GTA Living Wage Rises to $27.60 an Hour, the Highest in Ontario
Living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) keeps getting more expensive. A new report says workers now need to earn at least $27.60 an hour to cover basic costs here. That makes the GTA living wage the highest in Ontario.
The Ontario Living Wage Network shared the new rates this week. Its numbers show the gap between what people need and what the law requires employers to pay.
How Far It Is From Minimum Wage
Ontario’s general minimum wage went up to $17.95 an hour on October 1. That is $9.65 less than the GTA living wage. For a full-time worker, that gap adds up to hundreds of dollars a week.
“It’s a big impact on people that are earning minimum wage,” said Anne Coleman, executive director of the Ontario Living Wage Network, as reported by CBC News.
Coleman said many workers have to make hard choices. “Which bills do you pay? Are you able to provide healthy food for yourself and your family?” she said.
Key Details
- GTA living wage: $27.60 an hour
- Increase from last year: About 40 cents
- Ontario minimum wage: $17.95 an hour
- Lowest living wage in Ontario: $21.15 in London, Elgin and Oxford
- Province-wide increase: About 1.6 per cent since 2025
What $27.60 an Hour Looks Like
Here is a simple way to see the gap. At 35 hours a week, the GTA living wage works out to $966 a week before taxes. A worker on minimum wage would make $628.25 for the same hours. That is a difference of $337.75 every week.
Over a full year, the living wage adds up to about $50,232 before taxes. For many people in Toronto, rent alone takes up a large share of that.
How the Living Wage Is Worked Out
The living wage is not the same as minimum wage. It is the amount a person needs to earn before taxes to pay for basic needs, based on 35 hours of work a week.
- Food
- Rent and other shelter costs
- Clothing and shoes
- Getting around, like transit
- A small emergency fund of four per cent
The network looks at three types of homes: a single adult, a single parent with a seven-year-old, and a two-parent family with kids aged seven and three. It then blends these into one rate for each region.
What Businesses Are Saying
Paying a living wage is a choice for employers, not a law. Coleman says it can help businesses too. “Paying a living wage is also a great way to have a successful business,” she said.
Not everyone agrees. Simon Gaudreault, chief economist at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, has said some small businesses cannot afford to pay that much for some jobs. “Productivity is relatively low in that position,” he told CBC News.
What Happens Next
The Ontario Living Wage Network updates its rates once a year, so the next numbers will come out in late 2027. In the meantime, employers can sign up to become certified living wage employers.
References
- CBC News via Yahoo News Canada, Workers in GTA need to make at least $27.60 to afford reasonable living standard, network says
- Ontario Living Wage Network, Documentation 2026
- UrbanToronto, News Roundup for November 13, 2026
