Here’s how much you need to make per hour to afford life in Ontario’s cities

Prices are going up, which of course means that we now have to earn more to afford the same way of life. A new report by the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) shows us how much the cost of living in Ontario has gone up in recent times.

According to OLWN, the cost of living calculations are created “to show how much a worker must earn per hour in order to make ends meet and enjoy modest participation in civic and cultural community.”

The report breaks down the average costs in every region of Ontario. There are separate calculations for single adults, single parents, and two adults supporting two small children.

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Despite Ontario’s recent minimum wage increase to $15.50 per hour on October 1st, OLWN says that Ontarians must earn anywhere from $18.05 to $23.15 per hour to comfortably make ends meet.

According to OLWN, here’s how much you need to make per hour to afford living in these regions:

• Dufferin Waterloo Guelph-Wellington: $19.95
• Brant Niagara Haldimand Norfolk: $19.80
• London Elgin Oxford: $18.05
• Southwest: $18.15
• Grey Bruce Perth Huron Simcoe: $20.70
• North: $19.70
• Ottawa: $19.60
• Greater Toronto Area: $23.15
• Hamilton: $19.05
• East: $19.05

Many regions saw a steep rise in the cost of living compared to last year, especially Sault Ste. Marie, where the living wage rate rose by 21.6%.

This year’s numbers “emerge from a backdrop of record–breaking inflation and Consumer Price Index increases,” according to OLWN.

“Paying a living wage must be an integral part of responding to the affordability crisis that workers are facing across Ontario,” said OLWN’s Communications Coordinator Craig Pickthorne in a press release.

“Paying poverty wages is corrosive not only to the individual worker and their families, but to workplace health and productivity as well.”