13 Nov Living wage on the Sunshine Coast now $26.65

November 13, 2025 – ch’atlich/Sechelt

A rising cost of living—especially for housing—has caused the Sunshine Coast’s living wage to accelerate to the highest amount since the calculation began, this year’s report shows.

The region’s 2025 living wage is $26.65 per hour, an increase of 23 cents (0.9%) from the 2024 rate of $26.42 per hour.

BC’s minimum wage is $17.85 per hour, leaving an $8.80 gap between the minimum wage and the Sunshine Coast’s living wage of $26.65.

The living wage is the hourly rate that a full-time worker must earn to cover essential expenses, avoid chronic financial stress and participate in their community. The rate supports a basic, decent standard of living, but without many of the comforts or extras that many take for granted.

“The rising cost of living continues to put pressure on local families, especially when it comes to finding affordable housing and paying for groceries,” says Erin Storey, Executive Director of the Sunshine Coast Foundation. “The living wage helps shine a light on what it really takes to make ends meet in our community. It’s a reminder that when wages fall behind the cost of living, people who work hard every day can still struggle to afford the basics.”

Shelter remains the largest expense in the living wage household budget. Although asking rent prices have started to come down, rents are still rising faster than inflation, and vacancy rates remain low, this year’s report shows.

Food is the second-largest expense in the living wage budget, increasing 3.6 per cent from last year. It remains one of the fastest growing costs for BC households. The report highlights that food insecurity is not just a social issue—it’s a public health emergency with lasting impacts on physical and mental well-being. Food banks have become a lifeline for thousands of households.

“Ongoing investments in childcare affordability, the full rollout of the Canadian Dental Care Plan in May and the recent increase to the BC Rental Assistance Program for families with children ease some pressures on household budgets but the gains have been offset by persistent cost increases, particularly for housing,” says Anastasia French, Managing Director of Living Wage BC.

To better reflect the experiences of different household types, the 2025 Sunshine Coast living wage is based on a weighted average of three scenarios: a two-parent family with two children, a single parent with one child, and a single adult living alone. The calculation was completed by the Sunshine Coast Foundation, BC Policy Solutions, and Living Wage BC.

Positioned between Kitimat ($27.25 per hour) and Kelowna ($25.95 per hour), the Sunshine Coast and Powell River share a living wage of $26.65 per hour, making the two communities’ hourly rate the eighth highest in the province. This is up one spot for the Sunshine Coast, where it came in as the ninth highest in 2024, and no change for Powell River. Of the 27 communities that participated in the 2025 living wage update—the largest number of participants since calculations began—the highest living wage was reported in Whistler ($29.60 per hour), followed by Squamish ($28.00 per hour), and Metro Vancouver ($27.85 per hour).

Over 450 certified employers across the province, including 13 on the Sunshine Coast, have stepped up to pay both direct and contract employees a living wage. Employers who pay their workers a living wage have found real benefits from doing so, including improved retention and morale, says French.

Living wage employers play an important role in reducing working poverty but voluntary action alone cannot resolve BC’s affordability crisis.

The report calls for coordinated efforts from all levels of government to close the gap between the minimum wage and living wage by rolling out policies to lift wages and lower costs, including raising the minimum wage to at least $20 per hour which would benefit about 350,000 workers across British Columbia.

For a full list of participating living wage communities and living wage employers in BC, visit: www.livingwagebc.ca