Cost of Living
Cost of living is a key determinent as to whether your employees can afford to live where they work. A company's ability to hire from a local employment base results in staff who are equally committed to the company and the community in which they work and live. And that can only increase morale and motivation.
The city of Thorold offers a competitive cost of living, bolstered by strong residential growth and minimal tax increases. The chart below provides a comparison of the cost of living between Niagara and other Ontario municipalities.
Cost of Living - Selected Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA), 2012
Niagara has a relatively low cost of living when compared to other regions in Ontario, as illustrated in the table below. This results in a higher quality of life for those making modest incomes. Also, workers tend to earn lower wages in Niagara compared to other regions in Ontario; however, quality of life is not compromised because the cost of living tends to be lower. This results in the very high level of worker retention for companies in Niagara.
Cost of Living - Niagara
| CMA | Food | Shelter | Clothing | Transport | Health, Personal Care | Recreation, Reading & Education |
Taxes & Securities |
Other | Total Expend-itures |
| St. Catharines-Niagara | $7,118 | $14,279 |
$2,845 | $10,006 | $3,052 | $5,472 | $18,495 | $10,609 | $71,876 |
| London | $7,681 | $15,472 | $3,218 | $10,445 |
$3,218 | $6,009 | $20,522 | $11,212 | $77,777 |
| Windsor | $7,639 | $15,699 | $3,162 | $10,692 | $3,240 | $5,985 | $20,652 | $11,202 | $78,272 |
| Hamilton | $8,212 | $17,021 | $3,476 | $11,010 | $3,444 | $6,429 | $22,777 | $11,845 | $84,215 |
| Kitchener-Cambridge- Waterloo |
$8,226 | $17,349 | $3,477 | $11,386 | $3,451 | $6,571 | $23,273 | $12,088 | $85,820 |
| Toronto | $9,121 | $19,515 | $4,365 | $11,605 | $3,662 | $6,881 | $27,212 | $12,604 | $94,967 |
Source: FP Markets-Canadian Demographics, 2012 (Estimates)
Cost of Living - Thorold
| CMA | Food | Shelter | Clothing | Transport | Health, Personal Care |
Recreation, Reading & Education |
Taxes & Securities |
Other | Total Expend- itures |
| Thorold | $7,301 | $14,935 | $2,856 | $10,809 | $3,126 | $5,653 | $19,628 | $11,008 | $75,315 |
| Fort Erie | $6,706 | $12,956 | $2,610 | $9,393 | $2,968 | $4,994 | $15,858 | $10,035 | $65,521 |
| Lincoln | $7,803 | $16,553 | $3,169 | $12,370 | $3,325 | $6,702 | $22,565 | $12,267 | $84,754 |
| Niagara Falls | 6,924 | $13,853 | $2,823 | $9,409 | $2,887 | $5,235 | $17,995 | $10,152 | $69,277 |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake | $8,281 | $17,531 | $3,472 | $13,445 | $3,794 | $7,441 | $25,225 | $13,730 | $92,919 |
| Pelham | $9,131 | $20,283 | $3,750 | $14,318 | $3,879 | $7,776 | $27,754 | $13,937 | $100,828 |
| Port Colborne | $6,794 | $13,343 | $2,588 | $9,197 | $2,936 | $5,119 | $16,898 | $10,226 | $67,099 |
| St. Catharines | $7,041 | $13,991 | $2,811 | $9,402 | $3,006 | $5,250 | $17,791 | $10,272 | $69,564 |
Source: FP Markets-Canadian Demographics, 2012 (Estimates)
Household and Per Capita Income: Selected Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA), 2012
| CMA | 2012 Average Household Income |
2012 Average Income Per Capita |
| St. Catharines-Niagara | $74,367 | $30,366 |
| Thunder Bay | $72,912 | $31,486 |
| Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury |
$78,172 | $33,060 |
| Windsor | $82,701 | $33,021 |
| Kingston | $80,091 | $33,468 |
| London | $82,288 | $34,238 |
| Hamilton | $90,500 | $35,593 |
| Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | $92,529 | $35,794 |
| Oshawa | $97,359 | $36,445 |
| Toronto | $104,811 | $37,613 |
| Ottawa-Gatineau | $95,906 | $39,049 |
Source: FP Markets-Canadian Demographics, 2012 (Estimates)
Travel to Work
Commute times are an important part of a person’s quality of life and have a significant impact on the cost of living. In Thorold, more than 80 per cent of workers live less than 15 minutes from their place of work, a statistic that illustrates the city's central location in the region, and proximity to everything they need.
| Median Distance: 7.0 km |
Number of Commuters | % of Commuters |
| Less than 5 km | 2,770 |
34.3 |
| 5.0 - 9.9 km |
2,605 | 32.2 |
| 10.0 - 14.9 km |
1,360 | 16.8 |
| 15.0 - 24.9 km |
480 | 6.0 |
| 25 km or more |
865 |
10.7 |
| Total |
100 |
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census, “Employed labour force1 15 years and over having a usual place of work in occupied private dwellings by commuting distance2, 2006 counts, for Canada, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, and component census subdivisions (municipalities) – 20% sample data”, http://www.statscan.com
