I was talking to a friend based in another part of Canada, and he makes $40K per year, and lives fairly comfortably.
It made me realize that making $40K per year here in Calgary is really not enough! I mean, the housing, cost of living, insurance prices, etc. means that you are probably richer living almost anywhere else in Canada!
Making $40K anywhere else, you probably can qualify for a mortgage loan because houses are only $100k-$200k, wherelse in Calgary, you won't really find a good family house for less than the average price of $260K (as far as I know the last time I checked.)
It's ridiculous.
So, how much do you need to be making in Calgary to live comfortably, have the normal things people have, i.e. a house, a car, maybe a dog, get your bills paid and put food on the table, but still have a bit left for entertainment. I am guessing it has to be close to $60,000 or $70,000 by now.