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Living in Kitchener

In Kitchener, tenants pay an average rent of €1,107 a month (2025) and unemployment is 11% (2021).

Population density was 1,877.6 people per km² in 2021. The unemployment rate was 11% in May 2021. 23.3% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021. Monthly mean temperatures were −6.3°C in January and 20.2°C in July. The city covered 136.8 km² in 2021.

Last checked 2026-10-1027 sources

Population256,885people1 Jan 2021Official source · Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Kitchener (Census subdivision 3530013)
Median gross salary3,377EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada
Average rent1,107EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · Average Rent by Bedroom Type by Census Subdivision
Unemployment rate11%country median 8.4% — 31% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population
Recorded crime4,296incidents 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 mean3.48µg/m³country median 3.6 — 4% belowOfficial source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.

Higher unemployment than 75% of Canadian cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 69% of Canadian cities that publish it and cleaner air than 63% of Canadian cities that publish it.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Kitchener?

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 Kitchener.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Kitchener recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€770
Utilities, 85 m² flat€144
Transport pass€63
Internet, 60 Mbps€54
Mobile plan, 10 GB€34
Fitness club€30

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly29.57 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v227Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited53.89 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v227Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly769.9 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v227Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant14 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v227Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB33.94 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Cost of Living in Kitchener. Jun 2026. Prices in Kitchener26Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass62.99 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v227Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home143.6 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v227Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Households spending over 30% of income on rent23.3 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population19Official
Dwellings103,388 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada11Official
Main residence dwellings99,812 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada12Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)1,096 EUR/month31 Oct 2023CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 20233Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)1,107 EUR/month31 Dec 2025Average Rent by Bedroom Type by Census Subdivision1Official

Is Kitchener 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 employee55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–63%
Student36%strong on education, weak on work · range 28–44%
Family50%strong on family, weak on cost · range 41–59%
Retirement40%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 29–51%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Kitchener?

The median gross salary is about 3,377 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: 3,377 EUR/month · Statistics Canada13
  • Median gross salary (regional): 2,614 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca22

What is the unemployment rate in Kitchener?

The unemployment rate is 11 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population19

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Kitchener is 11.0%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Employment rate59.4 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada12Official
Median gross salary3,377 EUR/month31 Dec 2020Statistics Canada13Official
Median gross salary (regional)2,614 EUR/month31 Dec 2020www150.statcan.gc.ca22Official
Unemployment rate11 %country median 8.4%11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population19Official

What does a salary buy in Kitchener?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Kitchener median gross pay: €3,377 (Statistics Canada, 2020-12-31).
Left over each month€1,206of €2,607 take-home
  • Rent
  • Utilities
  • Transport
  • 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.€2,607
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · Average Rent by Bedroom Type by Census Subdivision · 2025-12-31− €1,107
Public transport pass€63 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €63
Utilities, 85 m²€144 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €144
Internet€54 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €54
Mobile plan€34 · market price · Cost of Living in Kitchener. Jun 2026. Prices in Kitchener · 2026-07-31− €34
Left over€1,206
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Kitchener Salary needed to live in Kitchener

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Kitchener. 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 Kitchener. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Kitchener?

Police recorded about 4,296 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 citiesKitchener highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Kitchener 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 residents4,296 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police4Official · county

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Workers commuting by bicycle0.6 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population19Official
Workers commuting by public transport5.7 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population19Official
Workers walking to work3.2 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population19Official
Destinations from nearest airport2 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat9Official
Nearest airportYKF13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv10Official
Distance to nearest airport9.3 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv10Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Kitchener. 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 Kitchener.

Find courses near Kitchener

Climate and air quality

Monthly precipitation was 66.3 mm in January and 96.2 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 3.48 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Kitchener?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.5 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: 3.48 µg/m³ · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.7
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
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 Kitchener is 3.5 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
NO₂ — annual mean6.14 µg/m³country median 7.02024Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.8Official
PM10 — annual mean10.5 µg/m³country median 10.5 — about the same2024Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.6Official
PM2.5 — annual mean3.48 µg/m³country median 3.62024Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.7Official
Average daytime high by monthJan -2.3 · Feb -1.4 · Mar 4.1 · Apr 11.6 · May 19 · Jun 24.1 · Jul 26.6 · Aug 25.5 · Sep 21.6 · Oct 14.1 · Nov 6.8 · Dec 0.7 °C31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — KITCHENER/WATERLOO, 1991-20202Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -10.3 · Feb -10.3 · Mar -5.6 · Apr 0.1 · May 6.2 · Jun 11.5 · Jul 13.7 · Aug 12.7 · Sep 8.7 · Oct 3.4 · Nov -1.6 · Dec -6.3 °C31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — KITCHENER/WATERLOO, 1991-20202Official
Average temperature by monthJan -6.3 · Feb -5.9 · Mar -0.8 · Apr 5.9 · May 12.6 · Jun 17.8 · Jul 20.2 · Aug 19.1 · Sep 15.2 · Oct 8.8 · Nov 2.6 · Dec -2.8 °C31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — KITCHENER/WATERLOO, 1991-20202Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 66.3 · Feb 46.1 · Mar 57 · Apr 81.2 · May 80.2 · Jun 80.5 · Jul 96.2 · Aug 67.2 · Sep 75.2 · Oct 71 · Nov 74.9 · Dec 54.9 mm31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — KITCHENER/WATERLOO, 1991-20202Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Kitchener?

The published population was 256,885 people in 2021. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Kitchener (Census subdivision 3530013)17

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 32,820 is not 29.7% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area136.8 km²31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada12Official
City area136.8 km²2021Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Kitchener, CSD 3530013)16Official
Foreign-resident share29.69 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada14Official
Foreign residents32,820 people11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status.18Official
Population density1,878 people/km²11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.18Official
Population256,885 people1 Jan 2021Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Kitchener (Census subdivision 3530013)17Official
Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022

Population rose 42.4% between 2001 and 2022, from 198,354 to 282,375.

International community in Kitchener

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 data75,450100.0%
Asia31,05041.2%
Europe23,58531.3%
Americas11,18514.8%
Africa9,40012.5%
India9,10512.1%
Other places of birth in Asia4,7756.3%
United Kingdom3,5254.7%
Romania3,1754.2%
Eritrea2,8953.8%
Other places of birth in Europe2,7853.7%
Show 49 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Other places of birth in Africa2,5503.4%
Other places of birth in Americas2,3753.1%
Poland2,3353.1%
Syria2,3253.1%
Bosnia and Herzegovina2,2052.9%
Pakistan2,1502.8%
Viet Nam2,1302.8%
China2,0952.8%
Philippines2,0202.7%
Portugal1,9402.6%
United States of America1,8752.5%
Germany1,8602.5%
Serbia1,6152.1%
Iraq1,4952.0%
Croatia1,4251.9%
El Salvador1,3501.8%
Colombia1,3251.8%
Ethiopia1,3251.8%
Jamaica1,3001.7%
Guyana1,2601.7%
Afghanistan1,0301.4%
Iran9801.3%
Nigeria8501.1%
Turkey6900.9%
Egypt6850.9%
Somalia6850.9%
Brazil6550.9%
Bangladesh5600.7%
Ukraine5550.7%
Netherlands5250.7%
Mexico4950.7%
Korea, South4950.7%
Russian Federation4600.6%
Lebanon4050.5%
Trinidad and Tobago3950.5%
Italy3950.5%
Sri Lanka3800.5%
Hungary3400.5%
Hong Kong2850.4%
Greece2700.4%
South Africa, Republic of2300.3%
Oceania and other places of birth2300.3%
France1700.2%
Congo, Democratic Republic of the1400.2%
Taiwan1300.2%
Haiti850.1%
Peru750.1%
Morocco200.0%
Algeria150.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source20

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 data254,145100.0%
Canadian citizens221,32587.1%
Canadian citizens aged 18 and over173,00568.1%
Canadian citizens aged under 1848,32019.0%
Not Canadian citizens32,82012.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source20

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% data254,820100.0%
Single responses241,96095.0%
Official languages197,21077.4%
English196,40577.1%
Non-official languages44,75017.6%
Non-Indigenous languages44,74517.6%
Indo-European languages27,13010.6%
Multiple responses12,8605.0%
Indo-Iranian languages12,3004.8%
English and non-official language(s)12,0904.7%
Indo-Aryan languages10,0904.0%
Show 159 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Afro-Asiatic languages7,9053.1%
Italic (Romance) languages7,4652.9%
Semitic languages6,6452.6%
Balto-Slavic languages5,9452.3%
Slavic languages5,9402.3%
Punjabi (Panjabi)4,3801.7%
Spanish3,8251.5%
Arabic3,8051.5%
Serbo-Croatian3,5251.4%
Serbian2,6551.0%
Sino-Tibetan languages2,4851.0%
Iranian languages2,2100.9%
Chinese languages2,1400.8%
Tigrigna1,9800.8%
Portuguese1,8300.7%
Austro-Asiatic languages1,7600.7%
Gujarati1,7100.7%
Romanian1,7000.7%
Mandarin1,6550.6%
Persian languages1,6400.6%
Vietnamese1,6350.6%
Dravidian languages1,5450.6%
Urdu1,3100.5%
Hindi1,2650.5%
Cushitic languages1,2500.5%
Polish1,2150.5%
Austronesian languages9800.4%
Korean8600.3%
Dari8350.3%
Malayalam8150.3%
French8100.3%
Turkic languages7700.3%
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)7450.3%
Turkish7400.3%
Somali6250.2%
Russian6200.2%
Iranian Persian5900.2%
Nepali5800.2%
Croatian5450.2%
Amharic5400.2%
Albanian5250.2%
Bilen5150.2%
Germanic languages5000.2%
Bengali4350.2%
Yue (Cantonese)4250.2%
High German languages4250.2%
German4200.2%
Tamil3650.1%
English and French3550.1%
Kurdish3450.1%
Tibeto-Burman languages3350.1%
Telugu3150.1%
Bosnian3000.1%
Tai-Kadai languages2950.1%
Greek2900.1%
Uralic languages2750.1%
Lao2700.1%
Hungarian2700.1%
Aramaic languages2700.1%
Niger-Congo languages2650.1%
Multiple non-official languages2350.1%
Persian (Farsi), n.o.s.2100.1%
Ukrainian2050.1%
Pashto1950.1%
Rohingya1550.1%
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic1500.1%
Kuki-Chin languages1450.1%
English, French and non-official language(s)1350.1%
Hmong-Mien languages1300.1%
Khmer (Cambodian)1200.0%
Italian1100.0%
Armenian1000.0%
Nilo-Saharan languages950.0%
Burmese900.0%
Czech900.0%
Slovak900.0%
Sign languages850.0%
Karenic languages850.0%
Sinhala (Sinhalese)850.0%
S'gaw Karen800.0%
Marathi800.0%
American Sign Language750.0%
Oromo750.0%
Creole languages750.0%
Rusyn750.0%
Swahili700.0%
Japanese700.0%
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic650.0%
Low Saxon-Low Franconian languages650.0%
Nilo-Saharan languages, n.i.e.600.0%
Macedonian550.0%
Aramaic, n.o.s.500.0%
Bisaya, n.o.s.500.0%
Niger-Congo languages, n.i.e.450.0%
French and non-official language(s)450.0%
Ilocano400.0%
Dutch400.0%
Sindhi400.0%
Yoruba350.0%
Cushitic languages, n.i.e.350.0%
Kannada350.0%
Shona300.0%
Nuer300.0%
Cebuano300.0%
Hiligaynon300.0%
Indonesian300.0%
Bulgarian300.0%
Serbo-Croatian, n.i.e.300.0%
Kacchi300.0%
Hebrew250.0%
Slovene (Slovenian)250.0%
Iranian languages, n.i.e.250.0%
Akan (Twi)250.0%
Rundi (Kirundi)200.0%
Min Nan (Chaochow, Teochow, Fukien, Taiwanese)200.0%
Thai200.0%
Austronesian languages, n.i.e.200.0%
Creole, n.o.s.200.0%
Afrikaans200.0%
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda)150.0%
Wu (Shanghainese)150.0%
Other languages, n.i.e.150.0%
Harari150.0%
Haitian Creole150.0%
Krio150.0%
Igbo100.0%
Ndebele100.0%
Sign languages, n.i.e.100.0%
Hakka100.0%
Chinese, n.o.s.100.0%
Karenic languages, n.i.e.100.0%
Tibeto-Burman languages, n.i.e.100.0%
Sino-Tibetan languages, n.i.e.100.0%
Azerbaijani100.0%
Turkic languages, n.i.e.100.0%
Indigenous languages100.0%
Coptic100.0%
Malay100.0%
Morisyen100.0%
Creole languages, n.i.e.100.0%
Belarusian100.0%
Scandinavian languages100.0%
African, n.o.s.50.0%
Kazakh50.0%
Uyghur50.0%
Uzbek50.0%
Maltese50.0%
Austro-Asiatic languages, n.i.e50.0%
Jamaican English Creole50.0%
Baltic languages50.0%
Latvian50.0%
Swiss German50.0%
Low German, n.o.s.50.0%
Danish50.0%
Konkani50.0%
Oriya languages50.0%
Oriya, n.o.s.50.0%
Indo-Aryan languages, n.i.e.50.0%
Italic (Romance) languages, n.i.e.50.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source20

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad34.1 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population19Official
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher27.7 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree21Official
Households99,810 households31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada12Official
Labour force participation rate66.8 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada12Official
Median age37.2 years31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada15Official

Alternatives for people set on Kitchener

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.

Milton as a Kitchener alternative in the same region

49 km away, better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

  • Nearest airport: 27.6 km Milton vs 9.3 km Kitchener+197%
  • Median gross pay, city: €4,167 Milton vs €3,377 Kitchener+23%
  • Median gross pay, region: €3,246 Milton vs €2,614 Kitchener+24%
  • Foreign residents: 42.1% Milton vs 29.7% Kitchener+42%
  • Residents: 132,979 Milton vs 256,885 Kitchener−48%
  • Unemployment: 11.4% Milton vs 11.0% Kitchener+4%
  • Annual PM2.5: 3.5 µg/m³ Milton vs 3.5 µg/m³ Kitchenersame level
Full comparisonMore about Milton

Oakville as a Kitchener alternative in the same country

65 km away, better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 3.

  • Median gross pay, city: €4,956 Oakville vs €3,377 Kitchener+47%
  • Nearest airport: 23.6 km Oakville vs 9.3 km Kitchener+154%
  • Median gross pay, region: €3,486 Oakville vs €2,614 Kitchener+33%
  • Foreign residents: 41.2% Oakville vs 29.7% Kitchener+39%
  • Unemployment: 11.7% Oakville vs 11.0% Kitchener+6%
  • Residents: 213,759 Oakville vs 256,885 Kitchener−17%
  • A meal out: €15 Oakville vs €14 Kitchener+5%
Full comparisonMore about Oakville

Cities near Kitchener

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Guelph 21.9 km away
Salary
3,568 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31

Alternative cities in Canada

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

All Canada cities
Longueuil253,413 residentsBurnaby249,125 residentsSaskatoon266,141 residentsWindsor236,789 residentsRegina226,404 residentsGatineau292,524 residents

How does Kitchener compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Kitchener in rankings

#13 of 30 in Most international cities in Canada #20 of 30 in Largest cities in Canada

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kitchener 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 Kitchener'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 Kitchener?

The published population was 256,885 people in 2021. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Kitchener (Census subdivision 3530013).

Is the air quality good in Kitchener?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.5 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate..

How safe is Kitchener?

Police recorded about 4,296 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 Police.

What is the typical salary in Kitchener?

The median gross salary is about 3,377 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 Kitchener?

The unemployment rate is 11 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.

What is the typical salary around Kitchener?

The median gross salary is 2,614 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Is Kitchener a good place to live?

Kitchener 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 Kitchener?

Ayr, Guelph are near Kitchener. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Asia live in Kitchener?

The official country of birth distribution records 31,050 people (41.2%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

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APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Kitchener, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c6c9a8c26ce37f989dcf9803ed1ed50c]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/kitchener/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kitchener-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_a9198592902c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kitchener, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {c6c9a8c26ce37f989dcf9803ed1ed50c},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/kitchener/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Kitchener, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/kitchener/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c6c9a8c26ce37f989dcf9803ed1ed50c; 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. Average Rent by Bedroom Type by Census Subdivision www03.cmhc-schl.gc.ca · checked 2026-10-08
  2. Canadian Climate Normals — KITCHENER/WATERLOO, 1991-2020 Canadian Climate Normals · climate.weather.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
  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. 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
  5. oecd.org place coordinates oecd.org · checked 2026-08-28
  6. Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
  7. Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
  8. Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
  9. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  10. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Show 17 more sources
  1. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
  2. Statistics Canada api.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 2026-08-07
  6. Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Kitchener, CSD 3530013) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
  7. Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Kitchener (Census subdivision 3530013) Statistics Canada · api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-13
  8. Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
  9. Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
  10. Statistics Canada language spoken at home www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-29
  11. Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
  12. www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
  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. Cost of Living in Kitchener. Jun 2026. Prices in Kitchener numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27
  17. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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