I tracked what a weekend hanging out in Vancouver actually cost me and I'm not okay
The grand total will genuinely shock you. 💸😭
Spanish Banks. Right: Savio Volpe
Living in Vancouver, I'm no stranger to $20 cocktails and workout classes that I have to rationalize paying for. Still, even I was shocked at how much a normal weekend in Vancouver actually put me out, when I tracked every penny I spent.
I decided to do the brave, winter-defying thing. I left the house. I said yes to plans in the name of "touching grass". I attempted to participate in society like a well-adjusted adult. Turns out... It's not cheap.
The goal of my weekend was light, casual, fun — a treat-yourself, you-deserve-it mentality, while still sticking to your average activities people do while bopping around town. The idea was to see what it actually costs to get out and live your life in one of Canada's most expensive cities.
In the name of transparency and emotional damage, I tracked every dollar so you can go into a regular weekend more armed than I was (visitors and locals alike!).
Saturday 9 am: workout class
It's illegal to kick off a Vancouver weekend without starting the day with wellness; it's just part of our culture.
I booked a Lagree pilates class, suffered for only 40 minutes, and left feeling sweaty, shaky, and superior. You work harder knowing it costs a full $1 per minute.
Pilates class: $41
Saturday 10:30 am: brunch
Post-pilates brunch is also, a non-negotiable. I went to Hunnybee Bruncheonette because it’s charming, fresh, and doesn't make you feel bad for walking in wearing a hoodie and leggings.
Brunch: $25
Saturday 12:30 pm: thrifting
If I'm braving the real world no matter what, thrift shopping is a non-negotiable. You're telling me you haven't been privy to the resurgence of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's Calvin Klein-coded wardrobe and aren't loudly hunting for chic '90s vintage like it's your part-time job? Please, there's no point in lying here.
What was meant to be a casual browse quickly became an "I deserve it" extravaganza of self-love. Sustainable shopping is an ethical choice, after all.
Unfortunately, sustainability, ethics, and self-love do not apply to the city's parking enforcement officers. This notion was reinforced by the $77 ticket I found sitting on my car's dash on Main St. (Pro Tip: make your PaybyPhone app send you reminders when your parking is almost up).
Thrift shopping: $175
Parking: $7
Parking ticket: $77
Saturday 2:30 pm: seawall walk
A brief reprieve for the bank account and an absolute Vancouver weekend requirement: the seawall walk.
It's gorgeous. It's the ideal time to yap with your best friend. It's the best way to get in your hot-girl-10K-steps whilst also breaking down some poignant questions your therapist brought up in your last session.
11/10 weekend activity.
Seawall walk: $0
Saturday 7 pm: dinner and drinks
First, there's the Uber downtown.
Uber: $11
Then there's the pre-dinner drink at Laowai. (For reference, I didn't do all of this alone, though that would be very chic and impressive. But I'll separate out the cost of my personal consumption for clarity's sake.
Pre-dinner drink: $27
Then dinner at Ask for Luigi. A Vancouver classic. I kept it modest here — salad, pasta, single glass of vino.
Dinner: $90
Saturday 10 pm: concert
It's Saturday night and my little sister would make fun of me if my "weekend out" included being home by 9:30 p.m., so I found an indie artist playing at the Commodore (I vaguely knew one of their songs) and committed to staying out past midnight to prove that 29 is not the new 40. It is, in fact, the new 27 (everyone ages down two years for COVID, O.K.?).
Concert ticket: $80
It can be anxiety-inducing to stand in public with empty hands, like being emotionally naked in front of a crowd, so, naturally, I had to get a drink to occupy one of them.
One drink at the concert: $20
If you are out past midnight, you deserve a little reward for all your hard work socializing, eating, and drinking. This typically comes in the form of more food. For me, it is a late-night bagel: rosemary rock salt with veggie cream cheese at the 24-hour Siegel's Bagels.
Uber to the late-night snack: $15
Late-night snack: $6.50
Sunday 10 am: at-home brunch
We had a big day yesterday, so it's time to be fiscally responsible. Breakfast at home!
I popped by our local bodega for avocados, eggs, and milk. Grabbed sourdough from Cobs Bread. Picked up coffee beans from Parallel 49. As I walked home, I had the striking realization that this cost more than yesterday's brunch.
Breakfast grocery run: $46
Sunday 1 pm: hot-cold sauna
Because the few drinks I had last night started to evolve into a bit of a headache, I decided it was necessary (for my health) to sweat it out at a new hot-cold spa in my neighbourhood.
There was an intro pack on the website that offered far better value than a single drop-in (I deserve it), but I added the price of a drop-in for the purposes of this article.
One-time session hot-cold spa: $55
Sunday 7 pm: order takeout
It was raining. I was tired. And I had already braved the grocery store once today, so I decided to order the spicy peanut satay #21 from my favourite pho spot and pay the delivery fee without question.
Uber Eats: $34
Total cost of my "normal" Vancouver weekend: $709.50
But wait, there was a small yet crucial detail I forgot to mention: That Sunday was the first of the month.
Rent: $2,263 so... the total and complete cost of my "normal" Vancouver weekend: $3,029.49
If this has given you even half the amount of anxiety I experienced while writing this, I deeply apologize. But ignorance when it comes to your financial life (so I've been told) is not bliss.
For the record: this was not a blowout weekend. There was no flight, hotel, designer store, or bottle service. There was merely pilates, brunch, thrifting, dinner, a concert, groceries, wellness, and pho — a perfectly reasonable attempt at being a person in Vancouver.
So, if you've ever wondered why people here cancel plans, stay home, or overly romanticize cozy nights in — now you know. Sometimes it's not antisocial behaviour. It really is just self-preservation.
Thank you. I'll be on my couch during weekend hours until further notice.
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
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