The so-called ‘living wage’ needed to comfortably cover living expenses in the Greater Toronto Area has reached nearly $28 an hour, according to a new report. Ontario raised its hourly minimum wage rate in October, pushing it to $17.95 on Oct. 1. Ontario’s minimum wage is among the highest across the country but it still falls short to what the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) says is needed to comfortably live in the GTA. According to OLWN, full-time workers in the GTA now need to make at least $27.60 an hour to support themselves, which is a $9.65 difference from the current provincial rate. Last year’s calculations for the GTA had the hourly rate at $27.20, reflecting a 40 cent increase this year. The group says Ottawa saw the highest increase year-over-year, rising three per cent from $23.40 to $24.10 per hour. “Even in the region with the lowest living wage rate, a person working full-time at minimum wage would still fall short of what they need to cover basic expenses,” the network said. To calculate a living wage, the group considers the living expenses across 10 regions in Ontario for three types of households: a single adult, a single parent caring for a seven-year-old child, and two 35-year-old parents supporting two young children. The hourly rate reflects the before-tax income each adult needs to earn to cover living expenses, like food, shelter, childcare, transportation and recreation costs. OLWN also factors in applicable government taxes, benefits and transfers. OLWN broke down how much each household would need to pay for each living expenses, too. Using Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index as a metric, OLWN says a family of four needs $12,914 for groceries in the GTA. A single adult needs $4,469 for the year and a single parent needs $6,186, OLWN says. To cover living expenses in the GTA, including hydro bills and tenant insurance, a family of four living in a three-bedroom apartment needs $34,802 while a single individual in a one-bedroom unit needs $25,501. A single parent living in a two-bedroom apartment needs $28,603 for the year. A family of four in Ontario needs $2,992 for clothing and shoes for the year. A single parent needs $1,724, OLWN says, and a single person $616 for the year. To cover other expenses—including a vast array of expenses from toiletries, household supplies, family outings, birthday presents and internet expenses, among others—the OLWN says a family of four in the GTA needs an average of $12,047, a single parent $5,995, and a single adult $3,845 for the year. OLWN also included the cost of one car and one adult transit pass for a family of four in its calculations. In the GTA, this would total $9,689 for the year. For a single parent driving a car in the GTA, OLWN said they would need $7,462, while a single adult using public transit would need $1,959. The network said childcare costs average at $21.05 each day in 2026 across Ontario. These costs include daily fees for full-time care for a three-year-old and before and after school care for a school-aged child. In the GTA, a family of four would need an average of $12,565 a year to cover those fees while a single parent would need $7,062. These are the hourly living wage rates for Ontario this year:
