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Living in Laval

In Laval, unemployment is 8.6% (2021).

The unemployment rate was 8.6% in May 2021. Foreign-born residents accounted for 33.5% of the population in 2021. The bachelor’s-or-higher share was 24.9% in 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-2418 sources

Population446,476people1 Jul 2022Official source · Statistics Canada
Median gross salary3,290EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file)
Unemployment rate8.6%country median 8.4% — 2% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population
PM2.5, annual mean5.07µg/m³country median 3.6 — 40% aboveOfficial 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.

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

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 Laval.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

17.3% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021.

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

€ / month

Private kindergarten€206
Utilities, 85 m² flat€75
Transport pass€63
Internet, 60 Mbps€42
Mobile plan, 10 GB€34
Fitness club€17

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly17.22 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v218Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited42.35 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v218Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly206.5 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v218Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant12.87 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v218Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB33.64 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Cost of Living in Laval. Jun 2026. Prices in Laval17Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass63.34 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v218Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home75.1 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v218Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Households spending over 30% of income on rent17.3 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population13Official
Dwellings176,115 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada7Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)754.4 EUR/month31 Oct 2023CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 20231Official

Is Laval 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 worker52%strong on work, weak on safety · range 43–61%
Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 48–64%
Student38%strong on education, weak on safety · range 30–46%
Family52%strong on family, weak on safety · range 43–61%
Retirement60%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 49–71%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Laval?

The median gross salary is about 3,290 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: 3,290 EUR/month · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file)15
  • Median gross salary (regional): 2,397 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca16

What is the unemployment rate in Laval?

The unemployment rate is 8.6 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population13

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Laval is 8.6%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary3,290 EUR/month31 Dec 2020Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file)15Official
Median gross salary (regional)2,397 EUR/month31 Dec 2020www150.statcan.gc.ca16Official
Unemployment rate8.6 %country median 8.4%11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population13Official

Public employment service

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

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Workers commuting by bicycle0.5 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population13Official
Workers commuting by public transport11.3 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population13Official
Workers walking to work2.7 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population13Official
Destinations from nearest airport93 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat5Official
Nearest airportYUL13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv6Official
Distance to nearest airport15.6 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv6Official

Language courses and integration in Laval

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
1verified local records
Check courses in LavalHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Laval

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 5.07 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual NO₂ was 8.11 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Laval?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.1 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: 5.07 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.3
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 Laval is 5.1 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 mean8.11 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.4Official
PM2.5 — annual mean5.07 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.3Official
Monthly extreme high temperatureJan 7.79 · Feb 11.35 · Mar 22.78 · Apr 26.02 · May 30.99 · Jun 32.77 · Jul 36.61 · Aug 34.73 · Sep 34.17 · Oct 26.37 · Nov 20.63 · Dec 17.12 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center2Official
Monthly extreme low temperatureJan -41.45 · Feb -35.98 · Mar -32.83 · Apr -11.88 · May -2.87 · Jun 3.11 · Jul 8.64 · Aug 7.66 · Sep 0.72 · Oct -4.58 · Nov -20.9 · Dec -34.8 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center2Official
Average temperature by monthJan -11.25 · Feb -9.59 · Mar -3.32 · Apr 5.4 · May 13.16 · Jun 18.53 · Jul 21.72 · Aug 21.09 · Sep 16.85 · Oct 8.81 · Nov 1.43 · Dec -6.62 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center2Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 267.2 km² in 2021. Population density was 1,781 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Laval?

The published population was 446,476 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada8

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 29,835 is not 31.5% 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
City area267.2 km²2021Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Laval, CSD 2465005)11Official
Foreign-resident share31.5 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada9Official
Foreign residents29,835 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.12Official
Population density1,781 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.12Official
Population446,476 people1 Jul 2022Statistics Canada8Official

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad33.5 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population13Official
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher24.9 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree14Official
Median age42.8 years31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada10Official

Alternatives for people set on Laval

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.

Vancouver as a Laval alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Median gross pay, city cannot be compared like for like.

  • Annual PM2.5: 2.5 µg/m³ Vancouver vs 5.1 µg/m³ Laval−51%
  • Median gross pay, city: €3,785 Vancouver vs €3,290 Lavalno percentage
  • Residents: 706,012 Vancouver vs 446,476 Laval+58%
  • Foreign residents: 42.2% Vancouver vs 31.5% Laval+34%
  • Median gross pay, region: €2,702 Vancouver vs €2,397 Laval+13%
  • A meal out: €17 Vancouver vs €13 Laval+33%
  • Nearest airport: 10.9 km Vancouver vs 15.6 km Laval−30%
Full comparisonMore about Vancouver

Alternative cities in Canada

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

All Canada cities
London422,324 residentsHalifax480,216 residentsQuébec557,390 residentsVaughan338,891 residentsMarkham338,503 residentsHamilton597,010 residents

How does Laval compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Laval in rankings

#12 of 30 in Most international cities in Canada #14 of 30 in Largest cities in Canada

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

The published population was 446,476 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Laval?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. 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..

What is the typical salary in Laval?

The median gross salary is about 3,290 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file).

What is the unemployment rate in Laval?

The unemployment rate is 8.6 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.

What is the typical salary around Laval?

The median gross salary is 2,397 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

How many foreign residents live in Laval?

29,835 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: 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..

Is Laval a good place to live?

Laval 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). Laval, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 9f9ce2ecedd6b84bef613dd630d4df34]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/laval/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_laval-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_f00530f2be09,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Laval, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {9f9ce2ecedd6b84bef613dd630d4df34},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/laval/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Laval, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/laval/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 9f9ce2ecedd6b84bef613dd630d4df34; 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. 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
  2. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  6. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  7. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
  8. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  9. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  10. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Show 8 more sources
  1. Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Laval, CSD 2465005) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
  2. 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
  3. Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
  4. Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
  5. Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file) www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-19
  6. www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
  7. Cost of Living in Laval. Jun 2026. Prices in Laval numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27
  8. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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.