Canada is an expensive place to live, but people from British Columbia are up for the title of living in the most expensive province in the country. It’s easy to live in beautiful B.C., look up at the mountains, and wonder if your salary is enough to keep up with all the bills.
But what about the other provinces? Is B.C. making more or less than the rest of the country?
B.C. SALARY AND INCREASING WAGES
A recent Statistics Canada report shows that “year over year, average weekly earnings were up 3.7% in June, following a 3.3% increase in May.” Growth in average weekly earnings are reflective of a number of factors, ranging from a change in wages to working hours. Generally, earnings are up, with working hours remaining fairly stable throughout 2025.
As of June 2025, the average Canadian earns $1,302.11 per week. Comparatively, British Columbians earn $1,304.22 each week. It seems like B.C. is on par with the rest of the country, with the province having the closest weekly wage to the national average.
B.C.’s wages also increased by 2.6% from June 2024 to June 2025.
COMPARING THE NUMBERS
As for the other provinces– and territories– B.C. sits basically in the middle of it all. The province is as average as average can be, which may be surprising if you consider that B.C. is the most expensive province to live in.
Here’s how everyone in Canada stacks up per week and salaried:
- Nunavut: $1,743.97 ($91.631 per year)
- Northwest Territories: $1,737.69 ($90,360 per year)
- Yukon: $1.499.51 ($77,975 per year)
- Alberta: $1,369.72 ($71,225 per year)
- Ontario: $1,334.55 ($69,397 per year)
- British Columbia: $1,304.22 ($67,819 per year)
- Newfoundland and Labrador: $1,270.69 ($66,076 per year)
- Saskatchewan: $1,264.31 ($65,477 per year)
- Quebec: $1,258.30 ($65,432 per year)
- New Brunswick: $1,194.63 ($62,121 per year)
- Manitoba: $1,170.07 ($60,844 per year)
- Nova Scotia: $1,147.28 ($59,659 per year)
- Prince Edward Island: $1,144.78 ($59,529 per year)
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