.  I don’t have a car because I don’t have a driving license yet.  I rarely eat in the restaurant; most of the time I cook myself.  I don’t really like shopping; usually I buy new clothes when I really need them.

Ok, now let’s do some comparisons.  I have lived in Germany for a couple of years too and here is my monthly living cost there:

• Apartment rental (including television): EUR 300
• Food and groceries: EUR 250
• Public transportation: EUR 45
• Telephone: EUR 50
• Internet: EUR 30
• Entertainment: EUR 40
• Clothing: EUR 50
• Others: EUR 50

The total is EUR 815 or about C$ 1140.  May be it is not that fair to compare this with Vancouver because I lived in a studio while in Germany and now I live in a one-bed room apartment.

Next, I will try to compare with the living in cost in Singapore.  I have lived in Singapore for quite some too and here is my monthly living cost there:

• Apartment rental (including television): S$ 900
• Food and groceries: S$ 350
• Public transportation: S$ 75
• Telephone: $S 50
• Internet: $S 60
• Entertainment: S$ 50
• Clothing: S$ 50
• Others: S$ 50

The total is S$ 1585 or about C$ 1135.  May be it is not too fair either to compare this with Vancouver because I lived in HDB while in Singapore.  What is HDB?  HDB, shorts for House Development Board, is a government subsidized apartment.  It is cheaper than private apartment, but the condition is usually not that nice.

What makes my living cost in Canada so much higher?  Mostly, it is because my apartment rental is very expensive.  However, even if I rent a cheaper apartment (let’s say $700/month), the cost is still quite high.

The cost above does not include yearly trip to my home country, Indonesia.  Once a year, I go back to my home country to visit my family.  If I include the flight ticket, then the cost in Canada is even much higher.  Here is the comparison of flight tickets between Germany, Singapore and Canada to Indonesia:

• Germany - Indonesia: EUR 750 ~ C$ 1050
• Singapore - Indonesia: S$ 500 ~ C$ 360
• Canada - Indonesia: C$ 1500