The cost of living in Yellowknife increased by an average of two percent over the past year, outpacing the rest of the country as Yellowknifers paid more for everything from food to electricity.
At the end of July, the capital’s consumer price index was 131.3, an increase of two percent from July 2014, compared to 127.3 for Canada and 125.4 in Whitehorse.
Electricity led all cost increases, growing by 8.4 percent to 196.8, despite a $20 million GNWT subsidy to counter the impact of low water and increased reliance on diesel generation.
The next largest increase was in the cost of food purchased in grocery stores – up 6.9 percent from last July to 137.8 – while the cost of dining out rose by a modest 1.8 percent to 138.3.
Overall, energy costs declined by 4.6 percent to 182.8 – largely due to the 21.1 percent drop in the price paid for home heating oil. The cost of gasoline was also down by 3.4 percent from last July to 153.8.
