At the end of December, the Lethbridge Herald published an article<\/a> with the title \u201cLethbridge still affordable for renters\u201d. The first sentence read, \u201cLethbridge remains one of Canada\u2019s most reasonably priced cities for renters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n The article then goes on to list the average cost of rent in Lethbridge: $923 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $1,051 for a 2-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it never goes on to say how those prices are \u201caffordable\u201d or \u201creasonable\u201d. So, I decided to do the research the reporter didn\u2019t do to see if rent in Lethbridge indeed is affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CMHC says<\/a> that \u201chousing is considered \u201caffordable\u201d if it costs less than 30% of a household\u2019s before-tax income.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, $923 a month for 12 months comes to $11,076, which is a third of $36,920. For the average rent of a 1-bedroom apartment to be affordable in Lethbridge, the renter needs to make $36,920 a year, before tax. For reference, that\u2019s about $17.75 an hour for full-time work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n