These are the cheapest places to live in Canada and the income you need for a comfortable life

British Columbia

It's no surprise that B.C. is home to some of the priciest cities in the country, but what's shocking is that Vancouver doesn't even crack the top three. In fact, two of its metro-area neighbours beat it out for costliness.

Of the 15 B.C. cities MoneySense examined, none had a "comfortable" income under $80,000 a year — meaning to live here comfortably, you'll need to be in the top 25% of Canadian earners.

Here are the incomes you need for a comfortable life in B.C.'s most and least expensive cities to live in.

Most expensive cities in B.C.:

1. Coquitlam — $104,928/year
2. North Vancouver — $103,512/year
3. Vancouver — $102,576/year
4. Burnaby — $102,312/year
5. Victoria — $96,072/year

Cheapest cities in B.C.:

1. Prince George — $80,664/year
2. Chilliwack — $81,648/year
3. Abbotsford — $84,528/year
4. Nanaimo — $85,368/year
5. Port Coquitlam — $87,048/year

Meanwhile, the cities of Surrey, New Westminster, Richmond, Kamloops and Kelowna landed somewhere in between, with comfortable incomes between $88,000 and $96,000.

Prairies

Canada's Prairie provinces offer some major affordability, especially once you step outside the bigger cities.

Alberta cities are spread across the spectrum, ranging from the 20th most expensive overall (Airdrie) to the third-cheapest (Medicine Hat).

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan holds down the low end with cities like Regina and Saskatoon offering lower costs of living.

Here are all the Prairie cities included in the report, ranked by comfort income:

1. Airdrie, AB — $91,464/year
2. St. Albert, AB — $88,728/year
3. Calgary, AB — $87,984/year
4. Grande Prairie, AB — $84,600/year
5. Winnipeg, MB — $79,272/year
6. Edmonton, AB — $79,080/year
7. Saskatoon, SK — $78,864/year
8. Red Deer, AB — $78,384/year
9. Regina, SK — $75,384/year
10. Lethbridge, AB — $73,608/year
11. Medicine Hat, AB — $70,416/year

Ontario

Ontario is a mixed bag. It has both the top three most expensive cities in Canada and a few of the more affordable ones too.

Unsurprisingly, most of the high-cost cities are in or around the GTA — although surprisingly, Toronto itself doesn't top the list, and only comes in 9th overall in Canada.

Of the 36 cities in Ontario analyzed, here are the most and least expensive spots and the incomes needed for a comfortable life.

Top 5 most expensive cities in Ontario:

1. Richmond Hill — $106,536/year (most expensive in Canada)
2. Milton — $106,392/year
3. Whitby — $105,624/year
4. Mississauga — $99,816/year
5. Toronto — $98,880/year

Top 5 cheapest cities in Ontario:

1. Sault Ste. Marie — $72,744/year
2. Sarnia — $74,208/year
3. Brantford — $80,064/year
4. Greater Sudbury — $81,480/year
5. Newmarket — $82,224/year

And if you're wondering about Ottawa, it lands somewhere in the middle with a comfortable income of $89,112/year.

Quebec

Quebec is by far the most affordable province overall. Almost every city on the list has a comfortable income below $85,000 — and two of them are the cheapest in the entire country.

In fact, Brossard — the number-one most expensive city in Quebec, located on the South Shore of Montreal — still ranks only 17th overall in Canada.

Here are the incomes you'd need in all 11 cities in Quebec examined by MoneySense:

1. Brossard — $91,776/year
2. Granby — $83,256/year
3. Saguenay — $83,064/year
4. Laval — $81,984/year
5. Drummondville — $81,192/year
6. Longueuil — $79,152/year
7. Montreal — $78,624/year
8. Gatineau — $77,400/year
9. Quebec City — $72,816/year
10. Sherbrooke — $64,920/year
11. Trois-Rivières — $57,936/year (cheapest in Canada)

Atlantic Canada

The East Coast is known for its relaxed pace and, generally, its cheaper cost of living. There's still a range, though, depending on which province you're in.

Halifax is the priciest on the East Coast, but it still costs significantly less to live comfortably there than in most major cities in Ontario or B.C.

Here are the five cities in Atlantic Canada analyzed in the report, ranked by comfort income:

1. Halifax, NS — $88,704/year
2. Saint John, NB — $78,072/year
3. St. John's, NL — $74,856/year
4. Moncton, NB — $73,392/year
5. Fredericton, NB — $71,784/year

Most expensive cities in Canada

MoneySense's national breakdown shows a massive spread in what it takes to live comfortably in different parts of Canada — with the required income ranging from around $58,000 to more than $106,000 a year.

Interestingly, all five of the most expensive cities in Canada are suburban or commuter communities near major metro areas. Richmond Hill, Milton and Whitby all sit just outside Toronto, while Coquitlam and North Vancouver are part of the Greater Vancouver Area.

These places tend to have high housing demand, especially from families looking for more space while still commuting into the city — and that drives up the cost of living big time.

Here are the top 10 most expensive cities in Canada, according to MoneySense:

1. Richmond Hill, ON
2. Milton, ON
3. Whitby, ON
4. Coquitlam, BC
5. North Vancouver, BC
6. Vancouver, BC
7. Burnaby, BC
8. Mississauga, ON
9. Toronto, ON
10. Markham, ON

Cheapest places to live in Canada

On the flip side, the most affordable cities are a mix of small urban centres in Quebec and lower-cost Prairie or East Coast cities.

Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke are both in Quebec, where rent and other essentials tend to be cheaper. Medicine Hat in Alberta and Fredericton in New Brunswick offer small-city lifestyles with much lower income requirements, while Sault Ste. Marie in northern Ontario is a more rural option without sacrificing access to city infrastructure.

Here are the top 10 cheapest cities to live in Canada, according to MoneySense:

1. Trois-Rivières, QC
2. Sherbrooke, QC
3. Medicine Hat, AB
4. Fredericton, NB
5. Sault Ste. Marie, ON
6. Quebec City, QC
7. Moncton, NB
8. Lethbridge, AB
9. Sarnia, ON
10. St. John's, NL