City snapshot
Cost of living in Brandon
Brandon offers affordable prairie living with a strong agricultural base and university town atmosphere.
Monthly baseline
$1,293
Total annual: $15,516
Balanced salary needed
$36,600
Balanced
Population
54,268
Brandon CA
Crime Severity Index
141.2
Manitoba province proxy
Cost breakdown
Move-in costs
Plan the next step
City profile
Housing and rent
Lower-cost regional housing compared with Winnipeg and major Canadian metros.
Rent (1bd): $810 · Total monthly: $1,293
Commute and daily life
Short car commutes with local transit coverage
Safety context
Brandon's safety snapshot uses the Crime Severity Index for Manitoba province proxy. CSI compares police-reported crime volume and seriousness; it is not a neighbourhood-level risk score.
- Crime Severity Index
- 141.2
- Violent CSI
- 213.8
- Non-violent CSI
- 113.4
Data note: CSI uses Manitoba provincial data because Brandon is not published separately in the selected CSI table.
How this city compares
Brandon ranks #23 of 23 tracked cities by baseline monthly cost and is -$676 versus the cross-city average.
Salary guide for this city
Use these gross salary ranges as planning targets before running a detailed after-tax scenario for Brandon.
Best for
Brandon is strongest for most affordable housing in canada and a lower baseline than the tracked-city average.
Watch out for
Rent (1bd) is the largest cost driver in the baseline. Plan around $1,293 per month before discretionary spending, plus about $4,720 for a basic move-in setup.
Local reality check
Rent represents about 63% of the baseline essentials shown here. Compared with the tracked-city average, this city is -$676.
Living in Brandon: what to budget for
Use this page as a starting point for Brandon: monthly essentials, move-in cash, salary targets, local population context, housing notes and safety data are shown together so you can move from research to a concrete budget.
Brandon is Manitoba's second-largest city, located in the heart of the Canadian prairies.
The city serves as a regional hub for agriculture, healthcare, and education with Brandon University.
Housing costs in Brandon are among the most affordable in Canada, making it ideal for families.
The city offers a relaxed pace of life with all essential amenities and a tight-knit community feel.
Highlights
- Most affordable housing in Canada
- University town atmosphere
- Strong agricultural economy
- Regional healthcare hub
- Relaxed prairie lifestyle
Common questions
- What is included in Brandon's monthly baseline?
- The baseline includes a 1-bedroom rent estimate, groceries and transport for one adult. It is a planning baseline, not a quote.
- Why do some metrics use a CMA or province?
- National public datasets often publish city data by census metropolitan area, census agglomeration, province or territory. The geography is shown beside each metric.
- How should I use the Brandon salary estimate?
- Use it as a gross-income target, then run the income calculator with your province, city and real costs.
Sources and methodology
- Population: Statistics Canada Census 2021 table 98-10-0006-01 / Census Profile when noted.
- Crime Severity Index: Statistics Canada table 35-10-0026-01, 2024.
- Rent, groceries and transport: TrueIncome variable config synced from public market and Statistics Canada sources.
Data, sources, and assumptions
Results combine Canadian tax rules, city cost baselines, and market assumptions versioned with the site code.