What it costs to live and work in Quebec: the minimum wage, provincial income tax, sales tax and rent, from official sources, and what they mean for your monthly budget.
| Quebec | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| General minimum wage | $16.60 an hour | CNESST: Wages (minimum wage) |
| Provincial income tax | 14 % to 25.75 % | Revenu Québec: Income tax rates |
| Sales tax | 5 % GST + 9.975 % QST | Canada Revenue Agency: GST/HST calculator (and rates) |
| Rent (CMHC Rental Market Survey, average monthly rent of a 2-bedroom unit in purpose-built rental row houses and apartments, province-wide (centres of 10,000+), October 2025) | $1,272 a month (2025) | CMHC Housing Market Information Portal: Quebec, Rental Market Statistics Summary, October 2025 Rental Market Survey (row and apartment, 2 bedroom) |
Quebec's general minimum wage is $16.60 an hour since May 1, 2026, up from $16.10; tipped employees get at least $13.30. Quebec usually announces the next May 1 rate early in the year; the 2027 rate is not out yet.
Quebec runs its own income tax, filed with Revenu Québec. For 2026 the rates are 14 % up to $54,345, 19 % up to $108,680, 24 % up to $132,245 and 25.75 % above that, after indexation of 2.05 %. The Quebec basic personal amount is $18,952.
Most purchases in Quebec carry the 5 % federal GST plus the 9.975 % Quebec sales tax, about 14.975 % in total.
What income does rent in Quebec take?
A common guideline is to keep housing at or below 30 % of gross income. At $1,272 a month, that means a household income of about $50,900 a year before tax.
Sources
- CNESST: Wages (minimum wage) (2026-05-01)
- Revenu Québec: Income tax rates (2026)
- Ministère des Finances du Québec: Parameters of the personal income tax system for 2026 (November 2025) (2025-11)
- Canada Revenue Agency: GST/HST calculator (and rates) (2025-04-01)
- CMHC Housing Market Information Portal: Quebec, Rental Market Statistics Summary, October 2025 Rental Market Survey (row and apartment, 2 bedroom) (2025-12)
- RAMQ: Prescription drug insurance, annual premium (2026-07)