What it costs to live and work in Nova Scotia: the minimum wage, provincial income tax, sales tax and rent, from official sources, and what they mean for your monthly budget.
| Nova Scotia | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| General minimum wage | $17.00 an hour | Government of Nova Scotia news release: Minimum wage rises to $16.75 (and to $17 on October 1, 2026) |
| Provincial income tax | 8.79 % to 21 % | Canada Revenue Agency: Tax rates and income brackets for individuals, current year (2026) |
| Sales tax | 14 % HST | Canada Revenue Agency: GST/HST calculator (and rates) |
| Rent (Median monthly shelter cost of renter households (rent plus utilities paid by the household), all renter households) | $1,000 a month (2021) | Statistics Canada, Census 2021, table 98-10-0253-01: Shelter cost by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing |
The general minimum wage is $17.00 an hour since October 1, 2026, the second raise of the year after $16.75 on April 1, 2026. Increases follow the consumer price index plus one per cent, as set in the minimum wage regulations. No 2027 rate has been announced yet.
For 2026, Nova Scotia taxes the first $30,995 of taxable income at 8.79 % and income over $157,124 at 21 %, across five brackets. The basic personal amount is $11,932.
Nova Scotia charges 14 % HST (5 % federal plus 9 % provincial) since April 1, 2025, when the rate came down from 15 %.
What income does rent in Nova Scotia take?
A common guideline is to keep housing at or below 30 % of gross income. At $1,000 a month, that means a household income of about $40,000 a year before tax.
Good to know
- The HST on most purchases dropped from 15 % to 14 % on April 1, 2025.
- In 2021, renters who were not in subsidized housing had a median shelter cost of $1,050 a month, against $572 for those in subsidized housing.
Sources
- Government of Nova Scotia news release: Minimum wage rises to $16.75 (and to $17 on October 1, 2026) (2026-04-01)
- Canada Revenue Agency: Tax rates and income brackets for individuals, current year (2026) (2026-06-25)
- Canada Revenue Agency: GST/HST calculator (and rates) (2025-04-01)
- Statistics Canada, Census 2021, table 98-10-0253-01: Shelter cost by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing (2022-09-21)
- Canada Revenue Agency: T4127 Payroll Deductions Formulas, 122nd edition, effective January 1, 2026 (2025-11-20)