Metro Vancouver's living wage rises to $25.68 per hour

The amount the average worker needs to make to meet their needs in Metro Vancouver has risen to $25.68 per hour, driven mainly by rising rent and food costs.

The year-over-year increase in the region was 6.6 per cent, or $1.60 per hour.

A living wage is what someone working full time needs to earn to pay for essentials including food, rental housing, transportation and childcare. It is calculated annually by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Living Wage for Families BC.

It's based on a household with two employed adults and two children and does not include expenses related to debt repayment or factor in saving for retirement or post-secondary education.

“Although inflation has dropped from last year’s historic highs, the cost of living across B.C. continues to increase rapidly,” Iglika Ivanova with the CCPA writes in a news release.

Rent rose by $411 or 16.6 per cent compared to last year and food costs went up by $68 per month or 6.6 per cent. Although there have been significant reductions in childcare fees, it has not been enough to drive down the overall cost of living.

B.C.'s minimum wage is $16.75, significantly lower than even the lowest living wage calculated in a B.C. community, which was $20.64 in Dawson Creek.

“In the last two years, the gap between the minimum wage and living wages in B.C. has grown significantly. In Metro Vancouver, this gap is now close to nine dollars per hour,” writes Anastasia French, with Living Wage for Families BC.

The report notes that one-third of two-parent families in Metro Vancouver have total incomes below the living wage.