Cost of living in Canadian cities compared
For one adult renting a 1 bedroom alone, Sherbrooke has the lowest basic costs of the 27 cities we cover, about $2,350 a month. Vancouver has the highest, about $3,310. To live comfortably on 40 hours a week, that is $20.97 to $30.21 an hour.
| City | 1 bedroom rent | Basic costs a month | Wage to cover basics | Wage to live comfortably | Local living wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SherbrookeQC | $905 | $2,347 | $15.95 | $20.97 | $34,814/yr after tax |
| CharlottetownPE | $1,066 | $2,510 | $16.89 | $22.72 | $24.70 (family of 4) |
| Saint JohnNB | $1,001 | $2,516 | $17.01 | $22.49 | $24.44 (family of 4) |
| Québec CityQC | $1,107 | $2,568 | $17.84 | $23.40 | $37,540/yr after tax |
| St. John'sNL | $1,064 | $2,602 | $17.82 | $23.46 | $27.50 (family of 4) |
| MontréalQC | $1,131 | $2,612 | $18.22 | $23.92 | $41,585/yr after tax |
| WindsorON | $1,193 | $2,644 | $17.26 | $23.17 | $21.85 (mixed households) |
| MonctonNB | $1,164 | $2,693 | $18.81 | $24.42 | $25.54 (family of 4) |
| AbbotsfordBC | $1,278 | $2,707 | $18.07 | $23.70 | $24.25 (mixed households) |
| WinnipegMB | $1,232 | $2,735 | $19.21 | $25.14 | $20.31 (family of 4) |
| ReginaSK | $1,240 | $2,736 | $18.85 | $24.65 | $22.50 (family of 4) |
| FrederictonNB | $1,208 | $2,751 | $19.27 | $25.05 | $26.32 (family of 4) |
| SaskatoonSK | $1,281 | $2,774 | $19.16 | $25.08 | $21.50 (family of 4) |
| LondonON | $1,371 | $2,812 | $19.06 | $25.09 | $21.15 (mixed households) |
| GatineauQC | $1,362 | $2,828 | $20.07 | $26.41 | $43,494/yr after tax |
| HamiltonON | $1,402 | $2,855 | $19.40 | $25.52 | $23.10 (mixed households) |
| EdmontonAB | $1,301 | $2,860 | $19.44 | $25.35 | $22.65 (mixed households) |
| KingstonON | $1,503 | $2,913 | $19.89 | $26.13 | $22.80 (mixed households) |
| Kitchener-WaterlooON | $1,546 | $2,979 | $20.43 | $26.85 | $23.40 (mixed households) |
| KelownaBC | $1,597 | $3,047 | $20.97 | $27.32 | $25.95 (mixed households) |
| OshawaON | $1,586 | $3,052 | $21.03 | $27.64 | $22.80 (mixed households) |
| HalifaxNS | $1,539 | $3,052 | $22.34 | $29.71 | $30 (family of 4) |
| VictoriaBC | $1,624 | $3,079 | $21.23 | $27.66 | $27.40 (mixed households) |
| OttawaON | $1,593 | $3,086 | $21.32 | $28.02 | $24.10 (mixed households) |
| CalgaryAB | $1,581 | $3,189 | $22.08 | $28.94 | $26.90 (mixed households) |
| TorontoON | $1,761 | $3,221 | $22.43 | $29.58 | $27.60 (mixed households) |
| VancouverBC | $1,807 | $3,308 | $23.07 | $30.21 | $27.85 (mixed households) |
One adult, 1 bedroom rented alone, adult transit pass, 40 hours a week, 2026 taxes. Living wages come from local bodies and are for different households (a family of four, or a mix of household types), not for one adult living alone, so compare them with care. Check your own pay and household.
How the checker works
- Take-home pay: your pay for 52 weeks, minus 2026 federal and provincial income tax, CPP or QPP, EI and, in Quebec, QPIP. In Ontario it includes the LIFT tax credit for low incomes. It adds the Canada Child Benefit, the Groceries and Essentials Benefit and the Canada Workers Benefit. The Canada Workers Benefit is left out in Quebec and Alberta, which set their own amounts, and its disability supplement and the extra amount for a couple's second earner are not included.
- Not included in take-home pay: provincial benefits and credits (such as the Ontario Trillium Benefit, Ontario Child Benefit, B.C. Family Benefit, Alberta Child and Family Benefit, and Quebec's solidarity tax credit and work premium), other provinces' low-income tax reductions, RRSP savings, union dues and other income. Many people on low pay get some of these, so their real budget is often a little better than shown.
- Rent: CMHC's average rent for your home size, October 2025. Roommates split it in two. It includes long-time tenants, so new leases usually cost more. Where CMHC did not publish a 3 bedroom rent, the 2 bedroom average is used and the result says so.
- Electricity and heat: Statistics Canada's 2023 average for your province, adjusted to what renters spend. It is the same for every home size, so a large home may cost more.
- Food, phone, clothes and other basics: Statistics Canada's Market Basket Measure for 2025, the cost of a modest standard of living used for Canada's poverty line, sized to your household.
- Getting around: the local adult monthly transit pass for each adult, or the cost of running one used compact car from the same Statistics Canada basket.
- Child care: for the 3-year-old, the full-time licensed fee for a child under 6 in your city, from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' 2026 survey (Quebec's $9.65 a day reduced rate in Quebec), at 21.75 weekdays a month. Many families wait for a space at this fee. Before- and after-school care for the 7-year-old is not included. Enter your own monthly cost to replace the estimate. Where no fee is published, we ask for yours before giving an answer.
- The answer: "Not enough" if costs are higher than take-home pay. "Tight" if less than a fifth of take-home pay is left. "Comfortable" if a fifth or more is left.
Not included: debt payments, tuition and savings goals. This is an estimate to help you plan, not tax or financial advice.
Common questions
What is the cheapest city to live in Canada?
Of the 27 cities in this checker, Sherbrooke has the lowest basic costs for one adult renting a 1 bedroom alone, about $2,350 a month.
What is the most expensive city to live in Canada?
Vancouver, at about $3,310 a month in basic costs for one adult renting a 1 bedroom alone. Rent is the biggest part.
What wage do you need to live comfortably in Canada?
For one adult living alone in a 1 bedroom and working 40 hours a week, from about $20.97 an hour in Sherbrooke to $30.21 in Vancouver.
Sources
Rent: CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada, October 2025. Food, phone, clothes and other basics: Statistics Canada Market Basket Measure, 2025. Transit: each city's transit agency, checked November 14, 2026. Living wages: Ontario Living Wage Network, Living Wage for Families BC, Alberta Living Wage Network, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Manitoba, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Saskatchewan, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Atlantic, Human Development Council (New Brunswick), IRIS (Institut de recherche et d'informations socioéconomiques). Each city page lists every source with its date.