Canadian cities are becoming less and less affordable for young people aged 15 to 29 who wish to live there, a finding that is also felt in three large Quebec cities, according to Youthful Cities’ real accessibility index.
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The study looks at incomes and the cost of living in 27 Canadian cities for young Canadians, highlighting many disparities between provinces.
And if Quebec cities offer more opportunities to save compared to other provinces, the monthly deficit for young people, which calculates the difference between income and the cost of living, is still significant.
The monthly deficit for young people in Montreal is thus the largest in the province at $874.05, with an average income of $2,407.99, against an estimated cost of living of $3,282.04.
Same story on the side of Quebec and Laval, where the monthly deficit is respectively $314.50 and $452.28. Despite this high figure, the two municipalities are still among the least expensive in the ranking.
“Accessibility shouldn’t just be about meeting basic needs,” Youthful Cities’ Claire Patterson said in a statement Thursday. “It should also include the ability to pay for the things that contribute to a person’s liveliness when they are able to move forward and achieve milestones that are seen as signs of success.”
Salaries are the main barriers to accessibility for young people by not “keeping pace with the cost of living in Canadian cities”. And having a full-time job would not guarantee having the means to live in these municipalities.
“Young people today are still working so they can afford the essentials. It doesn’t look like they’ll be able to afford anything else any time soon,” Patterson said.
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