Here's how much money you need to make to be happy in Vancouver
A new study revealed how much the price of happiness is in major Canadian cities, and Vancouver is unsurprisingly near the top of the list.
Money-transfer company Remitly looked at a Purdue University study on income and happiness, and adjusted the numbers for local purchasing power and inflation.
And yes, money buys happiness, according to the study, but only up to a point. Past that point, called “income satiation,” a bigger paycheque stops moving the needle on how satisfied you feel with your life, the study found.
In Vancouver, that point sits at CAD 166,982, which tied with Toronto for the second-highest price for happiness among Canada’s major cities, according to the report.
However, another B.C. city had an even higher price tag for joy.
Victoria has the highest price of happiness of Canada’s major cities at CAD 169,951. However, it’s less than two per cent higher than that in Vancouver or Toronto.
“The living wage in Victoria has risen in recent years to keep up with soaring costs of living,” said the study.
On the other end, the major Canadian city with the lowest price of happiness is Kingston at CAD 140,513. This is despite Kingston becoming Canada’s fourth-most-expensive city to rent.
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Overall, Canada’s national price of happiness works out to USD 113,755 — a bit cheaper than the U.S., where happiness levels off at USD 134,827 per person. China, by comparison, is USD 71,201.
Remitly got its numbers by reverse-engineering figures obtained from Purdue University’s study into the relationship between happiness and income. Then it adjusted for purchasing power, exchange rates, inflation, and local cost of living using March 2026 data.
You can view the full study on the Remitly website.
A recent emergency readiness poll shows that many people in British Columbia are worried about a surprise expense taking out their rainy day fund.
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According to a recent report by RBC, 42 per cent of B.C. residents reported that they feel they’re just one major unexpected expense away from being financially “over the edge.”
Even a smaller unexpected financial hit could have severe consequences for over a third of B.C. respondents to the national poll.
B.C.’s lowest-paid workers received a boost to the minimum wage starting on June 1, but another recent report revealed an increasing gap between pay and the cost of living in the province.
BC Policy Solutions and Living Wage BC highlighted Statistics Canada data showing that a third of B.C. workers earn less than the living wage in their communities.
With files from Kendall Collins and Allison Stephen