How much money do you need to make to live comfortably in Toronto?

$18.52 and hour, according to a new report from left-leaning advocacy group the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Ontario office (CCPA-Ontario).

The report is called Making Ends Meet and is written by CCPA-Ontario economist Kaylie Tiessen. It draws on a “national living wage methodological framework to reflect what a living wage in Toronto is in 2015.”

The breakdown is specifically for a healthy family of 4 with 2 children, one in full-time daycare and one in before-and-after-school care. Both parents work full time and one is taking evening courses at a local college.

The cost of living includes rent, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical expenses, internet, personal care, and monthly family outings, among other things. They do take a family vacation, but it’s priced at $1,036.76, which is not exorbitant.

The calculations account for both market and government income.

According to a press release, Tiessen says, “When you take into account what it actually costs to rent an apartment, pay hydro, own a vehicle, pay for a TTC pass, buy groceries, and pay for child care, it means two working parents need to bring in a total of $72,242 a year in order to make ends meet for their family of four.”

CCPA-Ontario Director Trish Hennessy says, “Toronto is joining an international movement: already, employers in Ontario, Canada, and around the world are adopting living wage policies. In the U.K., more than 1,200 employers have signed living wage declarations; in 2014, the mayor of New York expanded living wages to thousands of city workers by requiring companies that do over $1 million in business with the city to pay a living wage; and in Ontario there is a growing number of living wage employers in Hamilton and Waterloo.”

Minimum wage in Ontario is currently $11.25.

You can read more about the calculations here.

The Centre for Policy Alternatives has done similar calculations for cities in Canada, in provinces West of Ontario. The calculations haven’t been done for every city yet but Tiessen tells me they’re coming soon.

Here, according to the CCPA reports, is what this same type of family needs to earn per hour in the major city listed per province.

Do these sound about right to you? How much would you need to earn in the cities that are not listed?

Vancouver: $20.10
Calgary: $17.29
Regina: $16.46
Winnipeg: $14.07

Related:
How much you need to earn to buy a house in every major Canadian city
How much it costs to rent an apartment in cities across Canada
See how your age, race, gender, & education impact your earnings in every Canadian province