Why Are People Leaving Surrey, BC? The Real Reasons Behind the Trend

by Alex Dunbar

Why Are People Leaving Surrey, BC? The Real Reasons Behind the Trend

Surrey has been one of Canada's fastest-growing cities for years, attracting newcomers from across the country and around the world. But something has shifted. More and more long-time residents are packing up and heading elsewhere, and the reasons are more layered than you might expect. I've lived in Surrey for over 30 years and I've worked with countless clients navigating exactly this decision, so I want to give you an honest, grounded look at what's actually driving people out.

This isn't a doom-and-gloom post about Surrey. The city still has a lot going for it, and it's still significantly more affordable than Vancouver when you're comparing similar properties. But there are real challenges here, and if you're weighing whether Surrey still fits your life, you deserve a straight answer.

👉 Short Answer: Affordability pressures, traffic frustrations, safety perceptions, rapid overdevelopment, school overcrowding, lifestyle shifts, immigration policy changes, and retirement planning are all pushing Surrey residents to look elsewhere in the Fraser Valley and beyond.

Affordability: Surrey Isn't the Bargain It Once Was

For a long time, Surrey was the go-to option for buyers and renters who couldn't stomach Vancouver prices. That affordability advantage hasn't disappeared entirely, but it's shrunk considerably. Home prices and rent climbed sharply in the years leading up to the 2022 market peak, and while both have pulled back somewhat since then, the gap between Surrey and cities like Langley, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and Mission has narrowed enough that many buyers are now looking further east for better value.

📊 To put some numbers to it: Surrey is still roughly 25 to 35% cheaper than Vancouver for comparable properties, depending on the type, neighbourhood, and age of the building. That's a meaningful difference. But for someone who's been priced out of the Surrey they moved into five or ten years ago, the logical next step is heading to communities where their dollar stretches further and their yard is a bit bigger. The residents who originally chose Surrey for its affordability are now feeling the same squeeze that pushed them here in the first place.

Traffic and Transit: The Daily Grind Is Getting Worse

Ask anyone who commutes through Surrey regularly and you'll hear the same story. Highway 1, Highway 10, Fraser Highway, Scott Road, 64th Avenue, 72nd Avenue: all of them are congested during rush hour in ways that have gotten noticeably worse over the past several years. The city's population has grown faster than its road infrastructure, and that imbalance hits commuters every single morning and evening.

The SkyTrain extension toward Langley is in progress, and it should help in the long run. But right now, the construction is adding to the pain, with lane closures and full road shutdowns creating detours and delays across major corridors. For people commuting daily into Vancouver, Burnaby, or Richmond, the frustration has reached a tipping point. Some are choosing to move closer to where they work, or to communities with better highway access, rather than spend another year grinding through traffic.

Safety Concerns, Rapid Development, and a Changing City

Safety is a sensitive topic when it comes to Surrey, and I want to be fair about it. The city has invested seriously in community policing and crime prevention, and the reality is that most crime and visible homelessness issues are concentrated in specific neighbourhoods rather than spread evenly across the city. That said, perception matters, and the headlines about property crime, auto theft, and gang activity do influence how people feel about raising a family here. Families in particular tend to be highly risk-sensitive when it comes to where they put down roots, and communities like Langley, Maple Ridge, and White Rock have built strong reputations as quieter, safer alternatives.

Beyond safety, the pace of development in Surrey has left a lot of long-time residents feeling like the city they knew is gone. I've watched Whalley and Surrey City Centre transform dramatically over the years, with highrise towers and commercial developments reshaping entire neighbourhoods. For some people, that energy is exciting. For others, it feels crowded, impersonal, and increasingly disconnected from the community feel they moved here for. The pattern I consistently see is that long-time Surrey residents tend to move east or south toward Cloverdale, Clayton, South Surrey, or out of the city entirely. Very few move west or north.

Schools, Lifestyle, and the Pull of Quieter Communities

Surrey's school system has some excellent schools, but rapid population growth has created real pressure on capacity. Overcrowding, larger class sizes, and limited spots in specialized programs are genuine concerns for parents who want more personalized learning environments for their kids. It's worth noting that this isn't unique to Surrey: the same pressures exist across much of the Lower Mainland. Unless you're considering private school, your options are limited regardless of which Metro Vancouver city you're in. But for families already considering a move, it's one more item on the list.

💡 Lifestyle is quietly one of the biggest drivers of relocation, and it's one that doesn't always get enough attention. Surrey's pace is busy and its neighbourhoods are suburban and urban in character. For people who want hiking trails out their back door, a slower rhythm, and closer proximity to lakes, rivers, and mountains, places like rural Maple Ridge, Chilliwack, or Mission offer something Surrey genuinely can't match. The tradeoff is distance from Vancouver and limited rapid transit options, but for anyone who works from home full-time or even part-time, that tradeoff is becoming much easier to accept.

Immigration Policy Changes and Retirement Decisions

Two additional forces are reshaping Surrey's population in ways that are easy to overlook. The first is Canada's recent tightening of immigration policy. The federal government cut permanent resident admissions by roughly 21% for 2025 compared to prior years, and international student permits dropped from over 650,000 in 2023 to a cap of 437,000 for 2025. Surrey has historically been one of the top landing spots for newcomers, so fewer arrivals means less population growth from that pipeline. On top of that, some students and workers on expiring permits are being forced to leave, and I've seen this firsthand with clients who genuinely prefer life here but can't justify staying when opportunities elsewhere pay more, especially when those salaries are in US dollars, which are currently about 40% stronger than the Canadian dollar.

🏡 The second force is retirement. Surrey's busy streets and rising costs don't appeal to everyone nearing retirement, and many long-time homeowners are selling, taking the significant equity they've built over 20-plus years, and relocating to White Rock, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Vancouver Island, or the BC interior. That said, prices in those destinations have climbed too, which has made the math less compelling than it used to be. On the flip side, I'm also seeing more parents partnering with their adult children to buy property together, which keeps families in Surrey while helping younger buyers enter the market.