Halifax, Nova Scotia
Running a cafe in Halifax? Know how many sales pay for today.
Free. No sign-up.
Labor is set to the $17.00 Nova Scotia minimum wage: two people for 8 hours is $272. The $8 average sale is only an example. Change any number.
Rent, insurance, subscriptions, loan payments
What you pay staff on a normal day
What one customer spends, on average
Food and drink cost as a % of the check
30 = open every day. 26 = closed one day a week. 22 = closed two.
Customers to break even today
131 customers
That is $1,048 in sales.
Your costs today$734
$462 fixed + $272 labor
Each customer contributes
$5.60
What is left after cost of goods
We divide your monthly fixed costs by the 26 days you open. Then we add one day of labor cost. Each customer covers only what is left after cost of goods. That is why the number is higher than your costs divided by the average sale.
What you type stays in your browser unless you press Email me this result.
The free fix
The free fix, from KANJIN (kanjin.app), a digital stamp card and back office for small shops: Free break-even tracker.
Know each day if the cafe covered its costs
Type the figures from the calculator above into the free back office once. Each day's sales then show whether the cafe made its target. Print the page and tape it by the back door, so every shift knows the number.
Free plan, no time limit. No card needed.
Short answer
How many sales does my Halifax cafe need each day to cover its costs?
Add up one day of rent and wages, divide it by what each sale leaves after milk, beans and cups, and round up. At the $17.00 Nova Scotia minimum wage, two people on an 8-hour shift cost $272 before the first coffee.
Most of your day is paid for before you open
Rent, the espresso machine and the people on the schedule cost the same on a wet Tuesday and a busy Saturday.
So one number matters most. How many sales do you need before the day stops losing money?
Type your own rent, wages and average sale into the calculator above. The answer is your daily target.
The Nova Scotia wage went up on October 1
Since October 1, 2026, the minimum wage in Nova Scotia is $17.00 an hour.
Two people for 8 hours is $272 a day before rent, milk or beans.
If you set your target last summer, check it again with the new wage.
HST is 14%, and it is not yours
The HST rate in Nova Scotia is 14% since April 1, 2025.
When HST is charged on a sale, it goes to the government. Take it off before you count what a sale leaves.
So type your average sale into the calculator without the tax.
Plan for the six paid holidays
Nova Scotia has six paid holidays: New Year's Day, Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day and Christmas Day.
Staff who qualify get holiday pay. A quiet holiday can still cost a full day of wages.
A regular who comes back one more time a week is the cheapest way to cover days like these.
How to work out your cafe's daily break-even in Halifax
- Add up one day of fixed costs.
Take your monthly rent, insurance and bills, and divide by the days you open.
- Add one day of wages.
In Nova Scotia, at least $17.00 an hour for each person on the schedule.
- Find what one sale leaves.
Your average sale without HST, minus the milk, beans, food and cups it uses.
- Divide and round up.
The day's costs divided by what one sale leaves. That is how many sales you need to cover the day.
The local numbers, with sources
- Nova Scotia minimum wage
- $17.00 an hour since October 1, 2026
- Source: Government of Nova Scotia, Minimum wage, checked 2026-11-11.
- Nova Scotia HST
- 14% since April 1, 2025
- Source: Canada Revenue Agency, GST/HST rates, checked 2026-11-11.
- Nova Scotia paid holidays
- 6 paid holidays: New Year's Day, Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, Christmas Day
- Source: Government of Nova Scotia, Holiday and retail closing day charts, checked 2026-11-11.
Common questions
What is the minimum wage in Nova Scotia now?
$17.00 an hour, since October 1, 2026.
What is the HST rate in Nova Scotia?
14%, since April 1, 2025, when the provincial part went down to 9%.
How do I work out how many sales I need?
Divide one day of fixed costs and wages by what one average sale leaves after ingredients and cups, without the tax. Round up. That is how many sales you need each day.
Does the break-even tracker cost anything?
No. It is part of the free KANJIN back office, with no time limit. Type your costs once, and your target is there each time you sign in, on any device.
Do it for your own shop, free
Set your daily target once. Each day’s sales show whether you made it.
Type each day’s sales and supplier costs, and see how the week went in one chart.