After falling last year, Edmonton’s living wage is on the rise and is now more than $7 above the provincial minimum wage.

The 2025 Living Wage report, released today by the Alberta Living Wage Network, calculates Edmonton’s living wage at $22.30 per hour — a $1.45 increase over last year .

Last year, programs like $10-a-day childcare, capped electricity rates, and lower clothing costs helped ease financial pressure for many Edmontonians. But this year, higher costs for child care, shelter, and transportation pushed living wage rates up across much of Alberta.

The report found more than half of Alberta communities are worse off under the province’s new flat parent fee system for toddlers.

In April 2025, the province replaced its previous childcare subsidy with a flat parent fee of $32

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