Parking rates are set to rise in Saskatoon, effective in June. (CBC)

Impark, the largest parking lot operator in Saskatchewan, is increasing rates in Saskatoon for the second time in less than a year.

The company, which manages 45 lots in the city, says monthly rates at just under half of its locations will rise five to 10 per cent, effective in June. Current prices vary depending on the location, but most are around $160 per month.

In some prime locations, rates are going up by another 66 per cent.

"The primary reason is an increase in demand," Impark's Julian Jones told CBC News in an telephone interview Wednesday. "The secondary reason is there's been some decrease in supply."

Rates had already jumped in August, 2009, by five to 10 per cent.

"It really is a struggle," Charmaine Pinacie, a customer at a downtown lot, said Wednesday in reaction to the rising costs. "When do we get a break? It doesn't happen. We don't have a choice. We have to come to work."

Other parkers view the rising rates as simply a sign of the times.

"I guess property is getting harder to find down here," Dwayne Hounsell said. "It's not bad compared to other cities, really."

Saskatoon's southern neighbour, Regina, has cheaper downtown parking rates —around $150 per month depending on location.

Impark, which is also a major operator in the provincial capital, said no rate increases are planned for Regina.