The 2019 living wage for Metro Vancouver is $19.50/hour. This is the amount needed for a family of four with each of two parents working full-time at this hourly rate to pay for necessities, support the healthy development of their children, escape severe financial stress and participate in the social, civic and cultural lives of their communities.

Notably, the 2019 living wage is $1.41/hour lower than last year. Although the cost of living—and particularly the cost of housing—continues to rise, the new child care investments rolled out by the BC government significantly improve affordability for modest- and middle-income families with young children. This is the first major reduction in the Metro Vancouver living wage in the 11-year history of the calculation. The decrease in the living wage demonstrates the power of good public policy to improve affordability for families and reduce pressure on employers having to pay high wages.

However, at $19.50 the Metro Vancouver living wage remains much higher than BC’s minimum wage (currently $12.65 and scheduled to increase to $13.85 in June). A large number of families earn less than a living wage in our province and struggle to make ends meet.

Learn more by reading Working for a Living Wage 2019.