City snapshot

Cost of living in Lethbridge

Lethbridge, Alberta.

Planning baseline refreshed: Sep 2026Alberta

3-category planning baseline

$1,960

Total annual: $23,520

Balanced salary needed

$41,400

Balanced

Population

143,143

2025 · Lethbridge (CMA), Alberta · Statistics Canada

Crime Severity Index

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Sources and methodology

Open this scenario in the income calculator ($41,400 in Lethbridge), then try your own salary, city or pay frequency.

Change salary or province

Official Basic-Needs Budgets

1 person$2,310
2 people$3,266
Family of 4$4,619

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: 97% (A) · 2025

Advertised Rent

Bachelor apartmentNo current published observation
1-bedroom apartment$1,270

2026-04 · Lethbridge, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

2-bedroom apartment$1,480

2026-04 · Lethbridge, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

3+ bedroom apartment$1,880

2026-04 · Lethbridge, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

Full-time centre-based childcare$451

2025 · Alberta

Local Indicators

Employed people72,700
Median after-tax income$85,300
Crime Severity Index107.7

Lethbridge, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

3-category planning baseline

1-bedroom rent$1,270
Groceries$459
Transport$231
Total monthly$1,960

Rent is the advertised 1-bedroom rent above (Statistics Canada Quarterly Rent Statistics), the same figure used on every page for this city. Groceries and transport are planning estimates.

Move-in costs

First month of rent$1,270
Generic deposit assumption (1x rent)$1,270
Furniture for a 1-bedroom$2,500
Basic household setup$600
Estimated setup total$5,640

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

Plan the next step

Housing and rent

1-bedroom rent: $1,270.

1-bedroom rent: $1,270 · Total monthly: $1,960

How this city compares

Lethbridge ranks #31 of 47 tracked cities by the 3-category planning baseline and is -$157 versus the cross-city average.

Average city baseline$2,117
Largest cost driver1-bedroom rent

Salary guide for this city

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

Essentials$30,600
Balanced$41,400
Comfortable$53,100

Best for

Lethbridge is strongest for alberta context and a lower baseline than the tracked-city average.

Watch out for

1-bedroom rent is the largest cost driver in the baseline. Plan around $1,960 per month before discretionary spending, plus about $5,640 for a basic move-in setup.

Local reality check

Rent represents about 65% of the baseline essentials shown here. Compared with the tracked-city average, this city is -$157.

Living in Lethbridge: what to budget for

Use this page as a starting point for Lethbridge: 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.

Common questions

What is included in Lethbridge'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 Lethbridge 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
April 2026 · Lethbridge, 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