City snapshot
Cost of living in Winnipeg
Winnipeg offers affordable housing, diverse culture, and a central location in Canada.
Monthly baseline
$1,735
Total annual: $20,820
Balanced salary needed
$43,900
Balanced
Population
834,678
Winnipeg CMA
Crime Severity Index
124.4
Winnipeg CMA
Cost breakdown
Move-in costs
Plan the next step
City profile
Housing and rent
Often more affordable than Ontario and coastal markets, with older housing stock.
Rent (1bd): $1,232 · Total monthly: $1,735
Commute and daily life
Bus network and car commuting across a wide urban footprint
Safety context
Winnipeg's safety snapshot uses the Crime Severity Index for Winnipeg CMA. CSI compares police-reported crime volume and seriousness; it is not a neighbourhood-level risk score.
- Crime Severity Index
- 124.4
- Violent CSI
- 186.8
- Non-violent CSI
- 100.5
How this city compares
Winnipeg ranks #16 of 23 tracked cities by baseline monthly cost and is -$234 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 Winnipeg.
Best for
Winnipeg is strongest for most affordable housing and a lower baseline than the tracked-city average.
Watch out for
Rent (1bd) is the largest cost driver in the baseline. Plan around $1,735 per month before discretionary spending, plus about $5,564 for a basic move-in setup.
Local reality check
Rent represents about 71% of the baseline essentials shown here. Compared with the tracked-city average, this city is -$234.
Living in Winnipeg: what to budget for
Use this page as a starting point for Winnipeg: 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.
Winnipeg is Manitoba's capital, known for its extreme weather and affordable cost of living.
The city offers some of Canada's lowest housing costs while maintaining urban amenities.
Major industries include manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and healthcare.
The city celebrates its Indigenous and multicultural heritage through arts and festivals.
Highlights
- Most affordable housing
- Central Canadian location
- Diverse cultural scene
- Strong arts community
- Affordable daily costs
Common questions
- What is included in Winnipeg'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 Winnipeg 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.