Living in Saanich

In Saanich, unemployment is 6.8% (2021).

In May 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.8%. A monthly estimate placed internet service at €66 in December 2022. A monthly estimate placed basic utilities for an 85 m² home at €82 in December 2022.

Last checked 2026-09-2417 sources

Population125,853people1 Jul 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary3,676EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file)

Unemployment rate6.8%country median 8.4% — 19% belowOfficial source · Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain

PM2.5, annual mean2.38µg/m³country median 3.6 — 35% 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.

Lower unemployment than 70% of Canadian cities that publish it and cleaner air than 97% of Canadian cities that publish it.

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

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 Saanich.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€863

Utilities, 85 m² flat€82

Internet, 60 Mbps€66

Transport pass€59

Fitness club€33

Mobile plan, 10 GB€24

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	32.89 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	66.29 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	863.3 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	10.5 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	24.27 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Public Mobile 50GB plan⁶Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	59.5 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	81.66 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	50,064 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁷Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)	1,237 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023¹Official

Is Saanich 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 worker31%strong on work, weak on safety · range 22–40%

Skilled employee53%strong on work, weak on safety · range 44–62%

Student32%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 21–43%

Family46%strong on family, weak on safety · range 35–57%

Retirement39%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 28–50%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Saanich?

The median gross salary is about 3,676 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. the regional series (home-region basis, {period}) is a separate labelled row in the table — shown in the table below.

Median gross salary: 3,676 EUR/month · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file)¹⁴
Median gross salary (regional): 2,614 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁶

What is the unemployment rate in Saanich?

The unemployment rate is 6.8 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain¹¹

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Saanich is 6.8%. 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

Saanich 6.8%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	3,676 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file)¹⁴Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,614 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁶Official
Unemployment rate	6.8 %country median 8.4%	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain¹¹Official

Public employment service

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

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	8 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat⁴Official
Nearest airport	YYJ	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁵Official
Distance to nearest airport	21.2 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁵Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Saanich

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 2.38 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual NO₂ was 5.22 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Saanich?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 2.4 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: 2.38 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.²

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

0°

8°3°

9°3°

11°4°

14°6°

18°8°

21°10°

24°12°

20°10°

14°7°

10°5°

8°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

PM2.52.4WHO 5 · EU 25

NO₂5.2WHO 10 · EU 40

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 Saanich is 2.4 µg/m³. Of 122 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

Saanich 2.4

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	5.22 µg/m³country median 7.0	2024	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.³Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	2.38 µg/m³country median 3.6	2024	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.²Official
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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VICTORIA UNIVERSITY CS¹⁵Official · 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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VICTORIA UNIVERSITY CS¹⁵Official · 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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VICTORIA UNIVERSITY CS¹⁵Official · 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

The city covered 103.6 km² in 2021. Population density was 1,136.6 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Saanich?

The published population was 125,853 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 10,335 is not 22.5% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport91.8%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	103.6 km²	2021	Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Saanich, CSD 5917017)¹²Official
Foreign-resident share	22.54 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁹Official
Foreign residents	10,335 people	11 May 2021	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.¹³Official
Population density	1,137 people/km²	11 May 2021	Statistics 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.¹³Official
Population	125,853 people	1 Jul 2022	Statistics Canada⁸Official

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median age	44.4 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official

Alternatives for people set on Saanich

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Saanich from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Alternative cities in Canada

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

All Canada cities

Ajax126,666 residents Brantford123,521 residents Waterloo129,054 residents Terrebonne122,102 residents Milton132,979 residents St. Catharines136,803 residents

How does Saanich compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Saanich in rankings

#5 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in Canada #5 of 30 in Cities with the lowest annual PM2.5 #10 of 30 in Cities meeting the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Saanich 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 Saanich?

The published population was 125,853 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Saanich?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 2.4 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..

What is the typical salary in Saanich?

The median gross salary is about 3,676 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 Saanich?

The unemployment rate is 6.8 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain.

What is the typical salary around Saanich?

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

How many foreign residents live in Saanich?

10,335 people 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 Saanich a good place to live?

Saanich 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, September 24). Saanich, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 370c1ff0e9794c70c754f79434dea405]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/saanich/ Retrieved 2026-09-24. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_saanich-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_ef21af9c1dfc,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Saanich, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-24},
  version = {370c1ff0e9794c70c754f79434dea405},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/saanich/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-24. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Saanich, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/saanich/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 370c1ff0e9794c70c754f79434dea405; retrieved 2026-09-24; built 2026-09-24.

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

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
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
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
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Public Mobile 50GB plan publicmobile.ca · checked 2026-09-15
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
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

Show 7 more sources

Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain Statistics Canada · api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Saanich, CSD 5917017) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
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
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile (98-10-0002 bulk CSD CSV, province file) www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-19
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VICTORIA UNIVERSITY CS WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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