Cost of living in Calgary now vs. the last minimum wage increase
Alberta hasn’t raised its minimum wage in nearly seven years, making it the only province that hasn’t done so this decade, and it sure isn’t helping ease the cost of living in Calgary.
The last increase was on October 1, 2018, when the minimum wage was set to $15 per hour. Since then, the cost of living has skyrocketed, leaving minimum wage earners with less purchasing power over time.
In large cities like Calgary, the impact can be even greater. Here’s how the cost of living in Calgary has changed since the last minimum wage increase.
Rent
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According to historical average rent pricesĀ 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 2024, the average one-bedroom in Alberta cost $1,360, taking $347 out of your monthly budget.
However, the costs vary by city. Calgary is the most expensive place to rent in Alberta, with Rentals.ca listing the average one-bedroom at $1,583 per month. That’s a big hit to the budget.
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
Apples (1 kg): $4.09
Total:Ā $29.14
Here are these same items cost as of January 2025:
Chicken (1 kg): $13.53
Partly skimmed milk (4 L): $5.31
Butter (1 lb): $5.96
Bread: $3.44
Dozen eggs: $4.89
Bananas (1 kg): $1.66
Apples (1 kg): $5.13
Total:Ā $39.92
That’s $10.78 more for these seven basic items!
Gasoline
According to Stats Canada, this is what the price of gas cost in October 2018 compared to now in Calgary:
October 2018: $1.21/litre
Feburary 2025: $1.50/litre
So, if you’re filling a 50 L tank of gas, it now costs an extra $14.50.
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.
Adding up the totals, life in Calgary costs an extra $649.47 more per month than it did in 2018, leaving practically no wiggle room for minimum wage earners.