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Living in Aarau

In Aarau, unemployment is 1.8% (2022).

The resident counts list 17,397 Swiss permanent residents and 213 non-permanent residents at the end of 2024. The population of Aarau, in Switzerland, was 22,710 at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-2430 sources

Population22,710people31 Dec 2024Official source · Switzerland official denominator source
Median gross salary (region)7,512EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch
Average net rent17.53EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2024Regional figureOfficial source · Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton)
Unemployment rate1.8%country median 2.3% — 22% belowOfficial source · Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO
Recorded crime15,385incidents per 100,000country median 11,440 — 34% aboveOfficial source · Aargau 2025 municipality crime tables: StGB, BetmG and AIG
PM2.5, annual mean9.4µg/m³country median 8.8 — 7% aboveOfficial source · cdn.who.int

Lower unemployment than 72% of Swiss cities that publish it and dirtier air than 65% of Swiss cities that publish it.

Which Switzerland-wide rules apply when you move to Aarau?

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 SwitzerlandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Aarau.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Aarau recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€71
Mobile plan, 10 GB€56
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited70.68 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Swisscom blue Internet S14Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB56.03 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Salt Swiss 10GB10Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)17.53 EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2024Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton)6Official · regional context

Is Aarau 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 worker62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 52–72%
Skilled employee69%strong on work, weak on education · range 59–79%
Student36%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 25–47%
Family46%strong on family, weak on education · range 36–56%
Retirement45%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 34–56%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Aarau?

The unemployment rate is 1.8 % (2022). Source: Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO2

Unemployment across cities in SwitzerlandUnemployment in Aarau is 1.8%. Of 176 cities with data, 52 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)7,512 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch21Official
Unemployment rate1.8 %country median 2.3%31 Dec 2022Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO2Official

What does a salary buy in Aarau?

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

regional median gross pay: €7,512 (pxweb.bfs.admin.ch, 2024-12-31).
Left over each month€5,088of €6,266 take-home
  • Rent
  • 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.€6,266
Rent, 60 m²€17.53/m² · official · Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton) · 2024-12-31− €1,052
Internet€71 · official · Swisscom blue Internet S · 2026-09-30− €71
Mobile plan€56 · official · Salt Swiss 10GB · 2026-09-30− €56
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish€5,088
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Aarau Salary needed to live in Aarau

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Aarau. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

arbeit.swiss — Public employment service

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs / public employment service

Job SearchCareer Counselling
Register
Open the Switzerland service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Aarau. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Aarau?

Police recorded about 15,385 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Aargau 2025 municipality crime tables: StGB, BetmG and AIG1

Recorded crime across major citiesAarau highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Aarau highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Solothurn25,779
Bern20,196
Interlaken18,896
Olten15,369
Kloten13,097
St. Gallen9,783
Winterthur7,988
Muri bei Bern5,389
Wetzikon (ZH)4,048
Küsnacht (ZH)3,718
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents15,385 incidents per 100,000country median 11,44031 Dec 2025Aargau 2025 municipality crime tables: StGB, BetmG and AIG1Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport137 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights7Official
Nearest airportZRH3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official
Distance to nearest airport39 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Aarau. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Cantonal integration programmes — Newcomer Adaptation

SEM and cantons

For migrants, refugees.

German, French, ItalianIn Person
Open official information

fide language promotion system — State Language Course

State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)

For adult migrants.

German, French, ItalianIn Person, Online
Open official information
Open the full Switzerland section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Aarau.

Find courses near Aarau

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Aarau?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9.4 µg/m³ (2021) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int3

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
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 SwitzerlandAnnual PM2.5 in Aarau is 9.4 µg/m³. Of 43 cities with data, 12 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean9.4 µg/m³country median 8.831 Dec 2021cdn.who.int3Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 3.9 · Feb 5.9 · Mar 11.1 · Apr 15.6 · May 19.6 · Jun 23.5 · Jul 25.6 · Aug 25 · Sep 20.2 · Oct 14.5 · Nov 8 · Dec 4.3 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI16Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -1.5 · Feb -1.7 · Mar 1.2 · Apr 4.3 · May 8.5 · Jun 12.1 · Jul 13.6 · Aug 13.5 · Sep 9.8 · Oct 6.5 · Nov 2.3 · Dec -0.5 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI17Official
Average temperature by monthJan 1.2 · Feb 1.9 · Mar 5.9 · Apr 9.9 · May 14 · Jun 17.7 · Jul 19.4 · Aug 18.8 · Sep 14.6 · Oct 10.1 · Nov 5 · Dec 1.9 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 63.1 · Feb 52.6 · Mar 61.3 · Apr 63.2 · May 98.5 · Jun 92.2 · Jul 98.4 · Aug 98.3 · Sep 69.6 · Oct 72 · Nov 69.1 · Dec 81.4 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI19Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 41.2 · Feb 74.2 · Mar 133.2 · Apr 166.8 · May 180.6 · Jun 200.2 · Jul 219.8 · Aug 204.1 · Sep 148.7 · Oct 86.3 · Nov 42.8 · Dec 31.1 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI20Official

Similar climate. In Switzerland: Basel ±0.9 °C. Elsewhere: Cottbus (Germany) ±0.4 °C, Berlin (Germany) ±0.5 °C, Hoyerswerda (Germany) ±0.5 °C, Traunreut (Germany) ±0.9 °C, Traunstein (Germany) ±0.9 °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 12.4 km² in 2021.

How many people live in Aarau?

The published population was 22,710 people in 2024. Source: Switzerland official denominator source15

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Cars per 1,000 residents471.6 cars/1000 residents31 Dec 2024Swiss Federal Statistical Office/OFS/BFS13Official
City area12.37 km²2021Exact BFS Arealstatistik municipality area: sum of exhaustive NOAS top-level categories 1-4, PERIOD=A5 (2020-2025), FJ=2021, municipality REGION state 2025-01-01; hectares converted to km².4Official
Foreign non-permanent residents213 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official
Foreign residents5,313 people31 Dec 2024Ständige Wohnbevölkerung, Staatsangehörigkeit = Ausland, Gemeinde grain, 31.12.2024.11Official
Non-permanent residents213 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official
Population density1,836 people/km²31 Dec 2024Reproducible density from BFS STATPOP permanent population at 31.12.2024 divided by the exact official BFS municipality area denominator (2020-2025; FJ=2021; area observed_at=2021).4Official
Population22,710 people31 Dec 2024Switzerland official denominator source15Official
Swiss non-permanent residents0 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official
Swiss permanent residents17,397 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official

International community in Aarau

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published groupPeopleShare
Place of birth - total22,932100.0%
In Switzerland16,47971.9%
Abroad6,45328.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12

Country of birth

Non-permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published groupPeopleShare
Place of birth - total190100.0%
Abroad18798.4%
In Switzerland31.6%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12

Citizenship

Permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published groupPeopleShare
Citizenship - total22,932100.0%
Switzerland17,54976.5%
Germany9644.2%
Italy6392.8%
Kosovo3281.4%
Türkiye3201.4%
Eritrea2481.1%
Afghanistan2261.0%
Spain1910.8%
Serbia1710.7%
Show 104 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Portugal1540.7%
Croatia1430.6%
North Macedonia1200.5%
Bosnia and Herzegovina1010.4%
Austria990.4%
Poland990.4%
Sri Lanka870.4%
Syria860.4%
Romania840.4%
Ukraine840.4%
China810.4%
Bulgaria700.3%
Slovakia680.3%
Hungary670.3%
Greece540.2%
Netherlands520.2%
Slovenia520.2%
Somalia500.2%
France490.2%
United Kingdom360.2%
Brazil320.1%
Ethiopia300.1%
Iran290.1%
Czechia280.1%
India260.1%
Pakistan250.1%
Russia230.1%
Vietnam230.1%
Dominican Republic220.1%
Lithuania200.1%
Iraq200.1%
United States190.1%
Japan180.1%
Colombia170.1%
Sweden150.1%
Egypt150.1%
Thailand150.1%
Belgium140.1%
Tunisia140.1%
Mexico140.1%
South Sudan130.1%
Philippines120.1%
Finland100.0%
Cambodia100.0%
Indonesia90.0%
Latvia80.0%
Canada80.0%
Albania70.0%
Luxembourg70.0%
Algeria70.0%
Ecuador70.0%
Kenya60.0%
Nigeria60.0%
Sudan60.0%
Nepal60.0%
South Korea60.0%
Ireland50.0%
Montenegro50.0%
Venezuela50.0%
Bangladesh50.0%
Azerbaijan50.0%
Georgia50.0%
Guinea40.0%
Morocco40.0%
Argentina40.0%
Liechtenstein30.0%
Belarus30.0%
Cameroon30.0%
Congo (Kinshasa)30.0%
Sierra Leone30.0%
Bolivia30.0%
Chile30.0%
El Salvador30.0%
Lebanon30.0%
Kazakhstan30.0%
New Zealand30.0%
Denmark20.0%
Angola20.0%
Côte d'Ivoire20.0%
Gambia20.0%
Ghana20.0%
South Africa20.0%
Cuba20.0%
Peru20.0%
Malaysia20.0%
Singapore20.0%
Stateless10.0%
No indication10.0%
Iceland10.0%
Cyprus10.0%
Estonia10.0%
Burundi10.0%
Gabon10.0%
Guinea-Bissau10.0%
Mali10.0%
Rwanda10.0%
Uganda10.0%
Haiti10.0%
Israel10.0%
Laos10.0%
Armenia10.0%
Turkmenistan10.0%
Australia10.0%
Kiribati10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12

Alternatives for people set on Aarau

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.

Gränichen as an Aarau alternative in the same region

6 km away, better on 2 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 3,175 Gränichen vs 15,385 Aarau−79%
  • Residents: 8,692 Gränichen vs 22,710 Aarau−62%
  • Nearest airport: 33.0 km Gränichen vs 39.0 km Aarau−15%
  • Rent: €17.53/m² Gränichen vs €17.53/m² Aarausame level
  • Median gross pay, region: €7,512 Gränichen vs €7,512 Aarausame level
Full comparisonMore about Gränichen

Biel/Bienne as an Aarau alternative in the same country

67 km away, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Residents: 56,896 Biel/Bienne vs 22,710 Aarau+151%
  • Rent: €14.52/m² (2021) Biel/Bienne vs €17.53/m² (2024) Aarauno percentage
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 15,776 Biel/Bienne vs 15,385 Aarauno percentage
  • Annual PM2.5: 7.7 µg/m³ Biel/Bienne vs 9.4 µg/m³ Aarau−18%
  • Nearest airport: 31.0 km Biel/Bienne vs 39.0 km Aarau−21%
  • Median gross pay, region: €7,310 Biel/Bienne vs €7,512 Aarausame level
Full comparisonMore about Biel/Bienne

Cities near Aarau

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

Alternative cities in Switzerland

Other cities in Switzerland to compare with Aarau, nearest in population first.

All Switzerland cities
Riehen22,534 residentsCarouge (GE)22,488 residentsMartigny22,247 residentsAllschwil22,155 residentsNyon23,351 residentsKreuzlingen23,407 residents

How does Aarau compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Aarau in rankings

#9 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Switzerland

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Aarau under the national coverage rules.

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.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 4 to 15, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Einführungsklassen / integrative DaZ-Sprachförderung (per canton). How to enrol a child (edk.ch).

A country-wide rule for Switzerland; Aarau's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Put Aarau'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 Aarau?

The published population was 22,710 people in 2024. Source: Switzerland official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Aarau?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9.4 µg/m³ (2021) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int.

How safe is Aarau?

Police recorded about 15,385 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Aargau 2025 municipality crime tables: StGB, BetmG and AIG.

What is the unemployment rate in Aarau?

The unemployment rate is 1.8 % (2022). Source: Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO.

What is the typical salary around Aarau?

The median gross salary is 7,512 EUR/month. Source: www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch.

Is Aarau a good place to live?

Aarau 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 Aarau?

Buchs (AG), Küttigen, Suhr, Oberentfelden, Schönenwerd are near Aarau. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Place of birth - total live in Aarau?

The official country of birth distribution records 22,932 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2025-12-31. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

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). Aarau, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version df706f7c876d45ad5218dab540191429]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/4001-aarau/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_aarau-switzerland-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_7b27424891fa,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Aarau, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {df706f7c876d45ad5218dab540191429},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/4001-aarau/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Aarau, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/4001-aarau/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version df706f7c876d45ad5218dab540191429; 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. Aargau 2025 municipality crime tables: StGB, BetmG and AIG ag.ch · checked 2026-09-24
  2. Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO dam-api.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-04
  3. cdn.who.int cdn.who.int · checked 2026-08-26
  4. Exact BFS Arealstatistik municipality area: sum of exhaustive NOAS top-level categories 1-4, PERIOD=A5 (2020-2025), FJ=2021, municipality REGION state 2025-01-01; hectares converted to km². disseminate.stats.swiss · checked 2026-07-15
  5. GISCO Urban Audit 2021 — Functional Urban Areas (URAU_RG_100K_2021_4326_FUA) GISCO Urban Audit 2021 · gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-19
  6. Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton) dam-api.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-09-24
  7. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  8. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  9. Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 2024 pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-07-18
  10. Salt Swiss 10GB salt.ch · checked 2026-09-15
Show 20 more sources
  1. Ständige Wohnbevölkerung, Staatsangehörigkeit = Ausland, Gemeinde grain, 31.12.2024. pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2024-12-31
  2. Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-30
  3. Swiss Federal Statistical Office/OFS/BFS pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-08
  4. Swisscom blue Internet S swisscom.ch · checked 2026-09-15
  5. Switzerland official denominator source pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-07-14
  6. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  7. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  8. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  9. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  11. www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-27
  12. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  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. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  17. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  18. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  19. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  20. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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.