I'm glad you mentioned Vancouver. My wife went to Seattle for a conference several years ago and everyone from the left coast told her she needed to go to Vancouver while she was there. Unfortunately, she was very busy at the conference and couldn't go. When I mentioned it to her (along with Calgary) she got really excited about it.
Although Vancouver does seem more expensive, as you said, she's definitely wanting to go there instead of anywhere else in Canada. Now, she's wanting to go whale watching there too.
yall gonna love it