The cost of living in Alberta when the minimum wage last went up vs. now

Alberta hasn’t raised its minimum wage in nearly six years, and it’s the only province or territory in Canada that hasn’t raised the minimum wage this decade.

The last increase came on October 1, 2018, when the minimum wage was set to $15 per hour. And as the cost of living has shot up in the years since, it means that those working for minimum wage right now have less income to work with as time goes on.

We took a look at how much life cost in Alberta the last time the minimum wage went up compared to now.

Rent

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According to historical average rent prices from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) rental market survey, the average one-bedroom apartment in Alberta in October 2018 cost $1,013 per month.

In October 2023, the average one-bedroom in Alberta cost $1,245. Between those two averages, housing takes an extra $232 out of your monthly budget.

However, depending on the city you live in, this total could be much higher, with the average one-bedroom currently costing $1,711 in Calgary and $1,312 in Edmonton.

Food

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We compared the prices of staple grocery items between 2018 and now. According to Statistics Canada, these were the average retail food prices of items in October 2018:

Chicken (1 kg): $7.64
Partly skimmed milk (4 L): $5.25
Butter (1 lb): $4.77
Bread: $2.75
Dozen eggs: $3.07
Bananas (1 kg): $1.57
Peanut butter (500 g): $3.11

Total: $28.16

Since Stats Canada does not provide data on retail food prices beyond October 2022, we looked at the price of the same essential items at Superstore right now:

Chicken (1 kg): $11
Partly skimmed milk (4 L): $5.39
Butter (1 lb): $6.49
Bread: $3.69
Dozen eggs: $4.04
Bananas (1 kg): $1.74
Peanut butter (500 g): $4.99

Total: $37.34

That’s nearly $10 more for these seven basic items!

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Gasoline

According to Stats Canada, this is what the price of gas cost in October 2018 and 2023:

October 2018:

Calgary: $1.21/litre
Edmonton: $1.19/litre

October 2023:

Calgary: $1.37/litre
Edmonton:$1.38/litre

So, if you’re filling a 50 L tank of gas, you’re paying $8 more in Calgary now and an extra $9.50 in Edmonton.

Utilities

According to Atco, the average Albertan home uses 600 kWh of electricity monthly. In 2018, 600 kWh of electricity would have cost about $41.23. Compare that to October 2023, at 11.039 cents per kWh, using the same amount of electricity would cost $66.28 monthly. That’s an extra $25.05 added to your bill, and that’s before transmission fees and all those extras.

So, if you add up all of these totals, life in Alberta costs an extra $275.65 now compared to 2018.