We’re number 250: Kelowna slumps in national ranking of ‘Canada’s Best Places to Live’

Those who enjoy Kelowna’s sunshine, beaches and wineries might be surprised to learn that the city has dropped off drastically in a national ranking of “Canada’s Best Places to Live.”

The annual list, put together by Money Sense, has Kelowna in 250th place, a significant drop from last year, when the Okanagan’s largest city ranked 100.

Money Sense cautions that it “made a number of tweaks and adjustments to this year’s ranking. That means this year’s results are not directly comparable to previous years.”

However, it is interesting that many of the city’s stats have changed from year to year.

Money Sense said the average value of primary real estate was up $638,667 this year from $510,948 in 2017, while the average property tax bill in Kelowna also increased by more than $300 between this year and last year. The list’s methodology favours lower property prices.

Kelowna’s crime rate was also up in 2018 but the violent crime severity index was down.

Meanwhile, the list ranked Penticton at 383 and Vernon at 370.