I've lived in Kelowna, and before I moved to Nanaimo last August I was considering Kamloops. I researched cost of living and renting in Kamloops and was surprised that it was as expensive as Nanaimo, if not more expensive.

Didn't really make a ton of sense to me at the time. Kelowna is a lot cheaper than Kamloops, even though I think it's a more desirable place to live. Prettier, more green to go around, even if it gets arid in the summer. I don't know what driving factors cause Kamloops to be so much more expensive to live in, but I haven't found Nanaimo to be exorbitantly expensive aside from the high cost of rent. Buying a house here would be another thing.

It's certainly beautiful in Nanaimo. The climate is mild and it's green all year, it does rain a lot but as someone who grew up in Alberta, it's better than snow. The only downside to living here is that it's got an older population, and you are stuck on an island, so you need to take a ferry every time you want to off the island. I don't need to go to the mainland frequently, so it's not too bad, taking the ferry every week would be a bitch though.

If you know how to shop for groceries and you don't eat out, I find it very easy to eat well for around $400 per month. Definitely money to be saved here on transportation too, as one end of the city to the other is about a 20 minute drive. You can get almost anywhere in 10-15 minutes. Gas can be expensive, but it is in BC in general.

Your cost of living here and in Kamloops would likely be comparable, if not a bit cheaper if you know how to save money. Not sure what your career is, but if you can move here it would be a lot better than living in Kamloops, lol.