Living in Squamish

In Squamish, unemployment is 6.8% (2021).

Residents of Squamish numbered 23,652 at the end of 2022. Squamish registered an unemployment rate of 6.84% at the end of 2021. Squamish was home to 4,765 foreign residents at the end of 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-2622 sources

Population23,652people31 Dec 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary3,922EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada

Average rent1,380EUR/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 rate6.84%country median 8.4% — 19% belowOfficial source · Statistics Canada

Recorded crime5,396incidents per 100,000country median 4,873 — 11% aboveOfficial source · Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia

PM2.5, annual mean4.69µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS

Lower unemployment than 69% of Canadian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 65% of Canadian cities that publish it.

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

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 Squamish.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Renter households in Squamish spending 30% or more on housing totalled 25.4% at the end of 2021.

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€50

Transport pass€31

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	31.14 EUR/month	13 Sept 2026	BC Transit / District of Squamish¹Official
Households spending over 30% of income on rent	25.4 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹³Official
Dwellings	9,906 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Main residence dwellings	9,191 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
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 2023⁴Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,380 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01³Official · metropolitan-area figure

Is Squamish 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 worker29%strong on work, weak on safety · range 20–38%

Skilled employee54%strong on work, weak on education · range 45–63%

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

Family42%strong on family, weak on education · range 33–51%

Retirement29%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 18–40%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Squamish?

The median gross salary is about 3,922 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: 3,922 EUR/month · Statistics Canada¹⁵
Median gross salary (regional): 2,919 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca²²

What is the unemployment rate in Squamish?

The unemployment rate is about 6.8 % (2021).

Unemployment rate: 6.84 % · Statistics Canada¹⁶

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Squamish 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

Squamish 6.8%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	71.7 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Median gross salary	3,922 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada¹⁵Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,919 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca²²Official
Unemployment rate	6.84 %country median 8.4%	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁶Official

What does a salary buy in Squamish?

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

Left over each month€1,473of €2,959 take-home

Rent
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.	€2,959
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	− €1,380
Public transport pass€31 · official · BC Transit / District of Squamish · 2026-09-13	− €31
Utilities, 85 m²not published for this city	—
Internet€50 · official · Bell Fibe 500 home internet · 2026-09-30	− €50
Mobile plan€24 · official · Public Mobile 50GB plan · 2026-09-30	− €24
Left overbefore the bill this city does not publish	€1,473

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Squamish Salary needed to live in Squamish

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Squamish?

Police recorded about 5,396 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 citiesSquamish 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	5,396 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

Squamish's nearest airport was CXH, 46 km away and offered 1 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	1 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁷Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	46 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	CXH	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Squamish

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Squamish?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.7 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: 4.69 µg/m³ · Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS⁵

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

0°

4°-1°

8°0°

10°1°

14°4°

19°7°

21°10°

24°12°

21°9°

14°5°

8°2°

4°-1°

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

PM2.54.7WHO 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 Squamish is 4.7 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

Squamish 4.7

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	4.69 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 4.4 · Feb 7.6 · Mar 10.4 · Apr 14.5 · May 18.9 · Jun 21.1 · Jul 24.5 · Aug 24.5 · Sep 20.7 · Oct 13.9 · Nov 7.6 · Dec 3.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -0.9 · Feb 0 · Mar 1.3 · Apr 3.7 · May 7.2 · Jun 10.3 · Jul 12.4 · Aug 12.2 · Sep 9.3 · Oct 5.4 · Nov 1.7 · Dec -1 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 1.8 · Feb 3.8 · Mar 5.8 · Apr 9.1 · May 13.1 · Jun 15.7 · Jul 18.5 · Aug 18.4 · Sep 15 · Oct 9.7 · Nov 4.7 · Dec 1.4 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²¹Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Canada: Saanich ±1.7 °C. Elsewhere: Salzwedel (Germany) ±0.5 °C, Bad Hersfeld (Germany) ±0.6 °C, Bebra (Germany) ±0.6 °C, Heringen (Werra) (Germany) ±0.6 °C, Bad Fallingbostel (Germany) ±0.6 °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 104.7 km² comprised Squamish at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, Squamish had 9,190 households. The population's median age was 37.6 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Squamish?

The published population was 23,652 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada¹²

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport79.9%
Foreign residents20.1%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	104.7 km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
City area	104.7 km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	20.24 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Foreign residents	4,765 people	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Population density	227.5 people/km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁷Official
Population	23,652 people	31 Dec 2022	Statistics Canada¹²Official

Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022

14,094

17,576

21,057

24,539

23,65220012005200920152022

Population rose 59.7% between 2001 and 2022, from 14,814 to 23,652.

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	20.2 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹³Official
Households	9,190 households	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Labour force participation rate	76.9 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Median age	37.6 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Squamish

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.

Port Coquitlam as a Squamish alternative in the same region

56 km away, better on 1 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Foreign residents: 34.4% Port Coquitlam vs 20.2% Squamish+70%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 6,943 Port Coquitlam vs 5,396 Squamishno percentage
Median gross pay, city: €3,731 Port Coquitlam vs €3,922 Squamish−5%
Median gross pay, region: €2,898 Port Coquitlam vs €2,919 Squamishsame level

Full comparison More about Port Coquitlam

Blainville as a Squamish alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 3649 km, better on 2 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,099 Blainville vs 5,396 Squamish−61%
Residents: 62,700 Blainville vs 23,652 Squamish+165%
Foreign residents: 11.7% Blainville vs 20.2% Squamish−42%
Unemployment: 5.6% Blainville vs 6.8% Squamish−18%
Median gross pay, region: €2,789 Blainville vs €2,919 Squamish−4%
Median gross pay, city: €3,813 Blainville vs €3,922 Squamishsame level

Full comparison More about Blainville

Alternative cities in Canada

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

All Canada cities

Amherstburg23,524 residents Thorold23,816 residents L'Assomption23,442 residents Fergus23,209 residents Beloeil24,104 residents Oro-Medonte23,017 residents

How does Squamish compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Squamish in rankings

#7 of 12 in Safest cities in Canada by recorded crime

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

The published population was 23,652 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Squamish?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.7 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS.

How safe is Squamish?

What is the typical salary in Squamish?

The median gross salary is about 3,922 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 Squamish?

The unemployment rate is about 6.8 % (2021). Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the typical salary around Squamish?

The median gross salary is 2,919 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Is Squamish a good place to live?

Squamish 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). Squamish, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version deed6e9e1ee80141057039fe017dd3d6]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/squamish/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_squamish-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_40496685171c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Squamish, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {deed6e9e1ee80141057039fe017dd3d6},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/squamish/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Squamish, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/squamish/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version deed6e9e1ee80141057039fe017dd3d6; 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 / District of Squamish bctransit.com · checked 2026-09-15
Bell Fibe 500 home internet bell.ca · checked 2026-09-15
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
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
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), NAPS data-donnees.az.ec.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 12 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
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27

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.