Living in Cold Lake

In Cold Lake, unemployment is 7.9% (2021).

Residents of Cold Lake numbered 15,530 at the end of 2022. Cold Lake registered an unemployment rate of 7.89% at the end of 2021. Cold Lake's foreign population totalled 1,415 at the end of 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-2616 sources

Population15,530people31 Dec 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary (region)3,268EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · www150.statcan.gc.ca

Unemployment rate7.89%country median 8.4% — 6% belowOfficial source · Statistics Canada

Recorded crime7,390incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police

PM2.5, annual mean10.93µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS

More recorded crime than 74% of Canadian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 93% of Canadian cities that publish it.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Cold Lake?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CanadaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Cold Lake.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Cold Lake recorded 6,767 dwellings at the end of 2021.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€50

Mobile plan, 10 GB€24

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	49.79 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Bell Fibe 500 home internet¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	24.27 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Public Mobile 50GB plan⁶Official · national market
Dwellings	6,767 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁸Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)	827.7 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023²Official

Is Cold Lake a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 44–64%

Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on education · range 49–67%

Student41%strong on cost, weak on education · range 30–52%

Family50%strong on family, weak on education · range 39–61%

Retirement56%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 43–69%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Cold Lake?

The unemployment rate is about 7.9 % (2021).

Unemployment rate: 7.89 % · Statistics Canada¹⁰

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Cold Lake is 7.9%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

125

108

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–1818–2020–22

Cold Lake 7.9%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	3,268 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁶Official
Unemployment rate	7.89 %country median 8.4%	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Cold Lake. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support

Open official service

Open the Canada service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Cold Lake. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Cold Lake?

Police recorded about 7,390 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police⁴

Recorded crime across major citiesCold Lake highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Winnipeg7,894

Edmonton7,108

Halifax6,020

Vancouver5,438

Calgary4,796

London4,743

Québec4,630

Ottawa4,298

Hamilton4,257

Toronto4,177

Gatineau3,756

Montreal3,674

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	7,390 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police⁴Official · county

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Distance to the nearest major airport	41 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁵Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	YBY	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁵Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Cold Lake. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For newcomers to Canada.

English, FrenchFree

Open official information

Open the full Canada section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Cold Lake.

Find courses near Cold Lake

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 in the air was 10.9 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Monthly mean temperature moved from −14.8°C in January to 17.7°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 17.4 mm in January and 79.4 mm in July.

Is the air quality good in Cold Lake?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.9 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 10.93 µg/m³ · Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS³

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

-10°-20°

-6°-17°

1°-11°

9°-2°

17°4°

21°9°

24°12°

22°10°

17°5°

8°-1°

-2°-10°

-9°-17°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.510.9WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaAnnual PM2.5 in Cold Lake is 10.9 µg/m³. Of 123 cities with data, 46 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1113–1415–1616–1717–1820–2140–41

Cold Lake 10.9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	10.93 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS³Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan -9.9 · Feb -6.3 · Mar 0.5 · Apr 9.4 · May 17.1 · Jun 21 · Jul 23.6 · Aug 22.4 · Sep 16.9 · Oct 8.4 · Nov -1.9 · Dec -8.7 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹²Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -19.6 · Feb -17.3 · Mar -10.7 · Apr -2.2 · May 4.1 · Jun 9.2 · Jul 11.8 · Aug 10.2 · Sep 4.9 · Oct -1.3 · Nov -9.8 · Dec -17.4 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹³Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -14.8 · Feb -11.8 · Mar -5.1 · Apr 3.6 · May 10.6 · Jun 15.1 · Jul 17.7 · Aug 16.4 · Sep 10.9 · Oct 3.6 · Nov -5.9 · Dec -13.1 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 17.4 · Feb 12.6 · Mar 17.8 · Apr 33.9 · May 39.9 · Jun 85.5 · Jul 79.4 · Aug 52.3 · Sep 38.8 · Oct 23.7 · Nov 19.2 · Dec 16 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Canada: Gatineau ±4.5 °C. Elsewhere: Oulu (Finland) ±3.1 °C, Fargo (United States) ±3.4 °C, Jyväskylä (Finland) ±3.0 °C, Jönköping (Sweden) ±5.0 °C, Kuopio (Finland) ±3.3 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

At the end of 2021, the city's area measured 66.6 km². Cold Lake had a population density of 235.1 people per km² at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Cold Lake?

The published population was 15,530 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada⁹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport90.9%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	66.61 km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Foreign-resident share	9.22 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁷Official
Foreign residents	1,415 people	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁷Official
Population density	235.1 people/km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Population	15,530 people	31 Dec 2022	Statistics Canada⁹Official

Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022

11,573

13,037

14,500

15,964

15,53020012005200920152022

Population rose 30.8% between 2001 and 2022, from 11,876 to 15,530.

Alternatives for people set on Cold Lake

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Aurora as a Cold Lake alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 2488 km, better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Foreign residents: 36.8% Aurora vs 9.2% Cold Lake+299%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,296 Aurora vs 7,390 Cold Lake−42%
Median gross pay, region: €3,094 Aurora vs €3,268 Cold Lake−5%

Full comparison More about Aurora

Alternative cities in Canada

Other cities in Canada to compare with Cold Lake, nearest in population first.

All Canada cities

Mississippi Mills15,555 residents Saint-Charles-Borromée15,466 residents Lavaltrie15,619 residents Comox15,378 residents Pincourt15,366 residents West Nipissing15,744 residents

How does Cold Lake compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Cold Lake's.

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Cold Lake when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Cold Lake's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Cold Lake?

The published population was 15,530 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Cold Lake?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.9 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS.

How safe is Cold Lake?

What is the unemployment rate in Cold Lake?

The unemployment rate is about 7.9 % (2021). Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the typical salary around Cold Lake?

The median gross salary is 3,268 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

How many foreign residents live in Cold Lake?

1,415 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is Cold Lake a good place to live?

Cold Lake may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Cold Lake, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 670aa3615f18f9b68048c7d064d70b19]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/cold-lake/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_cold-lake-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_a62dba9fe57d,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Cold Lake, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {670aa3615f18f9b68048c7d064d70b19},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/cold-lake/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Cold Lake, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/cold-lake/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 670aa3615f18f9b68048c7d064d70b19; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Bell Fibe 500 home internet bell.ca · checked 2026-09-15
CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023 CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey · assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-18
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-05
Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-25
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Public Mobile 50GB plan publicmobile.ca · checked 2026-09-15
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03

Show 6 more sources

Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27

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