Cost of Living What

Cost of Living

What Torontonians make and how they spend it

“i admit i could spend less, but i love exploring new places in the city”

emily Zajac, 27

What She DoeS

Freelance event marketer

What She makeS

$85,000 a year

Where She liveS

A two-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot apartment in the Annex that she shares with a roommate RegulaR expenses

Rent $900 a month. “In the Annex, you get a lot of space, even if it’s in an older, weathered apartment.” inteRnet $40 a month. cellphone $250 a month. “I use it a lot for work and Instagram. I’m always going over my data limit.” tRansit $100 a month, for the TTC. savings $450 a month, into an RRSP. going out $400 a month, for meals and drinks at spots like Grey Gardens, Piano Piano and Bar Raval. “I admit I could spend less, but I love exploring and experiencing new places in the city.” gym $60 a month, at GoodLife. laundRy $50 a month, for a wash-and-fold service. “I know I could do it myself, but I value the time I save.” Recent spluRges

condo $60,000, for a down payment on a $319,000 one-bedroom unit in Corktown that’s currently under construction. She plans to move in once it’s completed in September 2020. tRavel $4,500, for a month-long trip to Greece, Turkey and France last April. dJ lessons $120 per lesson. “I took them every two weeks for a few months.” cameRa lens $250, for her Sony A6000. “I have a blog, and I’m trying to get more Instagram followers, so I’ve been working on my photography.” computeR $2,400, for a 2017 MacBook Pro. aRt $250, to buy and frame a piece she found in Kensington Market. “I was waiting to get into Cold Tea and saw this cool print at the flea market next door.”