Hourly wage needed to live in Ottawa goes up

The amount of money needed to live in the nation’s capital has gone up, according to the Ontario Living Wage Network, but it is one of the smallest increases across the province.

The organization that helps calculate the average cost of living in major cities in Ontario states that, on average, the cost has gone up 5.3 per cent. To live in the City of Ottawa with the most basic expenses, a worker will need to be paid $23.40, up 2.6 per cent (or $0.60) since 2024.

However, the municipality has the third-highest cost of living in Ontario after Bruce-Grey-Huron-Perth-Simcoe and the Greater Toronto Area. The nation’s capital is more affordable for hourly workers, the data shows.

To live with basic necessities in the GTA, a person would need to make $27.20 an hour, an increase of 4.6 per cent from the year before.

Some smaller regions, like Dufferin-Guelph-Wellington-Waterloo, saw huge year-over-year increases, a jump of 8 per cent. The largest increase (8.3 per cent) in Ontario was in the southwest communities, which include Windsor, Chatham and Sarnia.

“Despite the annual October 1st increase to the provincial minimum wage to $17.60, there is still no place in Ontario where you could work full-time and cover all your expenses,” the report reads.

The organization notes that the living wage calculations included more accurate data for rental costs this year by adding the Rural Ontario Institute’s Rural Housing Information System. Rental costs have “calmed,” the report notes, and in some cases even decreased since 2024.

Costs annually according to household type in Ottawa