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Average Income by City in Canada | Median Salaries by Metro Area

Updated

✅ Key Takeaways
  • Ottawa-Gatineau had the highest median individual income ($49,200 in 2020), and Calgary the highest average household income ($131,600)
  • Toronto and Vancouver have high nominal incomes but some of the worst income-to-housing ratios in Canada
  • Median household income is high in Calgary ($100,000) and Ottawa-Gatineau ($98,000) due to dual-income couples and professional sector jobs
  • Resources cities (Fort McMurray) and territorial capitals (Whitehorse) rank highest per capita but have high costs
  • Median income is a better benchmark than average: a few high earners inflate mean figures in every major city

Incomes vary dramatically across Canadian cities: in the table below, median household income in the highest-earning metro (Oshawa) is 37% higher than in the lowest (Moncton). Understanding where your city ranks helps with career negotiations, relocation decisions, and putting housing affordability in context.

Average and median income by city in Canada

This table shows individual and household total (before-tax) income for major Canadian census metropolitan areas (CMAs) from the 2021 Census, which reports 2020 incomes. It is the most recent source that covers all of these cities on the same basis:

City / CMAMedian Individual IncomeAverage Individual IncomeMedian Household IncomeAverage Household Income
Ottawa–Gatineau$49,200$61,900$98,000$119,500
Calgary$44,800$65,500$100,000$131,600
Edmonton$45,600$59,400$96,000$116,800
Greater Toronto Area (Toronto CMA)$39,600$59,250$97,000$129,000
City of Toronto$39,200$62,050$84,000$121,200
Kitchener–Waterloo–Cambridge$42,400$54,700$92,000$112,100
Metro Vancouver$40,800$56,650$90,000$117,300
City of Vancouver$42,000$62,250$82,000$114,900
Saskatoon$44,000$55,750$89,000$107,300
Regina$47,200$58,100$90,000$109,700
Winnipeg$40,400$51,500$83,000$102,300
Hamilton$42,400$57,650$91,000$116,800
Halifax$42,000$52,600$81,000$98,900
Quebec City$46,000$54,100$76,500$93,800
Greater Montreal$40,800$53,600$76,000$98,400
London, Ontario$40,400$51,200$79,500$98,500
Victoria$45,600$57,350$85,000$107,000
Kelowna$41,600$54,950$85,000$106,900
St. John’s, NL$42,800$56,300$85,000$107,000
Moncton$40,000$48,000$74,500$89,700
Greater Sudbury$44,800$55,200$84,000$103,000
Thunder Bay$43,200$51,950$80,000$96,100
Windsor$40,000$51,080$82,000$102,300
Oshawa / Durham Region (Oshawa CMA)$44,000$56,100$102,000$120,500
Abbotsford–Mission$38,400$48,400$91,000$109,000
Canada$41,200$54,450$84,000$106,300

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Tables 98-10-0061-01 and 98-10-0060-01 (household income) and 98-10-0068-01 and 98-10-0070-01 (individuals aged 15 and over with income), 2020 income year; City of Toronto and City of Vancouver rows are from the 2021 Census Profile for each city (census subdivision). The Canadian Income Survey publishes more recent (2024) figures for eight large CMAs only; on that basis the highest median individual income was in Ottawa-Gatineau ($55,500 in 2024).

“Individual income” includes all income sources (employment, self-employment, government transfers, investment). “Household income” captures all members of the household combined.

What drives Calgary and Ottawa incomes

Calgary

Calgary’s incomes are driven by its energy sector. Even outside of extraction roles, oil and gas companies employ large numbers of engineers, accountants, lawyers, HR professionals and managers. The financial and corporate services sector supporting the energy industry pays well. Calgary also has no provincial sales tax, and Alberta’s provincial income tax is graduated from 8% to 15% with no additional surtax. Once basic personal amounts are counted, provincial income tax at $55,000 in 2026 is $2,262 in Alberta, $2,546 in Ontario and $2,205 in BC; at $150,000 it is $11,470, $14,608 and $11,552.

Ottawa–Gatineau

Ottawa’s incomes reflect the federal public service. Public administration employees averaged $46.39 an hour in 2025, versus $36.40 across all industries, making it the fourth-highest-paying industry by average wage. The pension benefits, job security and collectively bargained wage increases of the federal public service translate into stable household incomes. The tech sector (Shopify, Ciena, Kinaxis, and dozens of federal contractors) further boosts professional incomes.

After-tax income by city

Pre-tax income doesn’t tell the full story. Provincial tax rates vary significantly. The table below estimates 2026 take-home pay on a $55,000 salary after federal and provincial income tax (with basic personal amounts and other standard credits), CPP or QPP, EI and, in Quebec, QPIP:

CityProvinceApprox. After-Tax Income on $55,000 SalaryDifference vs. Ontario ($/year)
Ottawa (ON side)Ontario$43,861baseline
TorontoOntario$43,861baseline
CalgaryAlberta$44,146284
EdmontonAlberta$44,146284
SaskatoonSaskatchewan$43,188-673
WinnipegManitoba$42,453-1,408
HalifaxNova Scotia$41,523-2,339
MontrealQuebec$42,192-1,669
VancouverBC$44,203341

Computed live from the site’s 2026 tax, CPP/QPP, EI and QPIP data for a single employee with employment income only; a negative difference means less take-home pay than in Ontario.

On a $55,000 salary, take-home pay is $284 more in Alberta than in Ontario and $341 more in BC than in Ontario. Ontario’s and BC’s bottom-bracket rates are 5.05% and 5.6%, against Alberta’s 8% starting rate with its larger basic personal amount. At higher incomes, Alberta’s lack of a surtax matters too, since Ontario’s surtax catches many higher earners.

Use the income tax calculator to model your specific after-tax income in any province.

Income relative to housing costs by city

Nominal income figures are only part of the picture. What matters financially is how much income is left after housing costs, the income-to-housing ratio.

CityMedian HH Income (2020, before tax)Home Price, August 2026Price-to-Income RatioMonthly Mortgage (4%, 25yr, 20% down)% of Gross Income
Calgary$100,000$638,440 (average)6.4×$2,68732%
Edmonton$96,000$469,602 (average)4.9×$1,97625%
Saskatoon$89,000$444,700 (MLS HPI benchmark)5.0×$1,87125%
Ottawa$98,000$688,253 (average)7.0×$2,89635%
Halifax$81,000about $592,675 (average, approx.)~7.3×$2,49437%
Winnipeg$83,000$393,463 (average)4.7×$1,65624%
Montreal$76,000about $689,824 (average, approx.)~9.1×$2,90346%
Toronto (GTA)$97,000$993,410 (average)10.2×$4,18052%
Vancouver (Metro)$90,000$1,081,900 (MLS HPI benchmark)12.0×$4,55361%

Home prices are August 2026 figures from each local real estate board, via the site’s housing-market pages (linked). Boards publish different measures: Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Toronto (GTA) are average sale prices, while Saskatoon and Metro Vancouver publish only the MLS HPI benchmark (the price of a typical home), which is not directly comparable with an average. No board-published Montreal or Halifax price level was available, so those two rows use an approximate average from a third-party aggregator of board data. Median household income is the 2021 Census figure for 2020 (CMA level), so these ratios compare 2020 incomes to 2026 prices and should be read as directional. Mortgage payments assume a 25-year amortization at an illustrative 4% compounded semi-annually, as is standard for Canadian fixed-rate mortgages.

In Toronto and Vancouver, a household at the median income cannot afford a typical home without a large pre-existing down payment (inheritance, equity from a previous property, or family assistance).

The ratio column shows how far each city’s home prices are from local household income.

Income growth has varied by city. The table compares median total income of people with income in 2021 and 2023, the latest year of tax-filer data:

City (CMA)Median total income 2021Median total income 2023Change
Halifax$43,150$47,320+9.7%
Montreal$41,670$45,640+9.5%
Ottawa–Gatineau$51,580$56,040+8.6%
Vancouver$41,840$45,230+8.1%
Winnipeg$40,420$43,430+7.4%
Calgary$45,470$48,810+7.3%
Toronto$39,670$41,900+5.6%
Edmonton$46,180$48,730+5.5%
Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo$43,250$45,570+5.4%
Canada$41,650$45,000+8.0%

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 11-10-0008-01 (tax filers and dependants with income, all ages). Figures are in current dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

In Halifax, the median income changed by +9.7% between 2021 and 2023, against +8.0% nationally; the table shows each city’s change. Tax-filer data does not show why incomes grew faster in some cities than others.

Income by occupation in major cities

Wages for specific occupations also vary by geography. Selected examples, using Job Bank median wages converted to annual at 1,950 hours:

Occupation (NOC 2021)TorontoCalgaryVancouver (Lower Mainland)OttawaHalifax
Software engineers and designers$110,156$101,244$121,875$110,624$96,564
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses$79,151$93,620$92,703$87,750$81,900
Financial auditors and accountants$80,613$84,377$74,997$85,001$71,253
Electricians (except industrial and power system)$67,977$78,000$67,412$74,978$60,450
Secondary school teachers$92,625$91,884$86,444$93,756$80,633
Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers$34,320$33,150$37,050$34,320$32,175

Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wage data by economic region (mostly 2023 to 2024 Labour Force Survey data; the Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa electrician figures are 2024 small-area estimates). Medians are hourly wages times 1,950 hours.

Across these five cities, the highest median was in Calgary for electricians, Calgary for registered nurses and Vancouver (Lower Mainland) for software engineers.

How to use income data for salary negotiations

City income benchmarks are a useful starting point for salary negotiations, but they need context:

  1. Use occupation-specific data — City-level medians blend high and low earners across all jobs. Compare your specific role using Labour Force Survey occupational data or sector salary surveys.
  2. Compare employers, not just cities: pay for the same role can differ between employers, so check offers against occupation data for your region rather than a citywide median.
  3. Account for benefits and pension — A $90,000 salary with a defined-benefit pension and full benefits is worth more than a $100,000 salary with no pension and bare-minimum benefits.
  4. Compare after-tax: If you are considering a move to Alberta, calculate the net after-tax gain. After 2026 income tax and payroll deductions, an $80,000 salary in Alberta takes home about $60,698, about as much as an $86,000 salary in Quebec ($60,695).

Use the salary calculator to convert between pay periods and see your after-tax take-home pay.

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Sources

The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 5, 2026 and September 24, 2026. How we check facts.

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