OTTAWA - Canadians are forking out more for groceries and gas these days and a new analysis of census data suggests there's another strain on the family budget: people in the Vancouver region are spending a bigger portion of their paycheques on housing than they were at the beginning of the decade.
The median cost of housing in the Vancouver region was $10,766 a year -- or $900 a month -- in 2006, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday in a new report on shelter costs across the country.
That means the average household in Vancouver region spent 21.5 per cent of its income on housing and shelter costs in 2006. The previous census data from 2001 indicated households in the Vancouver region spent 21.0 per cent of their income on housing costs.
Statistics Canada defines shelter costs for homeowners as mortgage payments, property taxes, condo fees and utilities. For renters, the costs include rental payments and utilities.
Looking at income-to-shelter-cost ratio is one way of measuring what the government agency calls the "affordability" of housing, including the differences between those who rent and those who have bought a home or condo.
Renters in the Vancouver region generally spend proportionately more of their income on housing costs than home owners who are still carrying a mortgage.
The average renter had to devote $9,734 annually -- or 26.7 per cent of household income -- to housing costs.
Home owners in the Vancouver region with a mortgage had spent a median of $19,646 annually or 25.3 per cent of their income on housing. For those without mortgages, the proportion was much less -- 8.7 per cent for an annual cost of $5,310.
A total of 65.1 per cent of households in the Vancouver region are home owners. That's an increase from five years earlier, when it was 61.0 per cent. Those without mortgages represent 26.4 per cent of households in the community.
Across Canada, the median shelter cost for home owners in 2006 was $10,056 annually and for renters it was $8,057. Across British Columbia, home owners spent $10,521 and renters paid $9,026.
The average Canadian household spent 18.1 per cent of its annual income on housing -- meaning people in the Vancouver region have proportionately higher housing costs than the rest of the country.
The analysis released Wednesday by Statistics Canada is based on census data collected more than two years ago. The next census will be taken in 2011.
The census data on housing costs is for what's known as the census metropolitan area of Vancouver, which represents the city's core boundary as well as outlying suburban areas.
