Budgeting a Household With Only One Work Permit Holder: A Worked Example
$3,945. That’s roughly what a $60,000 Ontario salary converts to in take-home pay each month once federal and provincial tax, CPP and EI are deducted — and it’s the entire number a household has when budgeting a household with only one work permit holder, while the second partner waits for their own status to clear.
The income side
That $3,945 figure comes from a published illustrative estimate for a single Ontario earner on $60,000 gross, with no dependants and no other credits — real numbers will move around it depending on the actual salary, province, and personal circumstances, so treat it as a ballpark for this worked example, not a promise.
The fixed costs
Rent is the biggest line, and it’s worth naming honestly: a national average one-bedroom rental runs around $1,779 a month as of mid-2026. A household holding off on a two-bedroom until the second income arrives — a two-bedroom averages closer to $2,200 nationally — is making a real, quantifiable saving by starting smaller.
Utilities, combined — electricity, gas, water, internet and the rest — run around $389 a month on average nationally. Mobile plans vary widely: a mainstream single line with adequate data sits around $75–$85, while a competitive discount-brand plan can be had for $35–$65. Two people on the cheaper end still adds a real number to the month.
Transit, if the working partner commutes, is another fixed cost — an adult monthly pass in a major city like Toronto runs around $156. If the partner still waiting on their permit isn’t yet commuting for work, that’s one pass rather than two for now.
Running the numbers
| Item | Approximate monthly cost |
|---|---|
| One-bedroom rent | $1,779 |
| Utilities (combined) | $389 |
| Transit pass (one person) | $156 |
| Mobile (two lines, competitive) | ~$70–$130 |
| Internet | $80–$95 |
| Subtotal, before groceries | ~$2,474–$2,549 |
Against take-home pay of roughly $3,945, that leaves somewhere in the region of $1,400–$1,470 a month for groceries, incidentals and anything left over — before accounting for the sales tax added at the till on most purchases, which sits at 13% in Ontario and isn’t included in the shelf price the way South African VAT usually is.
Living on one income while a spousal work permit is pending
Groceries are the honest gap in this table: national food-price research is built around a family-of-four benchmark, not a two-person household, so scaling it down accurately isn’t something this worked example can do responsibly. Track your own grocery spend from week one rather than borrowing someone else’s number — it’s the fastest way to know if the remaining ~$1,400 actually covers real life.
What this worked example doesn’t include
Government application fees, biometrics, any professional or legalisation costs already paid before landing, savings contributions, and anything specific to your own city or province aren’t in this table. This is a starting shape for budgeting a Canadian household before a spouse can work, not a finished plan — run your own numbers against your own city’s rent and your own salary before treating any figure here as fixed.
For more worked examples like this one, the Cape2Canada blog keeps a running series on household budgeting for a move.