Ottawa renters need to earn more than double the minimum wage to afford a vacant one-bedroom apartment in the capital, according to a new report. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a report titled “Making Rent: The CCPA’s rental wage update 2024” on Thursday, looking at the hourly wage needed to afford rent while working a standard 40-hour week and spending 30 per cent of their income on housing. The report shows the average asking rent for vacant rental units in Ottawa in the first quarter of 2025 was $2,010 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,490 for a two-bedroom unit. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the average hourly wage required to afford a vacant unit in Ottawa is $39 for a one-bedroom apartment and $48 an hour for a two-bedroom apartment. Ontario’s minimum wage is $17.20 an hour. The report does note market rents are “higher, ‘often much higher,’ than average rents” for all renters. In Kingston, the average wage required to afford a vacant apartment is $33 an hour for a one bedroom and $39 for a two-bedroom apartment. The report shows the average hourly wage to rent an apartment in Gatineau is $29 for a one bedroom and $32 for two-bedroom apartments. “There is an affordability gap in almost all Canadian cities, and it is particularly acute for those who earn minimum wage,” the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said. “Our research reinforces the conclusion that minimum wage increases are a key dimension of affordability. Because of the variation within provinces, minimum wage policies could allow for cities to have higher minimum wages better linked to the cost of housing.” The report calls for development and support of non-housing market, including new non-market and publicly owned housing. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives also recommends governments focus on affordability policies and rent housing regulations, including rent controls. The income required to rent a one-bedroom apartment is $46 an hour in Vancouver and $42 an hour in Toronto. 2024 rents/wages The report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows Ottawa renters needed to earn more than $29 an hour to afford a one-bedroom apartment in the fall of 2024. The report found Ottawa had one of the highest “rental wages” in Canada, with someone needing to earn $29.27 to afford a one-bedroom apartment and $36.85 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment last October. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, renters needed to work 1.7 minimum wage jobs to afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Ottawa. Vancouver had the highest required income in Canada to afford an apartment last fall, with an income of $37.84 required to rent a one-bedroom apartment and $48.94 an hour required to afford a two-bedroom apartment. The average hourly income required to afford an apartment in Toronto is $37.66 for a one bedroom and $44.80 for a two-bedroom apartment. “For those earning minimum wage, it is virtually impossible to afford housing on their own,” the report said. “In Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary, the rental wage for one-bedrooms is more than double the minimum wage.”
