Cost of Living

The purpose of the 2010 Place-to-Place Comparison Survey is to measure and compare price differences in Alberta. The survey presents findings for 35 Alberta communities and provides a comparison of price levels within these communities to those in Edmonton (i.e. Edmonton =100.0) for a common basket of goods and services consisting of 293 items. Five Central Region Communities were sampled in the survey: Ponoka, Stettler, Olds, Red Deer, and Rocky Mountain House. These five have been compared to Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Fort McMurray.

In comparison to elsewhere in Alberta, Central Alberta residents enjoy a high quality of life and a low cost of living. Central Alberta communities consistently rank lower than Edmonton and Calgary on basic necessities like food, shelter, and non-food items.

Alberta Price Comparison 2010

* Indicates Central Albertan municipality.

Data drawn from 2010 Alberta Spatial Price Index, published by the Government of Alberta. A 293-item basket of goods and services was compared with municipalities throughout the province, with Edmonton’s prices granted the base value of 100.

Income

Incomes in Central Alberta are on the rise. Coupled with a low cost of living, it makes for a comfortable lifestyle. Alberta Learning and Information Services [ALIS] publishes an annual Wage and Salary Survey that reports on over 400 different occupations in the province, including wage and salary information for both part-time and full-time work. Information is searchable by geographic region, occupation, and industry group. ALIS also publishes analysis of these surveys, which shows, among other information, which occupations are in most in demand in Central Alberta.

Here are some of the most in-demand occupations in Central Alberta and their respective incomes (for Red Deer):

Occupation

Average Annual Income

Delivery and Courier Drivers

$40,796

Landscape and Horticultural Technicians and Specialists

$45,734

Sheet Metal Workers

$60,955

Machinists

$57,901

Here are what you can expect to be paid for some common occupations and what you can expect to be paid for them in Red Deer.

Occupation

Average Annual Income

Carpenters

$49,368

Civil Engineer

$84,177

Elementary School Teachers

$23,238

Medical Laboratory Technicians

$42,787

Ministers of Religion

$57,505