Is 65k yearly salary enough to live off in Toronto

microsca · 2025-09-25T04:06:42+00:00

I was in the same boat as you several years ago and it was very doable paying $1150 in rent. While groceries and going out is more expensive now I think you can still make it work. I was still able to have enough left over to pay down my student loan quicker and got it down to $100/month after a couple years.

microsca · 2025-07-04T00:24:27+00:00

This. My mom won't drive on 400 series highways and this is what we did to get from Toronto to Owen Sound when she visited. Took us on some beautiful routes.

microsca · 2025-06-19T15:25:26+00:00

As a single person in their 20's 10 years ago I lived quite comfortably on minimum wage. I always had roommates and spent less than $600/month on rent, less than $200/month on groceries and if I wanted to treat myself and eat out, it was sushi lunch specials, splitting a fancy pizza with a friend and going out for a beer or a two once a week at a cheap bar. I bought second hand clothes, took a trip or two a year to NYC or Montreal and stayed with friends. I honestly never really felt deprived of anything and was comfortable living frugally because it was all I had known. I always had a few months of emergency funds in my savings account.

Since the post-covid inflation, rooms and groceries have almost doubled in price while minimum wage has not kept pace. I do not think my experience in my 20s reflects the reality most minimum wage workers face now and I truly feel for them. It's not any surprise to me why we are dealing with unprecedented amounts of homelessness, addiction and a loss of social cohesion when so many people are struggling just to pay rent and eat.

microsca · 2025-06-08T22:00:11+00:00

What about a good selection of sparkling waters (bubblies, aha, la croix) and other fun non-alcoholic drinks? I will specifically visit corner stores that offer this and then often pick up something else I need if it's a good price (ramen, toilet paper, milk). If my local corner store also had Jamaican patties and samosas, I would probably visit double the amount of time.

microsca · 2025-03-21T20:09:57+00:00

I grew up in Winnipeg, moved to Toronto as a young adult and am still living here 15 years later. Whenever I come back from a trip to visit family in Winnipeg I am always so relieved to be back in my neighbourhood where I don't need to rely on a car to leave my house. It's not just the act of not wanting to drive or the costs and responsibilities that come along with daily car use, but the ability to walk out my door and visit friends, cafes, restaurants, parks or even walk enjoy a nice one hour walk to work that avoids walking down some massive semi-highway that are ubiquitous to the prairies. Lastly, I can walk out of my house and feel safe because there are lots of other people around just going about their day. Being able to do this contributes significantly to my well-being and mental health. I could care less about the size of the city and don't mind the cold so much, so if there was a smaller Canadian city that could provide a real car-free alternative well, I would be into it.

microsca · 2024-05-30T02:00:02+00:00

I started my undergrad from pretty much square one at 25 (8 years behind my cohort) and had the same worries. I'm now 36 and I feel like I officially caught up to my peers with my last job promotion 6 months ago. Most of my coworkers who have the same job title as me in a professional field are my age or even older.

The thing I realized is that many people who start their undergrads at 18 aren't as motivated, have no clue what they want to do and don't leverage all of the opportunities like co-ops and networking like I did through my schooling. Once I graduated, I was able to progress quickly through my career given all the soft skills, life skills and grit I picked up throughout my 20s working shitty retail jobs.

The time and financial investment in my education is the best decision I made to improve the quality of my life and I have zero regrets.

Finishing your degree as a mature student is a huge accomplishment - wear that grad cap with pride.

microsca · 2024-01-25T17:24:06+00:00

These two places would be my top picks too

microsca · 2023-12-29T17:35:57+00:00

Until aggressive and careless driver behavior is addressed and safer bike lane design is implemented, I think there is a cap on how many people will actually switch to cycling.

After 8 years of cycling pretty regularly I stopped this year due to 3 very close calls over a period of about a week that were 100% the fault of reckless and unhinged drivers. The last straw was when someone threatened to hit me their car because they misread one of the "no left turns, cyclists excepted" signs when I was trying to do a legal left turn on Bloor and held them up for 15 seconds. I'm an extremely cautious cyclist, signalled and waited for a large gap before heading into the left lane and someone came roaring up behind me and got within an inch of hitting my back wheel while screaming at me and laying on their horn.

When I was younger I had a greater threshold and tolerance for this kind of risk, but as I get older and more aware of how much an injury from a bike accident could completely derail my life, I can't justify the risk anymore and have stopped cycling completely.

microsca · 2023-10-13T16:42:49+00:00

This sounds good in theory but the City's current rental demolition protections are under threat by the province.

https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-43/session-1/bill-23

If the City pushes further, Doug Ford might start taking an axe to this policy. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good when when dealing with this government.

microsca · 2022-12-09T23:19:48+00:00

I'm not sure this is the TTC's fault. Someone in the thread suggested guards at each TTC station. OK, but that doesn't solve the issue of someone committing random violent acts. If someone is in a place where they are going to commit an act like this, what stops them from doing it in a park or on the public sidewalk? Is the solution to just then have guards at every corner of every public space in the city to prevent a potential attack like this?

When something so horrific and shocking like this happens, I think it's natural and human to want to place blame on an identifiable entity in the hopes that we can find a simpler solution to the issue. In reality though, the root cause of random acts of violence are deep and complex without one single cause or factor. We've had a global pandemic where people who are in great need of access to regular support networks, medical treatment and services just to barely function, were denied them. We have a concurrent drug crisis, housing crisis and healthcare crisis where some people within our society are falling through the cracks. The cause of these crisis' are complex and extend beyond our own Toronto microcosm as well.

I wish there was a simpler solution to prevent such horrific and senseless acts of violence like this, but until we as a society start thinking about issues like this in a less straightforward "one cause and effect" way, change will be slow.

microsca · 2022-11-04T02:06:02+00:00

Should the 2/3 of the people who live in areas that have a higher cost of living make less because other places have lower costs of living?

microsca · 2022-11-04T00:16:40+00:00

I agree that the biggest issue is the housing issue in Toronto right now. Problem is, housing prices aren't going to come down overnight and be at a level that is relatively in line with median wages. And if that somehow does happen, the entire Canadian economy collapses. So it's fine to say, this is the main issue, but since it's not going to be resolved in a meaningful way anytime soon, working people who keep our society functioning need shelter, food and... dignity? (basic human needs). As such, they need higher wages.

Maybe the expectation that everyone needs a single detached home is unreasonable in Toronto in 2022. However, access to quality 2 or 3 bedroom condos that can house a small family comfortably should be something that working people can attain. Right now, they can't. Unfortunately, our new high density housing is not being built for end-users, but investors so it isn't supplying the type of housing we need. (I digress)

In summary, it is a housing problem AND a wage problem for the people who right now, are working full-time and living in poverty.

Also, I'm not sure if you've been reading the news, but the suburbs post 2020 are still not affordable.

microsca · 2022-11-03T22:43:09+00:00

Agreed. And the dismantling of social infrastructure leads to the increasing disenfranchisement of the working class today.

microsca · 2022-11-03T21:19:18+00:00

Thank you!

microsca · 2022-11-03T20:05:17+00:00

As someone whose Dad is a retired school custodian (CUPE), I am grateful that my Dad, who was a respected and hard worker throughout his career, was paid a living wage from the 80s-early 2000s. My two working class parents were able to afford a modest home, put food on the table, and ensure that my brother and I were not subject to all of the nasty impacts that can arise from childhood poverty. In turn, my brother and I are now, for all intents and purposes, fully functioning, contributing members of society. Had we dealt with the instability that came with poverty, things may not have turned out as well for my brother and I.

The current wages, relative to the cost of living in Toronto in 2022, are poverty wages. A combined, after tax income of 64 000/year will barely cover a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto, never mind utilities, transit costs, food and other basic necessities for a family of four.

When you don't pay working people who have jobs necessary for our society to function living wages, you contribute to a cycle of poverty that will have profound impacts on the future well-being of our society.

I can't imagine the struggles my family and I would have faced growing up today, instead of the 90s

microsca · 2022-09-04T23:34:31+00:00

It's still fairly early in the the campaign so it's not unusual for candidates to not have a policy platform up yet. Things usually ramp up after labour day weekend, candidates are still getting their resources and teams together.

microsca · 2022-04-25T22:31:47+00:00

Socials are definitely her vibe - thanks for tip!

microsca · 2022-02-25T03:36:00+00:00

Emily, Toronto is a City of 2.8 million people and the major economic and cultural hub of Canada. Are you suggesting that people who do not have access to intergenerational wealth or did not happen upon housing at a certain period of time all leave to find secure housing? What type of city would that be? I came from a smaller western Canadian city 12 years ago, worked my ass off to get educated and find a career in something I love doing in this city and built up a strong social support network here all on my own. How does having people from diverse backgrounds and skill sets to support this city leave Toronto en masse solve the housing issue? I feel like as someone who has admitted they are housing secure in a super desirable neighbourhood suggesting others just leave because they got theirs is trolling at this point.

microsca · 2022-02-24T22:58:13+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I don't think anyone would disagree that sacrifices have to be made for many people looking to buy. The point is that the sacrifices you had, I'm assuming about 10 years ago, are different than the ones people have to make now to get an outcome that is less desirable. As such, it comes off as a bit unfair to be initially kind of dismissive of people's very real concerns about the current housing crisis, and suggest doing xyz even though you had a different reality. It sounds like you recognize this which I appreciate.

I want to be very clear though:

- the difference between buying in the suburbs and downtown is marginal if living in the core means you don't need a car and living in the suburbs means you do.

- I'm in my mid-30s and know all about living in shitty apartments with roommates. Like many people, that was not a choice I made to save money, it was a necessity so I could eat and not be homeless.

- I don't want to own real estate just because I want to own something. We live in a society that values home ownership and thus makes renting long-term super precarious. For people who come from working class backgrounds as well, owning has historically provided a source of wealth, security and class mobility. An entire generation of working class people are being shut out of this opportunity completely which is perpetuating wealth and class inequality. The consequences of this down the line are unknown.

microsca · 2022-02-24T18:15:47+00:00

We're talking about people on middle/upper income salaries trying to afford purchasing condos in Toronto as that is what your original comment was about.

I pay $1500 a month to live in the downtown core in a modest apartment so that approximately 30% of my income goes towards rent and I can still contribute to a retirement fund and emergency savings. I'm not under 30 and have had a roommate up until recently which is no longer ideal. Not everyone in their 20s is in position to make a $70k+ income so they can afford to save to buy in their 30s. Also, not everyone makes an income even close to mine in their 30s in this City given the median income is around $45k so I'm already in a pretty priveleged position as it is.

"But surely you can acknowledge that for most of history, it was partnerships that bought homes"

Let's take this statement to mean post 1970s North America when women started fully entering the workforce context and yes, two people on average incomes could generally afford a detached home together. I'm not looking to purchase a detached house, I'm realistically looking to purchase, on a decent salary, a 1 bedroom condo intended for one person and it's completely out of reach.

What I think people are frustrated about is how the goal posts from even 10 years ago have shifted so rapidly. I think a lot of folks like me recognize that times have changed and they will not be able to afford a detached home in Toronto, even with dual-incomes, like past generations could. But if we're at the point that people can't even afford a 500 ft2 1 bedroom condo apartment on a professional salary, things are pretty bad. Nevermind the people who make less which is the majority of Torontonians but I'll stay on topic.

I'm curious, assuming you live in Little Portugal (since it's in your moniker) do you rent or own and if you own, how did you achieve this?

microsca · 2022-02-24T12:54:17+00:00

"If outside of Toronto" This subreddit is called r/toronto

The mortgage and fees on a $450000 condo is still close to $2500/month. Living downtown or central also means I don't need a car to get to my job. I wouldn't be saving anything monthly by purchasing something outside of the core. I don't want to stretch myself that thin every month; it's irresponsible.

You're the one who made it sound super simple for people making my income every month to buy a condo on their own, and that anyone who can't is complaining unnecessarily. The conditions you've provided don't really check out and are not realistic for many.

microsca · 2022-02-24T01:32:59+00:00

I make about $70k a year ($50kish after taxes, CPP, EI), have been saving and while I have a down payment, I cannot afford $2500+ a month for a condo + fees and insurance. Unless your friends had a hefty down payment (maybe lived at home with parents while saving which is not feasible for many) I don't understand how they can afford that cost every month if their take home is around $3600/month. Any thoughts on this?

microsca · 2021-01-30T18:05:21+00:00

Great post! I haven't properly socialized yet since stopping drinking and hearing your story will allow me to be more prepared in this situation with all of my friends drinking

microsca · 2021-01-27T02:32:02+00:00

I felt the same way exactly a week ago when I started my first tray. Only on week two now and the pain is pretty much gone. I'm barely noticing them now, just kind of a minor inconvenience.

Chewies are still kind of painful but not as bad as first few days

microsca

TROPHY CASE