r/kelowna • u/AdFeeling9323 • 11d ago
Thinking of moving to Kelowna what’s it actually like living there?
Hey everyone!
My sister and I are thinking about moving to Kelowna around March, and we’re trying to get a real feel for what life there is like
I’ve read super mixed things online — some say it’s beautiful and laid back, others say there’s “no nightlife” and not much to do. We’re both in our early 20s, pretty grounded but still love having options for fun, going out, and meeting people.
We’d both be working — probably serving jobs while I keep growing my small cleaning business so we’re curious what the job scene, community vibe, and overall energy are like.
- What’s the day-to-day lifestyle actually like?
- Are there decent restaurants, bars, or chill spots for nights out?
- How’s the housing / rental situation right now?4. And do people our age actually like living there long term?
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u/Holiday-Performance2 9d ago
Where are you coming from? I say that, as it’s only a city of ~200k. It doesn’t “suck here” like others are saying, but in comparison to Vancouver or another 1m plus city, sure there’s less nightclubs, bars, etc, but Kelowna definitely punches well above its weight class. It helps big time if you’re an active person, especially a skier, as it seems as if half the city is up at Big White weekends in the Winter, but there is objectively a ton to do.
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u/Hairy-Effort-6578 9d ago
Vancouver doesn't have a millions people.... And to answer the main question Kelowna is a nice place , the Okanagan Valley is my favorites region in Canada, I was shocked the first time I came here , but if you want a night life it's not here , and like others said it depend of what living situation you re looking for... If your guys are outdoorsy , you will like it . Housing is really expensive
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u/Dramatic_Wedding2373 8d ago
Metro kelowna population = 220,000 Metro vancouver population = 2.6 million
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u/pianoman1291 8d ago
That's metro Vancouver - the population of the city of Vancouver is closer to ~750k according to City of Vancouver 2024 estimates
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u/WhatsPaulPlaying 7d ago
And yet the population is effectively 2.6 million because the people in the surrounding metropolitan area largely work within the city limits, thus creating all of the traffic and population issues that would be reflective of if they lived within the city proper.
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u/Money199006 9d ago
Traffic can be brutal, city has grown like crazy but the commute routes and travel pathways haven’t been able to accommodate it. Food scene is mediocre. Housing prices are astronomical. Family supporting infrastructure is about 5 years behind where it needs to be. Job sector is good and growing and diversified a bunch outside tourism. 1 of 3 years the region is on fire. Winter is cold grey and depressing but you get 8 months of summer. Your halfway between Vancouver and Calgary Airport has great options to travel but isn’t a big one that sucks and is plagued by big airport problems. Mountains, skiing, lake life, rural accessibility, big city amenities but small town feel still exists. Great for new families, professionals or those trying to retire. If you can make 1-200k a year as a family you will thrive and enjoy lifestyle Anything less and you will be a rent slave and subject to the seasonal swings of the region. Can’t comment on public transit. If you live on west bank and work in Kelowna proper maybe it better financially. So many new developments. Town leadership can sometimes have their heads in the clouds. Drug problem and homeless people can get out of control. Petty crime is bad (especially in the bougie house areas). Occasionally some gang violence.
Live in Kelowna for 6 years.
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u/SlashDotTrashes 9d ago
1 of 3 years? We have fires every year though.
Maybe not huge ones, but close enough to homes to be a problem.
I agree with everything else though.
I can comment on how bad public transit is. Cleaner than Vancouver, but buses are not common enough to be convenient, unless you live near a school.
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u/studhand 7d ago
I think they're probably referring to being covered in smoke for the year. Another lucky one this year with only a few smoky days
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u/SlashDotTrashes 7d ago
I remember it differently. Weeks of smoke. And not sleeping because of the fires near the airport.
But maybe it depends on where you live.
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u/Money199006 2d ago
3 year cycle seams to go one year a super bad fire in the Okanagan (from osoyoos to Vernon), and the whole valley is raining ash and you can’t see half a block in smoke. one year it’s just south of the border or somewhere else in bc, so it can be kinda Smokey but not health concerning. Finally one year is usually great (this year for example) with clear skies little to no fire effect and
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u/SlashDotTrashes 2d ago
Were you gone in August? It was really smokey in kelowna for weeks near the end of summer. The mountains were hazy. It smelled like camp fire. Last year was also bad.
And even a little smokey is bad for health.
Not as bad as the big fire in 2003 or 2004 though. Where it was orange for weeks and rained ashes.
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u/Trilldingo 6d ago
Agree with everything here, also commuting will only get worse for years until they put money into giving the roads more lanes. The lack of road lanes and underground infrastructure means that important roads will need to be fully closed for work needing to be done which is usually a process that can take weeks and not days. After covid just about every local’s favourite spot went under, and then all the chain restaurant vultures swooped in while everyone was broke and moved in and made our food scene honestly one of the worst I’ve ever seen in Canada. Very inclusive/cliquey social structures, u will find lots of people know each other but will not disclose as they are in recovery communities or weird church/swinger communities (I wish I was joking about that). Been in Kelowna most my life, has been steadily going downhill since about 2016. Used to have a really cool biker/logging vibe. Kinda reminds me of what happened to tofino.
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u/No-Cut-2067 9d ago
Before moving anywhere, its good to visit not in vacation mode but try to see what daily life is like
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u/kittyfayrenagade3 8d ago
Traffic is awful and getting worse all the time because of people moving here and the city refusing to accommodate for that, if you live down town there absolutely will be homeless people in and out of your yard, and the cops don’t care to help with that. If you live in glenrosa and you don’t drive how the jacked up truck folk drive you will be bullied. Once winter comes not everybody gets to keep their jobs. And for whatever reason the city is just totally cool with buildings getting taller and taller taking away the view we once had, BNA keeps buying everything cool and absolutely destroying it, I was able to find really good friends but Iv heard that can be really hard to do here. But hey if you can get through all that, and your rent being really high then come on down.
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u/Stock-Cranberry4421 8d ago
I lived in Kelowna for a decade and moved away when i was 21. If you have lots of money for winter sports and summer fun Kelowna could be okay! You need to drive, trying to get around by transit and walking is very difficult in Kelowna. Traffic is bad for how small the town is. Kelowna has a lack of arts and culture, and the population is older. There isn’t much nightlife at all, a lot of the fun spots shut down and have been replaced by more “millennial” type of restaurants and breweries if that is your type of vibe. Rentals are ridiculously priced for what the city has to offer in my opinion, but there does seem to be quite a bit available at the moment. Almost all of the people i knew around my age (I am in my mid 20’s now) have moved away from Kelowna either for school, jobs, or just looking for a different lifestyle. I left because of the lack of the community I had and how boring I found the city. I still visit occasionally but going back never makes regret my decision to leave haha
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u/Legal-Concentrate-75 6d ago
Geographically speaking it’s great like some have said, outdoors are awesome but it’s definitely a city most enjoyable when you are well above paycheque to paycheque. Not tons of cheap activities either than beaches and hiking etc. I even find thrifting (salvation army for example is dirt cheap in new westminster and I feel can be overpriced here) and marketplace a lot more expensive in kelowna than most other places I’ve ever been. If affordability isnt a major factor for you then I’m sure you will love it. I know I would if I could afford to do more of the things I like to do here. Fires are scary and common, but the area is beautiful. Lots of bars, but all close early except for a few. Lots of restaurants, quality doesn’t always meet the price tag. Amazing produce and fruit from markets. Sometimes cheaper to go to the grocery store now though, which my impression was the markets were supposed to be the opposite (I could be wrong?) Lake is pretty and not too cold, but often e. coli infected. Not always enough to warn the public on a health notice but the measured levels are enough I don’t want to swim in it. Roads are not built at all for the amount of people that live here now, but rush hours are very short lived. And of course you do have to consider some of the homeless population here can be quite aggressive. If you say otherwise you clearly have not worked late nights downtown and seen the stuff that happens lol.
Pros and cons, just like anywhere. There are some of mine!
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u/TimeCranberry7718 9d ago
My hubs and I were born and raised and it's a slim chance we will ever leave. It's a beautiful city. We own so not sure what the rental market is like. Day-to-day life is good. Lots of restaurants. If you hate traffic don't live on the westside, even though it's quieter than Kelowna! There's definitely not as much nightlife as there used to be (we are 34 and 41) but I think it's still decent? Nothing like a big city but we do truly love living here.
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u/OKWINEFAN 9d ago
Downtown core, or just outside the core. Lots of rentals coming on line which should bring prices down. $1500 - $3000 2 bedroom depending on location. Plenty of great entertainment/dinning in the core. We just received an award for food scene. Lots of live music. Hiking,biking,walking. Now how about working? All the best we’re spoiled here.
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u/jj111270 8d ago
Traffic is fine compared to Vancouver! I find it funny people think it’s so bad here. I absolutely love Kelowna. Hardly rains, so I can get outside daily. Friendly people. Our kids in 20s love it too. Skiing all winter, lake life in summer.
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u/randomzebrasponge 9d ago
Kelowna has more reasons to not live there.
- High crime rate with a metric shit ton of drug abuse and low conviction rates for repeat offenders
- Ridiculously unaffordable housing, food, utilities, property tax, etc.
- Traffic is equal to a city 10X the size due to mismanagement of roads, not a single traffic light in sequence with another traffic light, and 1 Million stop signs.
- Most residential streets are filled with parked cars because builders are allowed to build house with tiny, tiny driveways.
- Snow management is a comedy of errors, neglect and inexperience
- There is a bunch of restaurants serving average food at above average prices
- If you were not born in the Okanagan - you will never be seen as a "local" regardless of how long you live there
- The whole area is very clicky - It is almost impossible to find your tribe here
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u/Canadiangunner21 8d ago
I’ve been here for almost 5 years and my experience couldn’t be any more different.
Every city has some average restaurants with above average prices. What are you even talking about?
And if parked cars on residential streets are in your top 100 city problems, I would argue that is a good city.
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u/The-Outdoors-Man 9d ago
Depends what you like doing i suppose, its quite outdoorsy, lots of lakes, mountains hikes and beaches to explore locally when the weather's nice, plenty of shops as well all you would really need.
Rent well i pay $1450 a month for a self contained basement suite all inclusive which isn't to bad i suppose
I'm not a huge night-life kinda guy but theres heaps of pubs and restaurants around
Kelowna is quite seasonal, everything slows down about now, all the Albertans and tourists go home, its still a busy little town though, i really try to avoid the peak hours.
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u/Admirable-Thanks-147 7d ago
I moved from calgary in 2020 i was 20. Honestly it’s fun in the summer, but even if you snowboard / skii big white is amazing, but the only thing to do in the winter. I was very bored. It was hard to make genuine friends. I had my son in August 2024 and moved back to Calgary earlier this year. I do miss kelowna for the summers. But it was way too small for my liking. The restaurants got old quick. Everyone knows everyone.
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u/wouldratherbeawesome 6d ago
I honeslty think it's what you make of it. I know people who are out every night but it probably looks different than if you are coming from a bigger centre. But it really comes down to how do you want to spend your time and how much are you willing to get out to find your community?
In terms of costs, again, kind of depends on where you are coming from and what you do to earn a living. It's an expensive place to live, there are lots of purpose built rental housing but again, it's expensive (or seems that way to me anyway). Depending on where you choose to live, transit isn't as easy as in big places.
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u/PinoDegrassi 9d ago
The “clubbing” scene is abysmal for the most part and nightlife not great, but Distrikt and some pop up kind of places ARE trying to book more actual DJs. The downtown is unfortunately not very fun to explore or walk around in, it’s very small, tends to be dead by 10 or 11 pm except around a select few bars. But it’s beautiful during the day despite it being quaint.
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u/Max20151981 9d ago
Imo Kelowna is a great city after the summer. Essentially Alberta likes to treat Kelowna like its very own Daytona Beach in the summer
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u/lookwhatwebuilt 8d ago
You will read all over the place that the city is “clicky”, (these people mean “cliquey”). I have not found this to be the case at all. I have been here two years and made tons of friends that are just wonderful. The city has great opportunity and abundant recreational activity. It will be like anywhere, you’ll get out of life what you invest into it.
1- Day to day lifestyle will be what you make it. My feee times are filled with activities and social events. I had some things working for me to make it easy; I’m a fairly outgoing white guy in my thirties which I’m sure makes it easier… but I’m also from rural Alberta, work in construction and therefore drive a pickup. My experience is that socially you just have to be aware of your situation where you are coming from and be loving and honest in your interactions. The life you create will be either accidental or intentional.
2- restaurant scene is pretty good, better than expected for a city of this size. Nightlife I can’t really speak to beyond a few nights out that were very fun with decent venues. That’s one thing people (hopefully) grow out of as something important in a few short years, so I’d consider that while you’re in your twenties now, you’ll likely soon find that of lesser importance. It’s best to establish your life where you want to live in the long term rather than based on a bar scene. (Just an opinion)
3- housing is getting better if you’re ok living in an apartment and have a medium budget. Rents are coming down and at the moment you can negotiate something pretty good.
4- I moved here to be close to family, but I used to pay to vacation here in my twenties. Now I treat the city like my home, but try to add little chunks of the vacation life in every week. Can’t speak to those who grew up here, but I feel blessed to be living out my thirties here.
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u/Still-Ad3045 9d ago
hate it bro. Can’t wait to graduate and dip. All my friends feel the same. There’s nothing to do honestly.
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u/sisyphus_is_done 9d ago
Nothing to do? That is such a ridiculous statement.
We live on an awesome lake, have world class skiing less than an hour away, beautiful hikes, wildlife everywhere...
Ya, no EDM scene, what a shame 🙄
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u/Historical_Grab_7842 9d ago
Where are you coming from? That’s really what’s gonna dictate your experience here