This report provides context on the conservatively estimated cost of living expenses for a reference household of four (two parents, two children) in Niagara for 2021, which totaled $74,984.
The report also provides a description of the methodology used to calculate the expenses in each category. The 2021 cost of living and living wage calculation tools from the Ontario Living Wage Network use a weighted average of three different reference households:
- a family of four with two adults each age 35, a 7-year old boy and a 3-year old girl
- a single-parent family with one 35-year old female and a 7-year old boy
- a single male adult age 35
The 2021 weighted average cost of living in Niagara region calculation includes items for a household to:
- meet basic needs (shelter, food, transportation, child care, laundry, phone)
- participate in the economic and social fabric of the community (local monthly outing, recreation membership)
- buy goods or purchase services that can help to escape marginal subsistence (school supplies, internet service)
Published By: Niagara Poverty Reduction Network
Publication Date: November, 2021
Click here to access the report: Calculating the Cost of Living in Niagara region 2021
Click here to access the related report: Calculating the Living Wage in Niagara region 2021
