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Salary status · Below comfortable threshold~9th percentile · Below Average

Is $21K Really a Good Salary in New Brunswick? After-Tax Verdict (2026)

$21K
gross / year
≈ $1,454 / month take-home in New Brunswick
Verdict
Tight for New Brunswick on one income

Honestly, $21K in New Brunswick is tight for a single adult — you'll cover essentials but saving is hard.

Monthly take-home
$1,454
$17,444/yr net
Est. monthly savings
$0
After typical expenses
Housing pressure
High
Rent in New Brunswick
Effective tax
16.9%
On $21,000 gross
Affordability

Where your monthly paycheck goes

Visual split of a typical single-adult budget against your take-home pay.

High pressureMonthly flexibility · 0% of take-home
Money left after essentials
CA$0/mo
High pressure budget
Rent (1BR avg)CA$1,15079%
Food & groceriesCA$38226%
TransportCA$43730%
Utilities, health, extrasCA$92363%
Leftover / savingsCA$00%
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Take-home pay breakdown

Gross / year
$21,000
Net / year
$17,444
Net / month
$1,454
Effective tax
16.9%

Where your paycheck actually goes

Approximate split of CA$21,000 gross — federal, state/provincial, social, and what lands in your account.

Federal income tax
CA$1,513
7%
Provincial income tax
CA$1,229
6%
Social contributions
CA$815
4%
Take-home (net)
CA$17,444
83%
What this means in real life

At $21K/year in New Brunswick, a single adult typically clears about $1,454/month after tax. Rent on a 1-bedroom averages $1,150, leaving roughly $304 for everything else. Without roommates or a cheaper neighborhood like Saint John, this income usually means living paycheck to paycheck.

Lifestyle verdict
Difficult without trade-offs

In New Brunswick, $21K is tight for a single adult — roommates, a cheaper neighborhood like Saint John, or a side income make the math work. A family on this alone would struggle.

How it stacks up in New Brunswick

Local median household$76,000
This salary$21,000
1.5× median$114,000

Roughly the 9th percentile of New Brunswick households. Below Average.

Who can comfortably live on this?

Same take-home pay, three very different realities.

Single adult
Stretched

One income, one rent.

Budget: CA$2,892/mo
Short: CA$1,438/mo
Couple, no kids
Stretched

Shared rent, two earners possible.

Budget: CA$4,028/mo
Short: CA$2,574/mo
Family (2 adults + kids)
Stretched

Bigger apartment, childcare, more food.

Budget: CA$5,005/mo
Short: CA$3,551/mo
Reality check

What can you actually afford in New Brunswick with $21K?

A realistic monthly breakdown for a single adult — rent in Moncton, food, transport, insurance, and what's left to save. Tuned to the cost of living in New Brunswick.

Net / month
$1,454
Typical spend
$2,892
100% of net
Monthly leftover
$0
0% saveable
Spent 100%Saved 0%

  • Rent in Moncton

    $1,150/mo
    1-bedroom, average neighborhood

  • Food & groceries

    $382/mo
    Cooking mostly, eating out 1–2×/week

  • Car & transport

    $437/mo
    Fuel, insurance, public transit

  • Health & insurance

    $291/mo
    Coverage, dental, prescriptions

  • Utilities & internet

    $177/mo
    Power, water, mobile, broadband

  • Entertainment & dining

    $200/mo
    Streaming, restaurants, weekends

  • Savings potential

    $0/mo
    What's left after a typical month
Lifestyle insight

With $21K in New Brunswick, a single adult is essentially break-even in Moncton — covering rent and basics, but with little room to save without roommates or a cheaper neighborhood.

People love reality. Not just taxes.

Lifestyle & affordability

What life actually looks like on this salary

Can you live comfortably on this in New Brunswick?

  • Tight

    Publicly funded healthcare removes a major US-style cost line

  • Tight

    Housing in Moncton dominates the budget

  • Tight

    Winter heating + transit costs add real seasonal pressure

$21K in New Brunswick is shaped by Canadian housing pressure in the biggest cities and the cushion of publicly funded healthcare.

On $21K, Moncton is typically a flatshare or suburb story; smaller cities in New Brunswick support solo living more easily.

Winter utilities and transit reshape the monthly budget from late autumn through spring.

Reality check

$21K in New Brunswick is tight in Moncton; much more comfortable in smaller cities.

Lifestyle snapshot

1-bed in the suburbs or a smaller city, transit pass, modest but real savings.

Reality check

How rich you actually feel

A reality-based view of $21K in New Brunswick — after taxes, rent, and everyday costs.

Lifestyle classNew Brunswick
Below comfortable threshold

This income runs tight in most of New Brunswick — housing and essentials absorb most of the paycheck.

Higher than 9% of earners · Top 91%
Financial flexibility
19/100
Limited flexibility
Blends leftover income, rent burden, savings ability and tax weight.
Income percentile
Top 91%
in New Brunswick
Higher than 9% of earners
Rent stress
79%
of take-home on typical rent
High urban housing pressure
Savings power
$0/mo
≈ $0/year potential
Take-home: $1,454/mo
Purchasing power
  • △Comfortable solo apartment
  • △Reliable car ownership
  • △Dining out several times/week
  • △Moderate travel flexibility
  • △Luxury neighborhoods
Compare this salary

Monthly budget for a single adult in New Brunswick

Below typical living costs by about 1438/month. Workable only with cheaper housing, roommates, or lower-cost cities in the region.

Housing (rent + insurance)
CA$1,150
40%
Transportation
CA$437
15%
Groceries
CA$382
13%
Utilities & internet
CA$177
6%
Healthcare
CA$291
10%
Entertainment & dining
CA$200
7%
Misc & personal
CA$255
9%
Total
$2,892
Surplus / month
-$1,438

Savings potential

With a typical single-adult budget, you could put away roughly $0/year — about 0% of take-home pay. Cheaper housing or living outside Moncton can lift this significantly.

Savings rate0%

Try your own numbers

All math runs locally in your browser — nothing is saved.

Tight
$
$
$
Net / month
CA$1,454
Leftover / month
-CA$1,438
Rent share
79%

Tip: housing experts suggest keeping rent under 30% of take-home pay. You're at 79%.

Rent share of take-home

Average rent in New Brunswick: $1,150 (1BR) · $1,400 (2BR).

1BR rent vs net monthly79%
2BR rent vs net monthly96%

Salary ladder in New Brunswick

  1. $10KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $724
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    4th
    −$730/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Moncton.

  2. $15KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $1,086
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    7th
    −$368/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Moncton.

  3. $20KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $1,394
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    9th
    −$60/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Moncton.

  4. $25KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $1,693
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    11th
    +$240/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Moncton.

  5. $30KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $1,895
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    15th
    +$441/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Moncton.

Compare

Compare this salary reality

See how $21K changes shape across nearby provinces and different income levels.

Same salary, nearby region
Tight
$21K in Quebec

~$1,421/mo take-home · below average.

See breakdown
Higher salary, same region
Tight
$41K in New Brunswick

Jumps to ~$2,518/mo · below average.

See breakdown
Lower salary, same region
Tight
$20K in New Brunswick

Drops to ~$1,394/mo · below average.

See breakdown
Cost-of-living equivalent
Tight
$27K in Nova Scotia

Roughly the same lifestyle as $21K in New Brunswick.

See breakdown
At a glance

How $21K compares region by region

Same income, different cost structures — quick affordability snapshot.

What changes if you earn more?

Going from $21K to $30K in New Brunswick:

Take-home / month
+$441
Est. monthly savings
+$0
Rent burden
−18.4pp
See $30K in New Brunswick

Compare $21,000 across countries

United States
California
Tight
Net / mo
$1,493
Tax
15%
Rent / net
141%
Pctl
8th

Roommates likely needed in Los Angeles.

See breakdown →
Canada
Ontario
Tight
Net / mo
$1,487
Tax
15%
Rent / net
128%
Pctl
7th

Roommates likely needed in Toronto.

See breakdown →
Australia
Australia
Tight
Net / mo
$1,678
Tax
4%
Rent / net
143%
Pctl
8th

Roommates likely needed in Sydney.

See breakdown →
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Tight
Net / mo
£1,470
Tax
16%
Rent / net
82%
Pctl
25th

Roommates likely needed in London.

See breakdown →

Explore other salary ranges in New Brunswick

Early career
$45K
Entry-level take-home
~$2,744/moView →
Median income
$75K
Typical household
~$4,223/moView →
Upper-middle
$120K
Comfortable lifestyle
~$6,498/moView →
High income
$200K
Strong savings potential
~$10,397/moView →
Ecosystem

Plan the rest of your finances

Use this salary as the input for the rest of the toolkit — affordability, taxes, savings, debt.

Mortgage calculator

Estimate a monthly mortgage you can comfortably carry on this salary in New Brunswick.

Check affordability
Salary & tax calculator

Refine federal, state and social contributions for your exact gross pay.

Run the numbers
Cost of living in New Brunswick

Real monthly costs — rent, groceries, transport, utilities — for the same region.

See full breakdown
Debt payoff calculator

Plan a payoff timeline using the surplus this salary leaves each month.

Plan payoff
Savings calculator

Project how fast savings grow at the rate this income realistically allows.

Project savings
Loan calculator

Size a car, personal, or student loan against this take-home pay.

Size a loan
Keep exploring

You may also wonder

Common follow-up questions people ask at this income level.

Compare with neighboring provinces
Related tools
Full cost of living in New BrunswickAverage rent in New BrunswickSalary & tax calculatorMortgage calculatorIs this a good salary? (national)
Keep exploring

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What this means in practice

In New Brunswick, $21K/year is below what most local households earn (~9th percentile). Take-home lands around $1,454/month ($17,444/year), and rent alone may consume 79% or more of take-home, leaving little margin.

  • Entry-level income
  • Tight for single person
  • Tight for family of 4
  • High housing pressure
  • Limited savings room

What this salary could realistically cover

Rent range (1BR)
$863 – $1,438/mo

Depends on neighborhood; central Moncton sits at the upper end.

Groceries & essentials
≈ $364/mo

Single-adult basket — couples typically run ~1.6× this.

Transportation
≈ $109/mo

Transit pass or modest car costs; varies with commute.

Realistic savings room
Tight — little left after essentials

After typical rent, food, transport, and a small buffer.

Ranges based on local cost-of-living indicators — directional, not financial advice.

Compare nearby provinces

Common questions

These estimates are approximate and may vary by city, taxes, rent, family size, and personal spending. Use them as a starting point, not a substitute for personalised financial or tax advice.

Last updated: 2026. Estimates use simplified federal + province tax models and median rent figures.