If its like Vancouver, all I can say is its tough!!! I think prices there are better then out west. Transportation is big, also monthly shopping trips in the states for all your staples. That saves you so much, pretty much anything else can be bought at farmers markets or ethnic markets. If you can get a downpayment I would buy a house and rent half of it out, pay your mortgage, bills, and be putting some in the bank. It may make more sence to rent the top or fancier half out and live in your own basement. with a 400k house, your mortgage interest will be roughly $500 a month, taxes $200, utilities, $300, your at about a thousand, a month in expenses, that you could offset by whatever you rent your suite out at. say you rent the basement for $900 you would be living with all expenses paid for $100/month, perhaps you rent the top out for $1400 you would be raking in $400 per month equity. I look at the principal portion of my mortgage as MY money that I am putting in like a savings account. Don't forget you can write off repairs to the home/interest/utilities whatever percent of your home that is rented, so that makes the rental income near tax free, you will get money back if you spend lots on the place fixing it up.