What is the estimated monthly cost of living in Edmonton?

The latest single-person Market Basket Measure is about CAD 2,453.17 per month. Advertised rent is shown separately when published.

What salary is typically needed in Edmonton?

A balanced planning estimate is around CAD 43,200 gross per year.

Are these exact prices?

No. These are planning baselines and should be adjusted to your neighborhood and lifestyle.

City snapshot

Cost of living in Edmonton

Edmonton offers affordable living, a strong job market, and North America's largest urban parkland.

Planning baseline refreshed: May 2026Edmonton CMA

3-category planning baseline

$1,798

Total annual: $21,576

Balanced salary needed

$43,200

Balanced

Population

1,692,385

2025 · Edmonton (CMA), Alberta · Statistics Canada

Crime Severity Index

101.1

Edmonton CMA

Official Basic-Needs Budgets

1 person$2,453

2 people$3,469

Family of 4$4,906

Market Basket Measure totals and advertised rent answer different questions. Rent is not added to the budget total because the MBM already includes a shelter component.

Data coverage: 100% (A) · 2025

Advertised Rent

Bachelor apartment$1,100

2026-01 · Edmonton, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

1-bedroom apartment$1,280

2026-01 · Edmonton, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

2-bedroom apartment$1,580

2026-01 · Edmonton, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

3+ bedroom apartment$1,900

2026-01 · Edmonton, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

Full-time centre-based childcare$451

2025 · Alberta

Local Indicators

Employed people860,100

Median after-tax income$80,700

Crime Severity Index101.1

Edmonton, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

3-category planning baseline

Planning rent estimate (1bd)$1,301

Groceries$397

Transport$100

Total monthly$1,798

Compact estimated baseline for cross-city planning. The observed advertised rent above is the canonical market-rent value.

Move-in costs

First month of rent$1,280

Generic deposit assumption (1x rent)$1,280

Furniture for a 1-bedroom$2,500

Basic household setup$600

Estimated setup total$5,660

Generic planning assumption only. Provincial rules and your lease may permit a different deposit.

Plan the next step

Run income calculator See salary needed Rent affordability Mortgage affordability Compare cities Car costs Province tax calculator After-tax income guide

City profile

GeographyEdmonton CMA

Common languagesEnglish, Tagalog, Punjabi

Community contextSouth Asian, Filipino, Chinese

Housing and rent

Relatively affordable major-market housing with no provincial sales tax.

Planning rent estimate (1bd): $1,301 · Total monthly: $1,798

Commute and daily life

LRT, bus and wide suburban road network

Safety context

Edmonton's safety snapshot uses the Crime Severity Index for Edmonton CMA. CSI compares police-reported crime volume and seriousness; it is not a neighbourhood-level risk score.

Crime Severity Index: 101.1
Violent CSI: 107.5
Non-violent CSI: 99.4

How this city compares

Edmonton ranks #36 of 47 tracked cities by the 3-category planning baseline and is -$366 versus the cross-city average.

Average city baseline$2,164

Largest cost driverPlanning rent estimate (1bd)

Salary guide for this city

Use these gross salary ranges as planning targets before running a detailed after-tax scenario for Edmonton.

Essentials$32,800

Balanced$43,200

Comfortable$54,400

Best for

Edmonton is strongest for no provincial sales tax and a lower baseline than the tracked-city average.

Watch out for

Planning rent estimate (1bd) is the largest cost driver in the baseline. Plan around $1,798 per month before discretionary spending, plus about $5,660 for a basic move-in setup.

Local reality check

Rent represents about 72% of the baseline essentials shown here. Compared with the tracked-city average, this city is -$366.

Living in Edmonton: what to budget for

Use this page as a starting point for Edmonton: 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.

Edmonton is Alberta's capital, known for its festival scene and the massive River Valley park system.

The city provides some of the most affordable housing among major Canadian cities.

No provincial sales tax means lower daily costs compared to most other provinces.

The economy centers on government, education, healthcare, and the energy sector.

Highlights

No provincial sales tax
River Valley - 22x larger than Central Park
Affordable housing market
Strong healthcare sector
Growing tech industry

Common questions

What is included in Edmonton'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 Edmonton 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 table 17-10-0148-01, latest annual estimate; Census Profile fallback when noted.
Crime Severity Index: Statistics Canada table 35-10-0026-01, latest published year.
Basic-needs budgets: MBM tables 11-10-0066-01 and 11-10-0104-01. Advertised rent: Quarterly Rent Statistics table 46-10-0092-01.

Sources and methodology

Cost transparency

Data used on this page

Advertised rent, basic-needs budgets, and local indicators each retain their own period, geography, and method.

Advertised rent

January 2026 · Edmonton, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

Planning baseline

Estimated rent + groceries + local transport

Not used

Tax rules and mortgage rates do not determine these costs

Advertised rent and the MBM answer different questions and are not added together.

Sources and methodology