Saguenay cityscape

City snapshot

Cost of living in Saguenay

Saguenay , Quebec.

Planning baseline refreshed: Jul 2026Quebec

3-category planning baseline

$1,610

Total annual: $19,320

Balanced salary needed

$43,000

Balanced

Population

170,192

2025 · Saguenay (CMA), Quebec · Statistics Canada

Crime Severity Index

Sources and methodology

Official Basic-Needs Budgets

1 person$1,976
2 people$2,794
Family of 4$3,951

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: 87% (A) · 2025

Advertised Rent

Bachelor apartmentNo current published observation
1-bedroom apartmentNo current published observation
2-bedroom apartment$880

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

3+ bedroom apartmentNo current published observation
Full-time centre-based childcare$348

2025 · Quebec

Local Indicators

Employed people82,800
Median after-tax income$68,800
Crime Severity Index49.3

Saguenay, Census metropolitan area (CMA)

3-category planning baseline

Planning rent estimate (1bd)$722
Groceries$668
Transport$220
Total monthly$1,610

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$722
Generic deposit assumption (1x rent)$722
Furniture for a 1-bedroom$2,500
Basic household setup$600
Estimated setup total$4,544

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

Plan the next step

Housing and rent

Planning rent estimate (1bd): $722.

Planning rent estimate (1bd): $722 · Total monthly: $1,610

How this city compares

Saguenay ranks #43 of 47 tracked cities by the 3-category planning baseline and is -$563 versus the cross-city average.

Average city baseline$2,173
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 Saguenay.

Essentials$31,900
Balanced$43,000
Comfortable$55,000

Best for

Saguenay is strongest for quebec context 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 $1,610 per month before discretionary spending, plus about $4,544 for a basic move-in setup.

Local reality check

Rent represents about 45% of the baseline essentials shown here. Compared with the tracked-city average, this city is -$563.

Living in Saguenay: what to budget for

Use this page as a starting point for Saguenay: 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 Saguenay'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 Saguenay 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
Latest available observation varies by city
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