Canada · 2026

Your Real Hourly Wage

Your pay stub shows one hourly rate. Once you add commuting time and the cost of getting to work and staying employed, the real rate is lower. Here's how much.

Province / territory

Hourly wage ($)

Paid hours per week

Paid weeks per yearInclude paid vacation.

Days at the workplace per week

Weeks actually workedPaid weeks minus vacation and stat holidays.

Commute, one way (minutes)

Commute, one way (km)

Vehicle cost per km

Fuel use (L/100 km)Fuel-only mode.

Fuel price (¢/L)Edmonton, Aug 2026 (Statistics Canada).

My cost (¢/km)Custom mode.

Parking / transit ($/month)

Unpaid work time (hours/week)Unpaid breaks you must stay for, prep, after-hours email.

Extra food & coffee because of work ($/week)

Clothing, tools, licences ($/yr)

Childcare needed only because you work ($/month)

Union / professional dues ($/yr, tax-deductible)

Real hourly wage$—

Paid hourly rate—

After-tax hourly—

Lost to tax, time & costs—

How we calculate this

Real hourly wage = (after-tax pay − work costs) ÷ (paid hours + commute hours + unpaid work hours). After-tax pay uses the same 2026 tax, CPP and EI engine as the take-home pay calculator. Union dues are deducted before tax. Childcare is counted only if you wouldn't need it without the job, and we don't subtract the childcare expense deduction, so the result leans conservative.

Vehicle cost: which number to use?

CRA's 2026 reasonable allowance (73¢/km for the first 5,000 km, 67¢ after) is what employers can pay tax-free to cover the full cost of using your own car: fuel, maintenance, insurance and depreciation. It's a reasonable proxy if you own a vehicle mainly to get to work. If you'd own the same vehicle anyway, choose "fuel only".

What to do next

Affiliate slot #1 (placeholder)

Job search

See what the same role pays closer to home. [Partner link: job board]

Search jobs →

Affiliate slot #2 (placeholder)

Fuel rewards card

Cut the per-km cost of a long commute. [Partner link: fuel rewards card]

Compare cards →

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Remote-work gear

One work-from-home day a week changes the maths. [Partner link: home office]

See options →

Sources & assumptions

This is an estimate. Your costs and tax situation will differ. NorthNumbers isn't affiliated with any bank, lender, dealer or government agency. Nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice.