Rent is about $1100 for a small, older apartment. Rooms go for about $500 to $700. The closer to UFV then more expensive, obviously. I wouldn’t recommend living near UFV. It is isolated and there is nothing near it, even cafes on campus close early. Bus system kind of sucks except for a few major routes. I took the bus and it is ok, but sometimes they don’t show or are late. It has gotten better in the few years though. Connections to other cities in Lower Mainland are still terrible, you need to give yourself a lot of extra time. I lived in Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver, North Vancouver and New Westminster and I think that Abbotsford is safer (except maybe for Burnaby and North Vancouver). I live near city centre (not downtown) and everything is very close and accessible. Lots of places to rent around here. UFV SW department is ok. It is a fairly small school (I went to UBC for my undergrad) and leans very conservative. The SW department had some major staffing issues and outdated curriculum, but I think this might be changing. I can tell you more if you want. Let me know.