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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.

Last checked 2026-09-2628 sources

Population20,766people31 Dec 2022Official source · Statistics Canada
Median gross salary3,731EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada
Average rent1,343EUR/month31 Dec 2025Metro-area figureOfficial source · CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01
Unemployment rate5.1%country median 8.4% — 39% belowOfficial source · Statistics Canada
Recorded crime5,997incidents per 100,000country median 4,873 — 23% aboveOfficial source · Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia
PM2.5, annual mean4.82µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS

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.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Colwood recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€50
Mobile plan, 10 GB€24
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited49.79 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Bell Fibe 500 home internet1Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB24.27 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Public Mobile 50GB plan8Official · national market
Households spending over 30% of income on rent18.8 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada12Official
Dwellings7,688 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada10Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)1,127 EUR/month31 Oct 2023CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 20233Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)1,343 EUR/month31 Dec 2025CMHC 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.

Try your profile
Remote worker49%strong on work, weak on safety · range 40–58%
Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on education · range 47–65%
Student31%strong on cost, weak on education · range 21–41%
Family44%strong on family, weak on education · range 35–53%
Retirement30%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 19–41%

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.

  • Median gross salary: 3,731 EUR/month · Statistics Canada13
  • Median gross salary (regional): 2,898 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca20

What is the unemployment rate in Colwood?

The unemployment rate is 5.1 % (2021). Source: Statistics Canada14

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Colwood is 5.1%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary3,731 EUR/month31 Dec 2020Statistics Canada13Official
Median gross salary (regional)2,898 EUR/month31 Dec 2020www150.statcan.gc.ca20Official
Unemployment rate5.1 %country median 8.4%31 Dec 2021Statistics 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.

Colwood median gross pay: €3,731 (Statistics Canada, 2020-12-31).
Left over each month€1,420of €2,838 take-home
  • Rent
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left 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
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Colwood Salary needed to live in Colwood

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.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support

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

Recorded crime across major citiesColwood highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Colwood highlighted

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
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents5,997 incidents per 100,000country median 4,87331 Dec 2025Incident-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.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport2 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights6Official
Distance to the nearest major airport8 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports7Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)YWH3 Aug 2026OurAirports7Official

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.

Country-level information

IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For newcomers to Canada.

English, FrenchFree
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Colwood.

Find courses near Colwood

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
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

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 Colwood is 4.8 µg/m³. Of 123 cities with data, 46 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean4.82 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS4Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan 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 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI17Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 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 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 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 °C31 Dec 1991World 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

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area17.66 km²31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada15Official
Foreign-resident share12.64 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada9Official
Foreign residents2,375 people31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada9Official
Population density1,074 people/km²31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada15Official
Population20,766 people31 Dec 2022Statistics Canada11Official
Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022

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 groupPeopleShare
Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data2,375100.0%
Europe1,04043.8%
Asia78032.8%
United Kingdom51521.7%
Americas40016.8%
United States of America2008.4%
Philippines1606.7%
Other places of birth in Asia1606.7%
Other places of birth in Europe1405.9%
China1255.3%
Germany1154.8%
Show 33 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Africa1104.6%
Korea, South903.8%
India753.2%
Portugal602.5%
Viet Nam502.1%
Other places of birth in Africa451.9%
Oceania and other places of birth451.9%
Colombia401.7%
Other places of birth in Americas351.5%
Netherlands351.5%
South Africa, Republic of351.5%
Russian Federation301.3%
Taiwan301.3%
Jamaica251.1%
Peru251.1%
France251.1%
Poland251.1%
Ukraine251.1%
Iran251.1%
El Salvador200.8%
Mexico200.8%
Trinidad and Tobago200.8%
Hungary200.8%
Nigeria200.8%
Hong Kong200.8%
Guyana150.6%
Croatia150.6%
Romania150.6%
Pakistan150.6%
Brazil100.4%
Greece100.4%
Italy100.4%
Iraq100.4%

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 groupPeopleShare
Total - Citizenship for the population in private households - 25% sample data18,795100.0%
Canadian citizens17,99095.7%
Canadian citizens aged 18 and over14,33576.3%
Canadian citizens aged under 183,65519.4%
Not Canadian citizens8004.3%

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 groupPeopleShare
Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data18,930100.0%
Single responses18,66098.6%
Official languages17,97595.0%
English17,80094.0%
Non-official languages6853.6%
Non-Indigenous languages6853.6%
Indo-European languages2901.5%
Multiple responses2701.4%
English and non-official language(s)2201.2%
French1801.0%
Sino-Tibetan languages1450.8%
Show 51 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Chinese languages1450.8%
Mandarin1100.6%
Italic (Romance) languages1000.5%
Indo-Iranian languages950.5%
Indo-Aryan languages750.4%
Korean750.4%
Spanish700.4%
Austronesian languages650.3%
Balto-Slavic languages600.3%
Slavic languages600.3%
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)550.3%
English and French400.2%
Russian400.2%
Punjabi (Panjabi)400.2%
Yue (Cantonese)350.2%
Austro-Asiatic languages300.2%
Vietnamese300.2%
Germanic languages250.1%
Iranian languages250.1%
Afro-Asiatic languages200.1%
Semitic languages200.1%
Portuguese200.1%
Sign languages150.1%
American Sign Language150.1%
Arabic150.1%
Dravidian languages150.1%
High German languages150.1%
German150.1%
Hindi150.1%
Persian languages150.1%
Iranian Persian150.1%
Turkic languages100.1%
Turkish100.1%
Polish100.1%
Low Saxon-Low Franconian languages100.1%
Greek100.1%
Urdu100.1%
Romanian100.1%
Japanese100.1%
Min Nan (Chaochow, Teochow, Fukien, Taiwanese)50.0%
Tai-Kadai languages50.0%
Lao50.0%
Uralic languages50.0%
Hungarian50.0%
Malayalam50.0%
Telugu50.0%
Albanian50.0%
Czech50.0%
Afrikaans50.0%
Dutch50.0%
Pashto50.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad12.7 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada12Official
Median age42.4 years31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada16Official

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.

Langford 3.1 km away
Salary
3,442 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
View Royal 5.5 km away
Salary
3,922 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
Metchosin 5.6 km away
Salary
3,731 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
Central Saanich 13.0 km away
Salary
3,840 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
Oak Bay 13.1 km away
Salary
4,630 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
Sooke 18.6 km away
Salary
3,486 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31
North Saanich 21.9 km away
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.

All Canada cities

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 guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common 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

JSON Markdown
  1. Bell Fibe 500 home internet bell.ca · checked 2026-09-15
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-05
  5. Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-24
  6. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  7. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Public Mobile 50GB plan publicmobile.ca · checked 2026-09-15
  9. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  10. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Show 18 more sources
  1. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
  3. Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-13
  4. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
  7. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  8. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  9. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  10. www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
  11. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  12. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  13. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  14. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  15. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  16. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  17. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  18. 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.