living wage ontario

Here's how much you need to earn to afford Toronto vs. elsewhere in Ontario

There is nowhere in Ontario that you can comfortably get by on minimum wage anymore, a new report shows, as the hourly rate required to afford life in and around Toronto just keeps pushing higher.

The Ontario Living Wage Network regularly assesses the cost of basic goods and services such as food, rent, clothing, transportation, communications and medical expenses, and comes up with a per-hour amount that households would need to earn in different parts of the province to meet these needs.

Per the group's latest report, released on Monday, the living wage in the GTA amid inflationary pressures has climbed to $25.05 an hour for a single adult, which is a jump of more than 8 per cent from last year's estimate of $23.15 and 13 per cent from 2021's figure of $22.08.

This makes the region — not even downtown Toronto specifically — up to 34 per cent more expensive to live in than other parts of the province.

liivng wage ontario

The new living wage calculations across Ontario. Infographic from the Ontario Living Wage Network.

Ontario's cheapest locale to live in, Southwest, now has an approximate living wage of $18.65, followed by London-Elgin-Oxford at $18.85. Comparatively, the wage needed to reside in a more populous city like Hamilton is now $20.80 per hour, and in Ottawa, $22.75.

Somewhat surprising is the amount you need to make to cover basic expenses in Grey Bruce Perth Huron Simcoe, which could be considered "the boonies" to some in T.O.: $22.75 an hour, making it the second-priciest region in the province.

"Rental and food inflation continue to drive up living wage rates... [and] the rising cost of living impacts those at the bottom of the wage spectrum the most," the report reads.

It adds that a living wage is a crucial measure as it is "much closer to reality than the politically set minimum wage," which just increased to $16.55 at the start of last month.

Other estimates for the income needed to make ends meet in Toronto are even more brutal, with one study from Policy Alternatives indicating that an individual needs to rake in a minimum of $33.60 hourly to afford rent for a one-bedroom unit in the city.

And if you want to save for a home, you can just forget about it, as you'll need an annual salary of $165k (or about $80 an hour) to be able to afford the average condo here, or a whopping $236k ($113 an hour) for the average single-family home.

Lead photo by

Jeremy Gilbert


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Massive 'glacial-pace' line at Toronto bike share station raises questions about system

Canada's newest colourful coin celebrates the coronation anniversary of King Charles III

Canadian shares why she moved to Taiwan to pay off her debts

TTC service around Toronto is about to get a whole lot faster

Ontario family worth a staggering $71 billion just keeps getting richer

You won't see King Charles on Canada's $20 bill until at least 2027 and here's why

People in Toronto are tired of drivers constantly blocking intersections

Weekend traffic was so bad that the Toronto Marathon was faster than a highway