Dear Qorax.
One positive thing is that rents don't fluctuate like they do in the UAE. like one year a one bd will be 65,000 AED the next it will be 85,000K and recession rates will be 35,000 AED for the same apartment each year. There are laws in Canada and rental comittees ensure that both rights of the tenants and landlords are satified. In short words rents are constant for years to come and are pretty standard across Canada. So this is a postive, no more bullying by an Arab real estate guy hussling you for your money. I just thought I would start with a positive.
Rule of thumb, the closer you are to downtown the more expensive it gets, if you move to Surrey and Richmond which are outskirts of vancouver then the rents are cheaper. You can check rentbc.com it gives you a full listing of all cities in the Vancouver district. But just take it as an example, you will probably find a lot more apartments and houses to rent in Vancouver while your there.
I haven't lived in Vancouver before, so i can't comment on neighbourhoods and schools etc. But I can definately give you tips because I used to live in Canada. Once you get to Vancouver, you can ask around and ppl will definately help you out advising what neighbourhoods are good with schools etc.
Just make sure that you live close by a superstore like spinneys. And make sure that your building or complex has a laundry. In Canada everyone uses a laundry, you have to wash the clothes and dry them using a dryer in the laundry. Don't hang clothes out like they do here in Dubai in the balcony, no body else does that there. If your apartment does not have a laundry then make sure that it is close to one. Very Important!. Trust me. if you don't have a car, the last thing you want is to walk like 2-3 Kms with your laundry to a laundromat, same case with the grocery.
make sure you live close by to a bus stop. Everyone uses the bus there, nothing to be ashamed about unlike dubai. Avoid using cabs they cost a lot. Use the sky train and bus.
You have to get used to walking around a lot, in Canada everyone walks a lot. You'll see once you get there. In Dubai, there is no walking culture. This is the most hardest adaptability factor, you have to do everything yourself.
Oh yeah one more thing the electric voltage is 110 there, so don't take any electric appliance there without a voltage converter that conerts from 110 to 220 V.
Once you get used to the culture you will absolutely love it, Canada is a beautiful country and Canadians are extremely nice.
Weather wise Vancouver is great hardly snows, it snows in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary and the temp goes down to -35. So i rather go to vancouver, yeah i heard it's a lot tougher but it's definately worth it to avoid all these cold cities.
Oh yeah and check this website www.welcomebc.com, very helpful and useful