Gato: I was talking about renting, and I was talking about renting in a city that is currently booming. There are places, outside Calgary, where it's much much much cheaper to live. That said, for someone who works in the city there's more factors than just rent cost if one is going to add a commute to their day (time loss, gas cost, etc)
AB: $22.50 an hour is more than someone who works in retail, or at a coffee shop or anything like that is gonna make. The highest I've seen is $17/hr for a nighttime receiver/stocker at a grocery store here (and that's already WAY higher than you'd find in Ontario). It's more than our administrative assistants make at my office...are there jobs that pay more? Yes, I have one of them...but not everyone could find one...they're not that plentiful.
In response to Greenie's comments about what one can afford: The sad thing is that apartments around here are seeming to start at $1050 for a one bedroom and $1300 for a two bedroom. I can afford that, and will pay it if I have to. The thing that gets me is...a lot of people can't afford it because they just don't make enough money...affordable rent is a real issue here. Also, just because I can afford it doesn't mean I want to pay it. I'd much rather live somewhere with a few less ammenities (most of the buildings were built in the boom of the 70s and have huge suites, pools in the building, squash courts, etc) and pay a little less rent so I could put some away to buy my own place one day. It bothers me that the baseline rent is so high, it doesn't give people many options. I mean, even the buildings that are sketchy and "not safe" according to my co-worker cost the same...
