Relocation Guide

Moving to Surrey BC: 8 Things Worth Settling Before You Go

By Sonny Bhinder PREC*
August 27, 2026
9 min read

More than a thousand people move to Surrey every single month. Almost none of them ask the eight questions on this page first, and a good number end up in the wrong part of the city because of it.

Surrey is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. That growth is exactly why it works for some households and exactly why it does not work for others. Here is the honest version of what you are moving into, with the numbers attached.

1. Surrey is a busy city, and that is a lifestyle choice

This is the first question I ask anyone relocating here, and it is not a real estate question. Do you want a city that is hustling and bustling, or do you want a quieter town? Because Surrey is firmly the first one.

As of 2024 the population sat above 600,000, and it is expected to reach one million by 2040. More than a thousand people arrive every month. The City of Surrey is spending heavily on hospitals, schools, transit and commercial hubs to keep up, which is why housing demand keeps climbing and why investors watch this city closely.

“Growth is the whole story in Surrey. It is what creates the jobs, and it is also what fills the roads.”

2. Surrey home prices run 40 to 60% below Vancouver

This is the number most people are actually moving for. Housing in Surrey is significantly more affordable than Vancouver, Burnaby or Richmond, and the gap holds across every property type.

Property type	Surrey	Vancouver
Detached home (average)	$1.5M to $2M	$2.5M+
Townhome (entry)	From $750,000	From $1M
Condo (entry)	From $500,000	From $800,000

Put plainly, Surrey runs roughly 40 to 60% cheaper than Vancouver on real estate. That difference is what lets a household buy a townhome in Surrey instead of renting a condo on the west side. It is also why so many Surrey residents commute into Vancouver rather than living there.

Price is only half the picture though. What a Surrey household actually spends every month is a separate exercise, and I walked through it line by line in the true cost of living in Surrey BC.

3. Rent in Surrey is roughly half of Vancouver

If you are renting first, which plenty of newcomers do, a one-bedroom condo in Surrey starts around $1,800 per month. Two bedrooms start around $2,500 and up. In Vancouver you are looking at close to double for the same thing.

Renting for a year while you learn the city is a reasonable play. It is also worth knowing what you give up by waiting, which is the whole argument in buying versus renting in Surrey and Langley.

4. Surrey is one of Canada’s most multicultural cities

More than 60% of Surrey residents are from a visible minority group, and close to 40% of the population is of Indian descent. That shapes daily life here in a way statistics do not really capture: the cultural festivals, the food, the community events, the fact that you can find your people quickly if you have just landed in Canada.

For a lot of families relocating from overseas, this is the deciding factor rather than the price of a townhome. It is worth weighing honestly.

5. Surrey is six communities, not one place

This is the mistake that costs newcomers the most. Surrey is divided into six main communities, and each one offers something different. Home prices, amenities and lifestyle all change as you cross from one into the next.

• South Surrey and White Rock. Affluent, luxury homes, ocean views, a laid-back feel. Suits high earners and retirees.
• Fleetwood. Family friendly, good schools, parks and newer homes. One of the most desirable areas in the city.
• Newton. Diverse, more affordable, close to major shopping. A common landing spot for first-time buyers.
• Cloverdale. Suburban, newer developments, a strong community feel. Very popular with young families.
• Guildford. Busy, built around a large shopping centre, easy highway access.
• Surrey Central. High-rise condos, urban living, major transit hubs. Good for professionals and students.

Choosing between them is the real work of moving to Surrey BC. If you want my honest ranking of where the value sits right now, I named names in the best areas to buy in Surrey, including the two pockets I would be cautious about.

6. Schools are one of Surrey’s strongest cards

Surrey has the largest school district in British Columbia, serving more than 75,000 students. The district offers French immersion programs, IB schools and a private school option in Southridge. Fraser Heights Secondary is another consistently well regarded public choice.

On the post-secondary side, SFU has a Surrey campus, Kwantlen Polytechnic University is here, and a UBC Surrey campus is planned for 2030. If you have teenagers, or you are moving for study, that pipeline matters more than an extra hundred square feet.

7. The commute is better than people expect, and Surrey is still car dependent

The SkyTrain Expo Line connects Surrey to downtown Vancouver in about 40 minutes. Driving takes roughly 40 to 45 minutes outside of the worst of rush hour, with easy access to Highway 1, Highway 99 and the Fraser Highway.

The Surrey to Langley SkyTrain extension is expected in 2028, which will change how the eastern half of the city moves. Bus and cycling networks are improving. All of that said, Surrey is still a car dependent city, so plan on at least one vehicle per working adult unless you are living right on top of a station in Surrey Central.

8. The jobs are increasingly local, and so is the lifestyle

Surrey is emerging as a major transit hub, which is pulling in businesses and tech companies. Unemployment here is low, and healthcare, education, construction and real estate are all hiring. Plenty of residents still commute into Vancouver because the housing is affordable, but the local job market is no longer an afterthought.

The lifestyle side is genuinely underrated. Surrey has more than 800 parks and green spaces, around 200 of them with public amenities, including Bear Creek Park, Green Timbers and Crescent Beach. There are five major recreation centres with pools, gyms and community programs. The city is home to the Surrey Eagles hockey team and to major cricket and soccer leagues. Annual events like Surrey Canada Day, the tree lighting festival and the Cloverdale Rodeo pull families in from across the Lower Mainland.

“So is Surrey the right place for you? It comes down to your lifestyle, your budget, and what you want from a community.”