I don't think you can compare full-time employment with an hourly contract directly.
The rule of thumb I've heard a few people use to convert from employment to contract is to multiply your hourly employment earnings by 2.5 to arrive at your contract rate. By that math, you're still under-earning outside of the downtown core.
Mind you, I'm not sure that conversion has ever fully rung true to me, but the general point of not being able to directly compare still stands.
The rule of thumb I've heard a few people use to convert from employment to contract is to multiply your hourly employment earnings by 2.5 to arrive at your contract rate. By that math, you're still under-earning outside of the downtown core.
Mind you, I'm not sure that conversion has ever fully rung true to me, but the general point of not being able to directly compare still stands.