Hanna is a Staff Writer based in Vancouver. You can reach her at hanna.hett@dailyhive.com.

While B.C. isn&#8217;t generally known for its affordability, Victoria has snagged the top spot in a ranking of &#8220;wealth-life&#8221; balance cities.
&#8220;Wealth-life&#8221; balance is where people have the opportunity to meet both their financial and personal goals, according to Tangerine, which commissioned the report.
&#8220;The sweet spot where financial growth meets everyday happiness,&#8221; reads a post from Tangerine.
The study used AskPolly.ai, an AI-powered market research platform, to analyze thousands of anonymized conversations about money, work, and lifestyle in over 20 Canadian cities. It looked at two indicators for each place: a &#8220;joy score&#8221; (measuring positive emotional sentiment) and an &#8220;importance rank&#8221; (measuring how often people talked about financial or life goals).
It deemed Victoria as &#8220;a land of opportunity for building wealth by residents.&#8221;
&#8220;Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but it’s an ideal spot for growing your net worth,&#8221; states the report.
The city has good career opportunities and high emotional satisfaction in building wealth and its economy.
As of September 2025, the average home price was $877,900 (compared to Vancouver&#8217;s $1,142,100), and the unemployment rate was 4.7 per cent in December 2025 (compared to Vancouver&#8217;s at 6.2 per cent).
Meanwhile, 2021 data shows that Vancouver&#8217;s median household income is $90,000 — $5,000 higher than Victoria&#8217;s of $85,000. 
<h2>Vancouver makes the ranking, too</h2>
<div id="attachment_2191057" style="width: 2058px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2191057" class="size-full wp-image-2191057" src="https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2025/09/downtown-vancouver-house-skyline-false-creek-burrard-bridge-f.jpg" alt="downtown vancouver house skyline false creek burrard bridge" width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2025/09/downtown-vancouver-house-skyline-false-creek-burrard-bridge-f.jpg 2048w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2025/09/downtown-vancouver-house-skyline-false-creek-burrard-bridge-f-500x333.jpg 500w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2025/09/downtown-vancouver-house-skyline-false-creek-burrard-bridge-f-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2025/09/downtown-vancouver-house-skyline-false-creek-burrard-bridge-f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2025/09/downtown-vancouver-house-skyline-false-creek-burrard-bridge-f-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" />EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock</div>
Vancouver still earned a ranking on the list as the &#8220;best city for entrepreneurship.&#8221;
&#8220;Despite higher costs, Vancouver ranked highly for workplace flexibility, networking opportunities and career satisfaction. A diverse economy and vibrant cultural scene help residents pursue entrepreneurial ambitions,&#8221; reads a release sent to Daily Hive.
While the city has one of the highest costs of living in the country, &#8220;many residents prioritize lifestyle, wellness, and career growth, redefining what wealth-life balance means in a major global city.&#8221;
&#8220;Vancouver is recognized for its strong job market, high earning potential, and unparalleled access to nature and urban amenities.&#8221;
Vancouver residents are willing to make financial trade-offs in order to enjoy this access to nature and urban amenities, the release notes.
It&#8217;s made quality of life rankings before, including being the only North American city to make the top 10 in the <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-quality-of-life-best-city">Mercer 2024 Quality of Living Survey</a> due to its temperate climate, recreation options, and cosmopolitan living.
Vancouver was also <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-happiest-cities-global-ranking">named the happiest city in North America</a> just last year.
Other cities that made Tangerine&#8217;s wealth-life balance ranking were Montreal for paying off debt, Winnipeg for low cost of living, and Halifax for buying a home.
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Vancouver

Victoria takes the top ranking as Canada's best for "wealth-life" balance, according to a new report from Tangerine.