“We didn’t leave because we wanted to. We left because we couldn’t afford to stay.”
That sentence appeared in the comments after CountyFirst asked a simple question:
Is Prince Edward County becoming too difficult to survive in?
What followed wasn’t a debate.
It was a pattern.
Stories of rising costs. Of wages that don’t keep up. Of families making quiet decisions to leave. Of businesses trying to hold on through another winter.
Individually, each story might seem anecdotal.
Together, they start to look like something else.
A community under pressure — and a conversation that, until recently, was happening mostly in silence.
“Too Expensive to Survive”
“Canada is becoming too expensive to survive.”
“The County is becoming too expensive to survive.”
These weren’t policy arguments. They were lived experience.
Rent is rising. Groceries are higher. Fuel costs more. Insurance costs more. Utilities cost more.
But incomes — especially in tourism, service, and seasonal work — have not kept pace.
“My rent goes up every year but I sure don’t get a raise every year,” one resident wrote.
Different people. Same story.
When Staying No Longer Works
Some of the most striking comments came from residents who said they had already reached a breaking point.
“We were forced to move out of our house in Picton because we could no longer keep up with increasing property taxes and utility costs.”
This wasn’t a marginal case.
The household had multiple units. Multiple income streams. Careful spending habits.
They reduced water use. Delayed appliance use. Managed every cost they could.
It still wasn’t enough.
At some point, affordability stops being a concern — and becomes a decision.
Stay, or leave.
Property Taxes, Water, and the Cost of Staying
“Property taxes are killing us.”
“Water rates are higher here than pretty well anywhere else.”
Municipal costs are not abstract. They show up in monthly bills.
And unlike discretionary spending, they are unavoidable.
For many residents — especially those on fixed incomes — these costs don’t adjust when circumstances change.
They accumulate.
A Tourism Economy Under Pressure
Tourism built the modern County economy.
Wineries. Restaurants. Resorts. Markets. Events.
But the same system that brings visitors also creates pressure.
Tourism is discretionary spending.
And right now, discretionary spending is tightening.
“Families can afford a trip to the beach and an ice cream — but not an overnight stay or a wine tour lunch,” one resident noted.
At the same time, businesses face rising costs.
“You only have six months, if that, to make it.”
Six months of revenue.
Twelve months of expenses.
The Catch-22 No One Escapes
One of the most insightful comments described a cycle many businesses now face:
Wages need to rise so workers can afford to live here.
But when wages rise, businesses must increase prices.
When prices increase, customers pull back.
When customers pull back, businesses lose revenue.
And when revenue falls, businesses cut staff — or close.
It is a loop.
And many feel stuck inside it.
The Housing Reality
“No way could a young person afford a home.”
“People are moving away after generations here.”
Businesses can’t find staff.
Staff can’t find housing.
And when workers can’t live locally, the system starts to strain.
Not suddenly.
Gradually.
The Numbers Behind the Feeling
The data helps explain why so many residents are feeling pressure.
• Median household income in Prince Edward County is roughly in the $70,000–$80,000 range
• Average home prices surged during the pandemic, often exceeding $700,000
• Two-bedroom rents commonly range from $1,800 to $2,200+
• Inflation significantly increased food, fuel, and housing costs between 2021–2024
• Municipal budgets — and property tax requirements — have grown alongside infrastructure demands
The result is a widening gap:
Costs are rising faster than incomes.
And that gap is no longer abstract.
It’s showing up in everyday decisions.
Two Counties Emerging
Reading through the comments, a pattern begins to form.
There are, increasingly, two versions of Prince Edward County.
One is the version visitors see:
• wineries
• restaurants
• beaches
• boutique stays
• curated experiences
The other is the version residents live:
• rising bills
• housing pressure
• seasonal work
• cost uncertainty
• difficult trade-offs
Both are real.
But they are not the same.
Not Everyone Agrees
Some commenters pushed back.
They questioned the use of unconfirmed information.
Others argued that business closures are part of normal economic cycles.
Some suggested that business models — not the environment — may be the issue.
These perspectives are part of the conversation too.
Because this is not a simple story.
A Pattern That’s Hard to Ignore
What makes these responses striking is not just their volume, but their consistency.
Different people. Different circumstances.
But the same underlying concern.
That something fundamental is shifting — and that it may be happening faster than many expected.
For many, these aren’t new concerns.
Just ones that haven’t been said out loud until now.
The Question That Follows
Prince Edward County is still growing.
Visitors still come.
Businesses still open.
But underneath that growth, something else may be happening.
A slow shift in who the County works for.
So the question isn’t just:
Is it becoming harder to survive here?
It’s something more fundamental:
Who is Prince Edward County actually for — five, ten, twenty years from now?
The conversation is no longer quiet.
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