Living in Colwood
In Colwood, unemployment is 5.1% (2021).
Residents of Colwood numbered 20,766 at the end of 2022. The unemployment rate was 5.1% at the end of 2021. The foreign population count was 2,375 at the end of 2021.
Lower unemployment than 90% of Canadian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 68% of Canadian cities that publish it.
Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Colwood?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
The share of renter households spending 30% or more on housing reached 18.8% at the end of 2021.
| 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 plan8Official · national market |
| Households spending over 30% of income on rent | 18.8 % | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada12Official |
| Dwellings | 7,688 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada10Official |
| Average monthly rent (two-bedroom) | 1,127 EUR/month | 31 Oct 2023 | CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 20233Official |
| Average monthly rent (whole dwelling) | 1,343 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2025 | CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-012Official · metropolitan-area figure |
Is Colwood 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.
Work and income
What is the typical salary in Colwood?
The median gross salary is about 3,731 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table.
City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.
What is the unemployment rate in Colwood?
The unemployment rate is 5.1 % (2021). Source: Statistics Canada14
Colwood 5.1%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross salary | 3,731 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2020 | Statistics Canada13Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 2,898 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2020 | www150.statcan.gc.ca20Official |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1 %country median 8.4% | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada14Official |
What does a salary buy in Colwood?
Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.
RentInternetMobileLeft over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
| Each month | € |
|---|---|
| Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08. | €2,838 |
| Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01 · 2025-12-31 | − €1,343 |
| Internet€50 · official · Bell Fibe 500 home internet · 2026-09-30 | − €50 |
| Mobile plan€24 · official · Public Mobile 50GB plan · 2026-09-30 | − €24 |
| Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities | — |
| Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish | €1,420 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Colwood. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Colwood. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.
Safety
How safe is Colwood?
Police recorded about 5,997 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, police services in British Columbia5
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 5,997 incidents per 100,000country median 4,873 | 31 Dec 2025 | Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia5Official |
Mobility and administration
Colwood's nearest airport was YWH, 8 km away and offered 2 direct destinations.
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Colwood. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
For newcomers to Canada.
Climate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Colwood?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.8 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
- PM2.5 — annual mean: 4.82 µg/m³ · Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS4
Night-time low to daytime high
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Colwood 4.8
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 4.82 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS4Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average daytime high by month | Jan 8.2 · Feb 8.8 · Mar 11 · Apr 14 · May 17.8 · Jun 20.6 · Jul 23.7 · Aug 23.5 · Sep 20 · Oct 14.3 · Nov 10.3 · Dec 8 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI17Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan 3.4 · Feb 2.9 · Mar 3.9 · Apr 5.5 · May 7.9 · Jun 10.2 · Jul 11.7 · Aug 11.8 · Sep 10.1 · Oct 7.1 · Nov 4.7 · Dec 3.1 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 5.8 · Feb 5.9 · Mar 7.5 · Apr 9.8 · May 12.9 · Jun 15.4 · Jul 17.7 · Aug 17.7 · Sep 15 · Oct 10.7 · Nov 7.6 · Dec 5.5 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI19Official · nearest-station reading |
Similar climate. In Canada: Markham ±4.3 °C. Elsewhere: Gillingham (United Kingdom) ±0.6 °C, Maidstone (United Kingdom) ±0.6 °C, Harrow (United Kingdom) ±0.7 °C, Watford (United Kingdom) ±0.7 °C, Rouen (France) ±0.7 °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
Colwood's total area was 17.7 km² at the end of 2021. Colwood had a median age of 42.4 years at the end of 2021. The city recorded a population density of 1,073.6 people per km² at the end of 2021.
How many people live in Colwood?
The published population was 20,766 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada11
By nationality
National passport88.6%Foreign residents11.4%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 17.66 km² | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada15Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 12.64 % | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada9Official |
| Foreign residents | 2,375 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada9Official |
| Population density | 1,074 people/km² | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada15Official |
| Population | 20,766 people | 31 Dec 2022 | Statistics Canada11Official |
Population rose 44.5% between 2001 and 2022, from 14,369 to 20,766.
International community in Colwood
Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.
Country of birth
Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data | 2,375 | 100.0% |
| Europe | 1,040 | 43.8% |
| Asia | 780 | 32.8% |
| United Kingdom | 515 | 21.7% |
| Americas | 400 | 16.8% |
| United States of America | 200 | 8.4% |
| Philippines | 160 | 6.7% |
| Other places of birth in Asia | 160 | 6.7% |
| Other places of birth in Europe | 140 | 5.9% |
| China | 125 | 5.3% |
| Germany | 115 | 4.8% |
Show 33 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 110 | 4.6% |
| Korea, South | 90 | 3.8% |
| India | 75 | 3.2% |
| Portugal | 60 | 2.5% |
| Viet Nam | 50 | 2.1% |
| Other places of birth in Africa | 45 | 1.9% |
| Oceania and other places of birth | 45 | 1.9% |
| Colombia | 40 | 1.7% |
| Other places of birth in Americas | 35 | 1.5% |
| Netherlands | 35 | 1.5% |
| South Africa, Republic of | 35 | 1.5% |
| Russian Federation | 30 | 1.3% |
| Taiwan | 30 | 1.3% |
| Jamaica | 25 | 1.1% |
| Peru | 25 | 1.1% |
| France | 25 | 1.1% |
| Poland | 25 | 1.1% |
| Ukraine | 25 | 1.1% |
| Iran | 25 | 1.1% |
| El Salvador | 20 | 0.8% |
| Mexico | 20 | 0.8% |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 20 | 0.8% |
| Hungary | 20 | 0.8% |
| Nigeria | 20 | 0.8% |
| Hong Kong | 20 | 0.8% |
| Guyana | 15 | 0.6% |
| Croatia | 15 | 0.6% |
| Romania | 15 | 0.6% |
| Pakistan | 15 | 0.6% |
| Brazil | 10 | 0.4% |
| Greece | 10 | 0.4% |
| Italy | 10 | 0.4% |
| Iraq | 10 | 0.4% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12
Citizenship
Total - Citizenship for the population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total - Citizenship for the population in private households - 25% sample data | 18,795 | 100.0% |
| Canadian citizens | 17,990 | 95.7% |
| Canadian citizens aged 18 and over | 14,335 | 76.3% |
| Canadian citizens aged under 18 | 3,655 | 19.4% |
| Not Canadian citizens | 800 | 4.3% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12
Language spoken at home
Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data | 18,930 | 100.0% |
| Single responses | 18,660 | 98.6% |
| Official languages | 17,975 | 95.0% |
| English | 17,800 | 94.0% |
| Non-official languages | 685 | 3.6% |
| Non-Indigenous languages | 685 | 3.6% |
| Indo-European languages | 290 | 1.5% |
| Multiple responses | 270 | 1.4% |
| English and non-official language(s) | 220 | 1.2% |
| French | 180 | 1.0% |
| Sino-Tibetan languages | 145 | 0.8% |
Show 51 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese languages | 145 | 0.8% |
| Mandarin | 110 | 0.6% |
| Italic (Romance) languages | 100 | 0.5% |
| Indo-Iranian languages | 95 | 0.5% |
| Indo-Aryan languages | 75 | 0.4% |
| Korean | 75 | 0.4% |
| Spanish | 70 | 0.4% |
| Austronesian languages | 65 | 0.3% |
| Balto-Slavic languages | 60 | 0.3% |
| Slavic languages | 60 | 0.3% |
| Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) | 55 | 0.3% |
| English and French | 40 | 0.2% |
| Russian | 40 | 0.2% |
| Punjabi (Panjabi) | 40 | 0.2% |
| Yue (Cantonese) | 35 | 0.2% |
| Austro-Asiatic languages | 30 | 0.2% |
| Vietnamese | 30 | 0.2% |
| Germanic languages | 25 | 0.1% |
| Iranian languages | 25 | 0.1% |
| Afro-Asiatic languages | 20 | 0.1% |
| Semitic languages | 20 | 0.1% |
| Portuguese | 20 | 0.1% |
| Sign languages | 15 | 0.1% |
| American Sign Language | 15 | 0.1% |
| Arabic | 15 | 0.1% |
| Dravidian languages | 15 | 0.1% |
| High German languages | 15 | 0.1% |
| German | 15 | 0.1% |
| Hindi | 15 | 0.1% |
| Persian languages | 15 | 0.1% |
| Iranian Persian | 15 | 0.1% |
| Turkic languages | 10 | 0.1% |
| Turkish | 10 | 0.1% |
| Polish | 10 | 0.1% |
| Low Saxon-Low Franconian languages | 10 | 0.1% |
| Greek | 10 | 0.1% |
| Urdu | 10 | 0.1% |
| Romanian | 10 | 0.1% |
| Japanese | 10 | 0.1% |
| Min Nan (Chaochow, Teochow, Fukien, Taiwanese) | 5 | 0.0% |
| Tai-Kadai languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Lao | 5 | 0.0% |
| Uralic languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Hungarian | 5 | 0.0% |
| Malayalam | 5 | 0.0% |
| Telugu | 5 | 0.0% |
| Albanian | 5 | 0.0% |
| Czech | 5 | 0.0% |
| Afrikaans | 5 | 0.0% |
| Dutch | 5 | 0.0% |
| Pashto | 5 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12
Additional context
Alternatives for people set on Colwood
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.
Oak Bay as a Colwood alternative in the same region
13 km away, better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,502 Oak Bay vs 5,997 Colwood−58%
- Unemployment: 7.0% Oak Bay vs 5.1% Colwood+37%
- Foreign residents: 21.9% Oak Bay vs 12.6% Colwood+73%
- Median gross pay, city: €4,630 Oak Bay vs €3,731 Colwood+24%
- Median gross pay, region: €3,137 Oak Bay vs €2,898 Colwood+8%
- Residents: 19,211 Oak Bay vs 20,766 Colwood−7%
Blainville as a Colwood alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 3705 km, better on 1 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 3.
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,099 Blainville vs 5,997 Colwood−65%
- Residents: 62,700 Blainville vs 20,766 Colwood+202%
- Unemployment: 5.6% Blainville vs 5.1% Colwood+9%
- Median gross pay, region: €2,789 Blainville vs €2,898 Colwood−4%
- Foreign residents: 11.7% Blainville vs 12.6% Colwood−7%
- Median gross pay, city: €3,813 Blainville vs €3,731 Colwoodsame level
Cities near Colwood
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Salary
- 3,442 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
- Salary
- 3,922 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
- Salary
- 3,731 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
- Salary
- 3,840 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
- Salary
- 4,630 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
- Salary
- 3,486 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
- Salary
- 4,112 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
Alternative cities in Canada
Other cities in Canada to compare with Colwood, nearest in population first.
How does Colwood compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Colwood's.
Colwood in rankings
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Colwood 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 guideCommon questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Colwood?
The published population was 20,766 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.
Is the air quality good in Colwood?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.8 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS.
How safe is Colwood?
Police recorded about 5,997 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, police services in British Columbia.
What is the typical salary in Colwood?
The median gross salary is about 3,731 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Canada.
What is the unemployment rate in Colwood?
The unemployment rate is 5.1 % (2021). Source: Statistics Canada.
What is the typical salary around Colwood?
The median gross salary is 2,898 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.
Is Colwood a good place to live?
Colwood 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.
Which cities are near Colwood?
Langford, View Royal, Metchosin, Central Saanich, Oak Bay are near Colwood. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people born in Europe live in Colwood?
The official country of birth distribution records 1,040 people (43.8%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.
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). Colwood, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version a2a1b3a1222bee59d080c678e4cc11f9]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/colwood/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_colwood-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_d2632a4426de,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Colwood, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {a2a1b3a1222bee59d080c678e4cc11f9},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/colwood/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Colwood, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/colwood/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version a2a1b3a1222bee59d080c678e4cc11f9; 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
- Bell Fibe 500 home internet bell.ca · checked 2026-09-15
- CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01 www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-23
- 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, police services in British Columbia www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-24
- OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
- 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
Show 18 more sources
- Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
- Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
- Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-13
- Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
- Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
- Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
- 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
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q115788 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.