People love money and people really love arguing about which province has it best. Take one fixed salary — $100,000 — run it through every province’s 2025 tax system, and rank from “keeps the most” to “keeps the least.”
What the 2025 numbers show at $100,000
- Keep the most: British Columbia (~$73,989) and Alberta (~$72,759), with Ontario close behind (~$72,560) — and remember Alberta has no provincial sales tax.
- Middle of the pack: Saskatchewan (~$70,389), Manitoba (~$69,644), New Brunswick (~$69,393).
- Keep the least: Nova Scotia (~$67,030), Quebec (~$67,893) and PEI (~$67,912), with Newfoundland & Labrador nearby (~$68,649).
- Wildcards: the territories tax lightly and often rank near the top.
That is a ~$7,000 spread on the identical salary, decided by geography alone. See the full ranking in what $100,000 is worth after tax in every province.
Why the ranking matters
The lowest-tax provinces aren’t always the cheapest to live in. B.C. keeps the most on $100k — and has some of the priciest housing in the country. Alberta keeps nearly as much and has no PST. So “best province for your paycheque” depends on tax and cost of living.
Build your own personal map — enter your salary and compare provinces in our take-home calculator, or browse salary after tax by province.