Hundreds of thousands of people are coming to Canada every year with Working Holiday visa in order to earn some nice money. But is it true? Can you come to Canada and  earn & save a lot of money? What about the expenses? So this article will help you have better understanding how it truly works in Canada.

First of all, let me tell you that this article is super subjective, personal and individual. I will describe how much money I spent and at the same time earned in JUNE 2018, living and working in Vancouver – one of the most expensive cities of Canada. And according to my experience you might have an idea how it actually works here in Vancouver and whether it is worth coming here and trying to save some money.

MY JOB OF A WAITRESS IN VANCOUVER

How much money you earn & save depends a lot on your job and previous working experience. I believe that by working as a waitress here in Vancouver I can get better salary than people working in the office. It sounds ridiculous but it´s the truth.

I work as a waitress in a nice fancy restaurant in Yale Town between 30 and 40 hours a week. Usually from Monday trill Friday, between 10am and 6pm. Sometimes I ask for evening shifts so I can save more money. How´s that? Because servers here in Canada live out of TIPS. Basic salary is super low but the tips are super high. A typical Canadian person will tip his/her server 15% of the whole bill. If the service was excellent, tip can be 20%. And if it was super awesome great then even 25%. 🙂

MY EARNINGS in JUNE 2018

Minimum wage in British Columbia is $12,65 per hour. However, the minimum wage for a server is ever lower (because of tips). So my salary is $11,40 per hour. Plus tips.  

In June 2018 I received exactly $1351 – two salaries. One coming to my account on the 7th and another one coming on the 22nd.

Thanks to the gratuities (tips) I earned extra $1967.

That makes it together exactly $3318.

MY USUAL EXPENSES IN VANCOUVER

Vancouver is pretty expensive city when it comes to accommodation rent and food. I was lucky enough and I found an amazing apartment which I share with one more person and I pay exactly $750 per month. This price includes my own room rent, internet and all energies. And apartment is located in West End, amazing location, only few minutes walking from the beaches. Everyone was telling me that I found a place with a great price. Rent prices are usually here around $1000.

Food and night life here in Vancouver are not cheap at all. Not only the food in restaurants is expensive, but also in supermarkets. Entrances to night clubs are around 10 to 15 dollars, glass of wine around $10, beer for around $7. Of course it depends where you hang out but if you wanna party in downtown, like on Granville street – such are the prices.

MY EXPENSES FOR JUNE 2018

Accommodation: $750

Transport: $40

Phone bill: $50

Food:$290

Cosmetics and clothing:$107

Nightlife:$235

Other:$10

TOTAL: $1482   

CURRENCY & EXCHANGE RATE

Let´s not forget that a main currency in Canada is not  a strong euro but Canadian dollar. As of 30th of June , 2018, 1 Canadian dollar represents 0,65 euro. And that´s not a lot. So let´s say that if you are able to save $1000 a month, that makes it only 646 euro. And only in case you will be able to find such an exchange rate.

TO SUM UP

To sum up, I am going to repeat that in June 2018 I was able to save $XXX. My total income was $3318 and expenses were $1482. Of course, a next month can be different. I can spend more money on weekend trips or nightlife or I can earn less money on gratuities. It´s also all about priorities. I could get here another job or working only weekends and evenings (more tips) but I like my free time and I love my life. And I don´t want to waste it only because of money.

For that I went and lived and worked on cruise ships (find out more HERE!).   

I hope this article has been useful and gave you an idea whether it is worth coming to Canada with Working Holiday Visa. I believe there are better ways of saving money than coming to Canada but for me it´s not about money here. I came to Canada in order to learn something new about new country, its culture and people, travel to places I haven´t travelled before. And if I can save some extra money, that will be simply awesome, but not my priority n. 1. Would it be yours? 🙂  

In case you decide to come to CANADA with Working Holiday Visa, read THIS ARTICLE – it might be useful, too. 😉

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PS: Looking for great travel insurance with great prices? Insurance which you can book even when your journey has already started? Have a look at The True Traveller. I am more than happy with them. 🙂

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