Even the cost of houses in Calgary has gone up a lot compared to pre-pandemic level. Still Alberta's cost of living is still a lot lower than Metro Vancouver.
Hey! I have been to Vancouver and other cities in Canada. Honestly, Vancouver is not the first choice for me. As you know,, different people have different preferences. But, I enjoyed my visits in Vancouver.
We eat out way less than before. But we still try to treat ourselves from time to time. Food court is a good hack on saving from paying tips. Fortunately, the quality of some of the food court is on par with actual restaurants. As for Dim Sum, it got expensive but fortunately there is alot of options in metro vancouver. I for once, refuse to go to Chef Tony or Sun Shui Wah. Just no need to when there are alot of options that are cheaper in both Richmond or East Van. Yeah I missed out on the LV puff or the truffle Siu Mai but I am happy with old school dim sum anyway. To save a buck or 2, try go weekday if you can and go early bird.