BURSTOver the last year, it’s become nine per cent more expensive to live comfortably in the scenic mountain town of Revelstoke.
The living wage for the city rose from $25.50 per hour in 2024 to $27.80 per hour in 2025 — nearly $10 above B.C.’s current minimum wage of $17.85.
Revelstoke’s increase of $2.30 per hour to meet rising costs of living means someone employed in a 40-hour work week and paid the 2024 living wage could now find themselves needing to make about another $368 monthly to comfortably get by.
What’s more, a resident employed full-time at minimum wage is now earning $398 per week below the living wage, which adds up to a roughly $1,592 deficit over the course of a month.
For 2025, Revelstoke’s living wage was calculated by averaging three household types: two-parent, two-children families; single parents with one child; and single adults living alone.
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In a release, Mayor Gary Sulz said the living wage increase “underscores the urgent need to address affordability challenges in our community,” with housing and food costs remaining the most pressing. The City of Revelstoke noted vacancy rates have remained low while asking rents, despite starting to decline slightly, still outpace inflation.
Food, the second-highest expense after housing, has increased by 3.6 per cent this year.
“Limited retail options and high transportation costs further inflate food prices in rural areas, placing added strain on low-and moderate-income households,” Meghan MacIsaac, the city’s community food coordinator, added in the release. “Revelstoke is feeling these impacts acutely.”
This comes at a period when visits to food banks across B.C. have surged by 81 per cent since 2019, according to Food Banks Canada.
“Through initiatives like the Zoning Bylaw update to promote housing affordability, partnerships to strengthen food security, and advocacy for accessible childcare, we are committed to building a community where everyone can thrive,” Sulz said. “These efforts reflect our shared vision for a resilient, inclusive Revelstoke.”
Living Wage BC, in its 2025 briefing for Revelstoke, said the provincial government must work to close the $9.95 gap between B.C.’s minimum wage and the local living wage.
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However, it also encourages businesses in the community to become living-wage employers. Currently, the Revelstoke Community Housing Society, Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club, Revelstoke Cleaning Co. and the Revelstoke-based Outdoor Recreation Council of BC are among those certified in the last four years to meet living wages.
Of the more than 450 living-wage employers in B.C., 98 per cent have benefitted in ways such as reduced staff turnover and increased productivity, according to Living Wage BC.
It added that municipalities such as the City of Revelstoke also alleviate local affordability challenges by becoming living-wage employers, supporting affordable housing projects and advocating better transit to cut personal vehicle costs.