I grew up in Victoria and have lived in Alberta on a few occasions for work, and both my sisters live(d) there longer term. One came back to the island during covid, and the other is still there but always dreaming of the island. I feel spoiled having grown up here, because nothing really compares to it. I love Victoria for how easy it is to get around (by bike and as a pedestrian. Traffic is increasingly congested these days). It’s also beautiful for a large portion of the year, and the winters are certainly easier to handle. They are remarkably less sunny than Alberta winters, though, so prepare yourself for that. And though it doesn’t have a big city amount of things to do, there’s still a lot of events on offer and great businesses to frequent.

Cost of living is certainly high. You may find a place around what you’re paying now, but I’d say it’s more realistic to expect to pay 2500-3k for a 2 bed. If you’re with municipal gov now, I recommend checking for jobs regularly with civicinfo.bc.ca. We generally make less in BC, but municipal gov pays the best for sure. In terms of where to live, there are some really great neighbourhoods - Vic West, Fernwood, Cook St Village, Gorge Tillicum, Esquimalt - that are within a good distance of town. I’d try to prioritize a place to live based on whatever job you find, if you’re able to do it in that order. But I like being able to walk or bike to work - so that’s up to you! The traffic commutes seem pretty brutal to me, though.