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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Healthcare quality in Edmonton: 76/100 (Canada avg: 63/100). Full healthcare and quality-of-life breakdown vs Alberta cities.
Healthcare quality in Edmonton: 76/100 (Canada avg: 63/100). Full healthcare and quality-of-life breakdown vs Alberta cities.
Edmonton: cost index 108 (+2 vs national avg 106), rent $1,800/month.
Alberta region average cost index: 106. Edmonton is +2 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 58/100 — safety 55, healthcare 76, walkability 48.
Safety score: 55/100 (crime rate 72.8/1k). National average: 63/100.
Most comparisons stop at rent. We didn't. Edmonton has a cost index of 108 — 2 points above the Canada national average of 106. Median income is $82,000 with rent at $1,800/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 26%. This is where the math gets real for actual people.
Context matters here. looking at Alberta as a whole, the spread across all 21 cities is 14 points on the cost index. St. John's sits at the other end with index 94 and rent of $1,200/mo. That gap is hard to ignore.
On quality of life, Edmonton scores a composite score of 58/100 — reflecting its safety (55), healthcare (76), and walkability (48) metrics. But here's the flip side: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Canada is a good example of that tension.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 108 | $1,800 | $82,000 |
| 2 | Ottawa | 113 | $2,100 | $86,000 |
| 3 | Vancouver | 134 | $2,850 | $80,000 |
| 4 | Toronto | 126 | $2,750 | $82,000 |
| 5 | Victoria | 120 | $2,300 | $76,000 |
| 6 | Quebec City | 96 | $1,350 | $63,500 |
| 7 | Calgary | 114 | $2,050 | $86,500 |
| 8 | Mississauga | 118 | $2,450 | $80,000 |
| 9 | Montreal | 104 | $1,700 | $66,000 |
| 10 | Hamilton | 110 | $1,880 | $76,000 |
| 11 | London | 101 | $1,660 | $68,500 |
| 12 | Laval | 101 | $1,500 | $67,500 |
| 13 | Surrey | 124 | $2,420 | $74,000 |
| 14 | Halifax | 100 | $1,720 | $66,000 |
| 15 | Winnipeg | 93 | $1,420 | $67,500 |
| 16 | Saskatoon | 96 | $1,480 | $72,000 |
| 17 | Regina | 94 | $1,370 | $70,000 |
| 18 | Fredericton | 92 | $1,260 | $61,000 |
| 19 | Saint John | 90 | $1,210 | $59,000 |
| 20 | Charlottetown | 93 | $1,340 | $59,500 |
Edmonton — cost index 108, rent $1,800/mo, income $82,000, QoL 58/100.
Ottawa — cost index 113, rent $2,100/mo, income $86,000, QoL 64/100.
Vancouver — cost index 134, rent $2,850/mo, income $80,000, QoL 59/100.
Toronto — cost index 126, rent $2,750/mo, income $82,000, QoL 56/100.
Victoria — cost index 120, rent $2,300/mo, income $76,000, QoL 66/100.
Edmonton has a cost index of 108 (national avg: 106), rent $1,800/mo, median income $82,000/yr, and a quality of life score of 58/100.
The Alberta region of average QoL score is 61/100. Edmonton leads with 58/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include Statistics Canada, CMHC, CRA.
Edmonton: cost index 108, rent $1,800/mo, income $82,000/yr, QoL 58/100. Ottawa: cost index 113, rent $2,100/mo, income $86,000/yr, QoL 64/100.
This analysis uses data from Statistics Canada, CMHC, CRA to rank cities in Canada. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.