Living Wage

A Living Wage is the hourly wage that two adults, working full-time, must make to support the basic expenses of a family of four, once government taxes, credits, deductions, and subsidies are considered. It is different from, and usually higher than, the minimum wage, which is the legal minimum that employers must pay. It does not include debt repayment or savings for future plans. 

What’s New?

Working in conjunction with Living Wage for Families BC and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC Office (CCPA-BC) the living wage on the Sunshine Coast is now estimated to be $25.41 an hour, which is a 5.4 per cent increase ($1.31) from 2022, the 2023 Living Wage Update report shows.

Although inflation has come down from the historic highs recorded in 2022, the cost of living on the Sunshine Coast continues to increase rapidly. New public investments to substantially reduce child care fees and provide a dental benefit for children, and increases to key income-tested BC government benefits have helped counterbalance some of the increases in the cost of living, but the savings are almost entirely consumed up by rising prices of two essential family expenses: food and shelter.

For more information, read our full 2023 living wage update here.  

Previous living wage updates are reports are available here:
2022
2021