Here's how much money you need to earn in 7 Quebec cities if you don't want to be broke

For almost a decade, the Institut de recherche et d'informations socioéconomiques (IRIS) has been calculating how much money you need to earn to "live with dignity" in seven different Quebec cities.

In other words, what sort of income is required to live relatively comfortably in Quebec, well above the poverty line, according to standards set by the Market Basket Measure (MBM), which is used by the government to develop "thresholds of poverty based upon the cost of a basket of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and other items."

Last month, we broke down the most recent IRIS report for you in terms of the province as a whole. In case you missed it, a single person in Quebec would need to earn between $30,738 and $43,609 in 2024 to live comfortably — an increase of around $3,000 compared to 2023. For families with two parents and two kids, that figure went up to $81.999 this year.

But how do the results differ based on the city where you live? Considering the cost of living, including clothes, food, transportation, housing and other necessities — all of which were taken into account for this study — vary by region, how much money would you need to make in Montreal versus, say, Sherbrooke or Sept-Îles?

Summary of viable income for the seven localities and the three types of household considered, 2024.Courtesy of Institut de recherche et d'informations socioéconomiques (IRIS)

Here's the institute's breakdown by city:

Gatineau

• person living alone: $38,146
• single-parent family: $50,052
• family of four: $78,154

Montreal

• person living alone: $38,479
• single-parent family: $51,223
• family of four: $81,999

Quebec City

• person living alone: $35,395
• single-parent family: $47,362
• family of four: $77,875

Saguenay

• person living alone: $32,077
• single-parent family: $55,220
• family of four: $76,216

Sept-Îles

• person living alone: $43,609
• single-parent family: $57,768
• family of four: $86,585

Sherbrooke

• person living alone: $33,878
• single-parent family: $46,283
• family of four: $78,563

Trois-Rivières

• person living alone: $30,738
• single-parent family: $43,318
• family of four: $72,788

Based on these results, of the seven cities analyzed in the report, the most affordable is Trois-Rivières and the most expensive is Sept-Îles.

According to IRIS' 2024 report, to live outside of poverty, a single person who works full-time would need to have an hourly wage between $20 (Trois-Rivières) and $30 (Sept-Îles). With Quebec's minimum wage currently standing at $15.75, residents would need to be earning $4.25 an hour more to meet a comfortable living standard.

For the full IRIS report, including the institute's methodology, visit here.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.