Living in Nelson

In Nelson, unemployment is 9.5% (2021).

Nelson's population was 11,467 at the end of 2022. The city faced an unemployment rate of 9.47% at the end of 2021. Nelson's foreign population totalled 1,615 at the end of 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-2619 sources

Population11,467people31 Dec 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary3,312EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada

Unemployment rate9.47%country median 8.4% — 13% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Canada

Recorded crime7,356incidents per 100,000country median 4,873 — 51% aboveOfficial source · Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia

PM2.5, annual mean7.14µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca

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

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 Nelson.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

The share of renter households spending 30% or more on housing reached 22.8% at the end of 2021.

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€50

Transport pass€37

Mobile plan, 10 GB€24

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	49.79 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Bell Fibe 500 home internet²Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	24.27 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Public Mobile 50GB plan⁹Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	37.36 EUR/month	13 Sept 2026	BC Transit / West Kootenay Regional Transit¹Official
Households spending over 30% of income on rent	22.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹³Official
Dwellings	5,314 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Main residence dwellings	4,948 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)	867 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023³Official

Is Nelson 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 worker44%strong on work, weak on safety · range 35–53%

Skilled employee52%strong on work, weak on education · range 43–61%

Student30%strong on cost, weak on education · range 20–40%

Family38%strong on housing, weak on education · range 29–47%

Retirement47%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 36–58%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Nelson?

The median gross salary is about 3,312 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: 3,312 EUR/month · Statistics Canada¹⁵
Median gross salary (regional): 2,092 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁹

What is the unemployment rate in Nelson?

The unemployment rate is about 9.5 % (2021).

Unemployment rate: 9.47 % · Statistics Canada¹⁶

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Nelson is 9.5%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

125

108

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

Nelson 9.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	61.4 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Median gross salary	3,312 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada¹⁵Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,092 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁹Official
Unemployment rate	9.47 %country median 8.4%	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁶Official

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Nelson?

Police recorded about 7,356 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 Columbia⁶

Recorded crime across major citiesNelson highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Winnipeg7,894

Edmonton7,108

Halifax6,020

Vancouver5,438

Calgary4,796

London4,743

Québec4,630

Ottawa4,298

Hamilton4,257

Toronto4,177

Gatineau3,756

Montreal3,674

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	7,356 incidents per 100,000country median 4,873	31 Dec 2025	Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia⁶Official

Mobility and administration

Nelson's nearest airport was YCG, 34 km away and offered 2 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁷Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	34 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	YCG	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Nelson

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Nelson?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.1 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: 7.14 µg/m³ · data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca⁴

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

0°

1°-3°

4°-3°

9°0°

14°3°

20°6°

23°10°

28°13°

22°9°

13°4°

6°0°

1°-3°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

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

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

PM2.57.1WHO 5 · EU 25

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

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaAnnual PM2.5 in Nelson is 7.1 µg/m³. Of 123 cities with data, 46 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.

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

Nelson 7.1

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7.14 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca⁴Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Average daytime high by month	Jan 1.4 · Feb 4.1 · Mar 8.9 · Apr 14.5 · May 20.1 · Jun 22.9 · Jul 28.5 · Aug 28.1 · Sep 21.9 · Oct 13.1 · Nov 5.5 · Dec 1 °C	31 Dec 1991	Environment and Climate Change Canada⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -2.9 · Feb -2.9 · Mar -0.2 · Apr 2.7 · May 6.5 · Jun 9.8 · Jul 12.7 · Aug 12.6 · Sep 8.8 · Oct 3.9 · Nov 0.3 · Dec -3 °C	31 Dec 1991	Environment and Climate Change Canada⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -0.7 · Feb 0.6 · Mar 4.4 · Apr 8.6 · May 13.3 · Jun 16.4 · Jul 20.7 · Aug 20.4 · Sep 15.4 · Oct 8.5 · Nov 2.9 · Dec -1 °C	31 Dec 1991	Environment and Climate Change Canada⁵Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Canada: Chatham-Kent ±2.3 °C. Elsewhere: Spokane Valley (United States) ±0.6 °C, Radom (Poland) ±1.0 °C, Dingolfing (Germany) ±1.0 °C, Landau an der Isar (Germany) ±1.0 °C, Plattling (Germany) ±1.0 °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

An area of 11.9 km² comprised Nelson at the end of 2021. Households in Nelson numbered 4,950 at the end of 2021. Median age stood at 42.4 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Nelson?

The published population was 11,467 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada¹²

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport85.9%
Foreign residents14.1%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	11.93 km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
City area	11.93 km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	15.06 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Foreign residents	1,615 people	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Population density	930.6 people/km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁷Official
Population	11,467 people	31 Dec 2022	Statistics Canada¹²Official

Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022

9,340

10,141

10,941

11,742

11,46720012005200920152022

Population rose 17.5% between 2001 and 2022, from 9,756 to 11,467.

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	15.1 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹³Official
Households	4,950 households	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Labour force participation rate	67.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Median age	42.4 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Nelson

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.

Blainville as a Nelson alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 3237 km, better on 4 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Residents: 62,700 Blainville vs 11,467 Nelson+447%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,099 Blainville vs 7,356 Nelson−71%
Unemployment: 5.6% Blainville vs 9.5% Nelson−41%
Median gross pay, region: €2,789 Blainville vs €2,092 Nelson+33%
Median gross pay, city: €3,813 Blainville vs €3,312 Nelson+15%
Foreign residents: 11.7% Blainville vs 15.1% Nelson−22%
Annual PM2.5: 7.3 µg/m³ Blainville vs 7.1 µg/m³ Nelsonsame level

Full comparison More about Blainville

Alternative cities in Canada

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

All Canada cities

Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts11,484 residents Saint-Hippolyte11,499 residents Saint-Raymond11,390 residents L'Île-Perrot11,548 residents Williams Lake11,385 residents Elliot Lake11,551 residents

How does Nelson compare?

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

The published population was 11,467 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Nelson?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca.

How safe is Nelson?

What is the typical salary in Nelson?

The median gross salary is about 3,312 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 Nelson?

The unemployment rate is about 9.5 % (2021). Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the typical salary around Nelson?

The median gross salary is 2,092 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Is Nelson a good place to live?

Nelson 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). Nelson, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 1938175ab94ace296dd1f8c8ebe6ef76]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/nelson/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_nelson-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_2db36ed0c8d8,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Nelson, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {1938175ab94ace296dd1f8c8ebe6ef76},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/nelson/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Nelson, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/nelson/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 1938175ab94ace296dd1f8c8ebe6ef76; 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

BC Transit / West Kootenay Regional Transit bctransit.com · checked 2026-09-15
Bell Fibe 500 home internet bell.ca · checked 2026-09-15
CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023 CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey · assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-18
data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-26
Environment and Climate Change Canada climate.weather.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

Show 9 more sources

Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada api.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
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27

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