Workers in the GTA must make $27.70 an hour to make ends meet, around $10 more than the province’s current minimum wage of $17.60, according to a report released by the Ontario Living Wage Network on Monday.
Toronto held on to its top ranking for the highest living wage in Ontario for another year. The average living wage is up just over $1 from last year’s rate of $26 an hour, according to the report, but that 4.6 per cent increase isn’t as steep as other regions in the province.
In the southwest region, which includes Windsor and Essex Counties, the average living wage jumped more than eight per cent, from $19.85 to $21.50, and the region of Dufferin Guelph Wellington Waterloo’s average living wage also rose by a similar margin, from $21.30 to $23.
Across the province, the average living wage has increased by 5.3 per cent, the report said.
“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 said.
What is a living wage?
A living wage is the hourly income a worker needs to earn to “cover their basic expenses and participate in their community,” according to the Ontario Living Wage Network’s website.
The wage is calculated based on the “costs of a basket of goods and services” for the number of people in a two-parent, single-parent or single adult household, as well as the income, taxes and benefits received by these types of households, the organization said. The result is then averaged out based on the proportion of each type of household in Ontario.
Several factors are driving up the living wage, the organization said.
Increasing prices for fresh vegetables and sugary foods have driven up food costs by around four per cent compared to the fall of 2024, the organization said.
Average food expenses per year in the GTA were lower than in other regions of the province, according to data included on the organization’s website, with costs estimated at around $12,056 for a family of four, $5,775 for a single-parent household and $4,140 for a single person.
However, residents of the GTA pay the most per year in the province for shelter, with a family of four paying an average of $34,107, a single-parent household paying $28,165 and a single person paying $25,111, the data shows.
To figure out the living wage, the organization also said it considered clothing, transportation, education, medical, communications and child care costs. “Other expenses” were also included in the calculation, covering household items to personal care, to “minimal recreation and entertainment,” the organization said.
How does the living wage compare across the province?
While Toronto has the highest wage required to make ends meet in the province, the lowest, which is $21.05 in the London Elgin Oxford region, is still more than $3 above Ontario’s minimum wage.
Here’s the breakdown comparing the living wages across Ontario, according to the report.
- GTA region: $27.20, up from $26
- Bruce Grey Huron Perth Simcoe region: $24.60, up from $23.05
- Ottawa region: $23.40, up from $22.80
- Dufferin Guelph Wellington Waterloo region: $23, up from $21.30
- Hamilton region: $22.60, up from $21.30
- East region: $22.20, up from $21.65
- Southwest region: $21.50, up from $19.85
- Brant Haldimand Norfolk Niagara region: $21.40, up from $20.90
- North region: $21.10, up from $20.30
- London Elgin Oxford region: $21.05, up from $19.50
