Living in Karlovy Vary
In Karlovy Vary, unemployment is 5.4% (2024).
The population of Karlovy Vary totalled 49,073 at the end of 2024. An unemployment rate of 5.38% was measured at the end of 2024. The annual PM2.5 concentration measured 8 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.
Which Czechia-wide rules apply when you move to Karlovy Vary?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
The number of dwellings in Karlovy Vary reached 29,012 at the end of 2021.
No city-level rent figure is published for Karlovy Vary. The available city-level cost figures remain below.
Is Karlovy Vary 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.
Work and income
Employment totaled 20,682 in Karlovy Vary at the end of 2021.
What is the unemployment rate in Karlovy Vary?
The unemployment rate is about 5.4 % (2024).
- Unemployment rate: 5.38 % · Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) MOS; GŘ Úřadu práce ČR4
Karlovy Vary 5.4%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross earnings | 1,741 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2025 | MPSV/ISPV RSCP MZS-M0, 2025 — Karlovarský kraj, wage sphere11Official · regional context |
| People in employment | 20,682 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ)2Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 1,658 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2025 | Structure of Earnings Survey 2025 — Table B1, Percentage of employees, time paid and gross monthly earnings by sex and by region16Official · county |
| Unemployment rate | 5.38 %country median 4.1% | 31 Dec 2024 | Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) MOS; GŘ Úřadu práce ČR4Official |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Karlovy Vary. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Labour Office of the Czech Republic — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Karlovy Vary. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Safety
How safe is Karlovy Vary?
Police recorded about 1,871 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: KROK Database — 2025 open data9
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 1,871 incidents per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2025 | KROK Database — 2025 open data9Official · county |
Mobility and administration
Karlovy Vary's nearest airport was KLV, 5 km away and offered 3 direct destinations.
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Karlovy Vary. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
Adaptation and integration courses “Welcome to the Czech Republic” — Civic Orientation
Refugee Facilities Administration of the Ministry of the Interior
For third-country nationals with qualifying long-term or permanent residence.
Centres for Support of Integration of Foreigners — counselling, language and sociocultural support — Welcome Program
Refugee Facilities Administration of the Ministry of the Interior
For foreigners legally residing in the Czech Republic, people granted international protection.
Climate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Karlovy Vary?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency8
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
Night-time low to daytime high
mm
hours
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 8 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | European Environment Agency8Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average daytime high by month | Jan 0.6 · Feb 2.2 · Mar 6.6 · Apr 12.7 · May 17.1 · Jun 20.6 · Jul 22.6 · Aug 22.4 · Sep 17.2 · Oct 11.4 · Nov 5.1 · Dec 1.3 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan -4.6 · Feb -4.4 · Mar -1.6 · Apr 1.7 · May 5.9 · Jun 9.1 · Jul 11 · Aug 10.6 · Sep 7 · Oct 3.4 · Nov -0.3 · Dec -3.5 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average temperature by month | Jan -1.8 · Feb -1 · Mar 2.4 · Apr 7.5 · May 12 · Jun 15.4 · Jul 17.2 · Aug 16.7 · Sep 12 · Oct 7.2 · Nov 2.4 · Dec -0.9 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 35.5 · Feb 27.8 · Mar 34.9 · Apr 29.9 · May 56.5 · Jun 71.1 · Jul 68.3 · Aug 67 · Sep 55 · Oct 43 · Nov 38.9 · Dec 40.8 mm | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average sunshine by month | Jan 44.2 · Feb 75.3 · Mar 116 · Apr 177.9 · May 209.5 · Jun 213.9 · Jul 229 · Aug 222.9 · Sep 154.9 · Oct 100.5 · Nov 41.2 · Dec 33.8 hours | 31 Dec 1991 | World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading |
Similar climate. In Czechia: Olomouc ±1.3 °C. Elsewhere: Jönköping (Sweden) ±1.1 °C, Linköping (Sweden) ±0.6 °C, Quedlinburg (Germany) ±0.8 °C, Thale (Germany) ±0.8 °C, Zeulenroda-Triebes (Germany) ±1.1 °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
At the end of 2021, Karlovy Vary had 23,265 residents who were female. Karlovy Vary was home to 21,058 men at the end of 2021.
How many people live in Karlovy Vary?
The published population was 49,073 people in 2024. Source: Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) MOS; GŘ Úřadu práce ČR4
International community in Karlovy Vary
Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.
Citizenship
Population with usual residence; Census 2021; source indicator: Počet obyvatel s obvyklým pobytem · 2021 Census (2021-03-26)
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 44,323 | 100.0% |
| Česká republika | 39,126 | 88.3% |
| Ukrajina | 1,363 | 3.1% |
| Ruská federace | 1,019 | 2.3% |
| Vietnamská socialistická republika | 769 | 1.7% |
| Dvojí občanství | 655 | 1.5% |
| Slovenská republika | 266 | 0.6% |
| Spolková republika Německo | 124 | 0.3% |
| Republika Kazachstán | 96 | 0.2% |
| Nezjištěno | 66 | 0.1% |
| Čínská lidová republika | 64 | 0.1% |
Show 71 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Republika Kosovo | 64 | 0.1% |
| Běloruská republika | 61 | 0.1% |
| Chorvatská republika | 55 | 0.1% |
| Rumunsko | 49 | 0.1% |
| Thajské království | 39 | 0.1% |
| Kyrgyzská republika | 30 | 0.1% |
| Bulharská republika | 29 | 0.1% |
| Maďarská republika | 29 | 0.1% |
| Polská republika | 27 | 0.1% |
| Stát Izrael | 25 | 0.1% |
| Arménská republika | 22 | 0.0% |
| Spojené státy americké | 19 | 0.0% |
| Bosna a Hercegovina | 18 | 0.0% |
| Ázerbájdžánská republika | 17 | 0.0% |
| Republika Uzbekistán | 17 | 0.0% |
| Italská republika | 16 | 0.0% |
| Moldavská republika | 15 | 0.0% |
| Turecká republika | 15 | 0.0% |
| Spojené království Velké Británie a Severního Irska | 14 | 0.0% |
| Republika Severní Makedonie | 13 | 0.0% |
| Lotyšská republika | 12 | 0.0% |
| bez státního občanství | 11 | 0.0% |
| Mongolsko | 10 | 0.0% |
| Republika Srbsko | 10 | 0.0% |
| Gruzie | 9 | 0.0% |
| Rakouská republika | 9 | 0.0% |
| Libanonská republika | 9 | 0.0% |
| Tuniská republika | 9 | 0.0% |
| Francouzská republika | 8 | 0.0% |
| Řecká republika | 8 | 0.0% |
| Švédské království | 7 | 0.0% |
| Litevská republika | 6 | 0.0% |
| Egyptská arabská republika | 6 | 0.0% |
| Estonská republika | 5 | 0.0% |
| Íránská islámská republika | 5 | 0.0% |
| Syrská arabská republika | 5 | 0.0% |
| Jemenská republika | 5 | 0.0% |
| Austrálie | 4 | 0.0% |
| Japonsko | 4 | 0.0% |
| Jordánské hášimovské království | 4 | 0.0% |
| Bangladéšská lidová republika | 4 | 0.0% |
| Okupované palestinské území | 3 | 0.0% |
| Indická republika | 3 | 0.0% |
| Nizozemské království | 3 | 0.0% |
| Slovinská republika | 3 | 0.0% |
| Španělské království | 3 | 0.0% |
| Albánská republika | 3 | 0.0% |
| Alžírská lidová demokratická republika | 2 | 0.0% |
| Kanada | 2 | 0.0% |
| Kyperská republika | 2 | 0.0% |
| Finská republika | 2 | 0.0% |
| Spojené státy mexické | 2 | 0.0% |
| Marocké království | 2 | 0.0% |
| Pákistánská islámská republika | 2 | 0.0% |
| Filipínská republika | 2 | 0.0% |
| Švýcarská konfederace | 2 | 0.0% |
| Republika Burundi | 1 | 0.0% |
| Dánské království | 1 | 0.0% |
| Dominikánská republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Ekvádorská republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Ghanská republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Irsko | 1 | 0.0% |
| Korejská republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Stát Kuvajt | 1 | 0.0% |
| Republika Černá Hora | 1 | 0.0% |
| Nový Zéland | 1 | 0.0% |
| Nigérijská federativní republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Peruánská republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Portugalská republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Jihoafrická republika | 1 | 0.0% |
| Bolívarovská republika Venezuela | 1 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source6
Ancestry or ethnicity
Population with usual residence; Census 2021; source indicator: Počet obyvatel s obvyklým pobytem · 2021 Census (2021-03-26)
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 44,323 | 100.0% |
| Česká celkem | 26,961 | 60.8% |
| Ukrajinská celkem | 976 | 2.2% |
| Ruská celkem | 875 | 2.0% |
| Slovenská celkem | 768 | 1.7% |
| Vietnamská celkem | 519 | 1.2% |
| Německá celkem | 419 | 0.9% |
| Jiná celkem | 260 | 0.6% |
| Romská celkem | 154 | 0.3% |
| Maďarská celkem | 126 | 0.3% |
| Moravská celkem | 96 | 0.2% |
Show 55 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Evropská celkem | 94 | 0.2% |
| Arménská celkem | 65 | 0.1% |
| Československá celkem | 65 | 0.1% |
| Běloruská celkem | 42 | 0.1% |
| Chorvatská celkem | 41 | 0.1% |
| Bulharská celkem | 38 | 0.1% |
| Rumunská celkem | 37 | 0.1% |
| Židovská celkem | 36 | 0.1% |
| Polská celkem | 33 | 0.1% |
| Čínská celkem | 32 | 0.1% |
| Moldavská celkem | 32 | 0.1% |
| Americká (USA) celkem | 26 | 0.1% |
| Albánská celkem | 25 | 0.1% |
| Srbská celkem | 25 | 0.1% |
| Italská celkem | 21 | 0.0% |
| Kazašská celkem | 17 | 0.0% |
| Britská celkem | 16 | 0.0% |
| Australská celkem | 13 | 0.0% |
| Azerbájdžánská celkem | 13 | 0.0% |
| Francouzská celkem | 13 | 0.0% |
| Rakouská celkem | 13 | 0.0% |
| Makedonská celkem | 12 | 0.0% |
| Švýcarská celkem | 12 | 0.0% |
| Turecká celkem | 11 | 0.0% |
| Uzbecká celkem | 11 | 0.0% |
| Lotyšská celkem | 10 | 0.0% |
| Palestinská celkem | 10 | 0.0% |
| Řecká celkem | 9 | 0.0% |
| Gruzínská celkem | 8 | 0.0% |
| Litevská celkem | 8 | 0.0% |
| Nizozemská celkem | 8 | 0.0% |
| Rusínská celkem | 8 | 0.0% |
| Kanadská celkem | 7 | 0.0% |
| Syrská celkem | 7 | 0.0% |
| Arabská celkem | 6 | 0.0% |
| Estonská celkem | 6 | 0.0% |
| Korejská celkem | 6 | 0.0% |
| Kurdská celkem | 5 | 0.0% |
| Kyrgyzská celkem | 5 | 0.0% |
| Španělská celkem | 5 | 0.0% |
| Anglická celkem | 4 | 0.0% |
| Bosenská (muslimská) celkem | 4 | 0.0% |
| Slezská celkem | 4 | 0.0% |
| Švédská celkem | 4 | 0.0% |
| Irská celkem | 3 | 0.0% |
| Slovinská celkem | 3 | 0.0% |
| Indická celkem | 2 | 0.0% |
| Japonská celkem | 2 | 0.0% |
| Mongolská celkem | 2 | 0.0% |
| Norská celkem | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dánská celkem | 1 | 0.0% |
| Finská celkem | 1 | 0.0% |
| Irácká celkem | 1 | 0.0% |
| Islandská celkem | 1 | 0.0% |
| Portugalská celkem | 1 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source5
Additional context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 22,979 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ)2Official |
Alternatives for people set on Karlovy Vary
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.
Nejdek as a Karlovy Vary alternative in the same region
14 km away, better on 1 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.
- Residents: 7,733 Nejdek vs 49,073 Karlovy Vary−84%
- Unemployment: 4.1% Nejdek vs 5.4% Karlovy Vary−23%
- Median gross pay, region: €1,658 Nejdek vs €1,658 Karlovy Varysame level
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,871 Nejdek vs 1,871 Karlovy Varysame level
- Annual PM2.5: 8.0 µg/m³ Nejdek vs 8.0 µg/m³ Karlovy Varysame level
Pardubice as a Karlovy Vary alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 208 km, better on 3 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,119 Pardubice vs 1,871 Karlovy Vary−40%
- Unemployment: 3.6% Pardubice vs 5.4% Karlovy Vary−33%
- Residents: 92,319 Pardubice vs 49,073 Karlovy Vary+88%
- Median gross pay, region: €1,722 Pardubice vs €1,658 Karlovy Vary+4%
Cities near Karlovy Vary
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 7.45 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-12-31
- Rent
- 6.09 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-12-31
- Rent
- 7.12 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-12-31
- Rent
- 4.64 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
- Rent
- 5.31 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-12-31
Alternative cities in Czechia
Other cities in Czechia to compare with Karlovy Vary, nearest in population first.
How does Karlovy Vary compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Karlovy Vary's.
Karlovy Vary in rankings
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Karlovy Vary 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 guideSchool for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 15. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Free Czech-language courses for foreigners (NPI cizinci.npi.cz portal + school adaptation support). How to enrol a child (msmt.gov.cz).
A country-wide rule for Czechia; Karlovy Vary's school authority applies it locally.
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Karlovy Vary?
The published population was 49,073 people in 2024. Source: Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) MOS; GŘ Úřadu práce ČR.
Is the air quality good in Karlovy Vary?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency.
How safe is Karlovy Vary?
Police recorded about 1,871 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: KROK Database — 2025 open data.
What is the unemployment rate in Karlovy Vary?
The unemployment rate is about 5.4 % (2024). Source: Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) MOS; GŘ Úřadu práce ČR.
What is the typical salary around Karlovy Vary?
The median gross salary is 1,658 EUR/month. Source: Structure of Earnings Survey 2025 — Table B1, Percentage of employees, time paid and gross monthly earnings by sex and by region.
Is Karlovy Vary a good place to live?
Karlovy Vary 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 Karlovy Vary?
Ostrov, Chodov, Horní Slavkov, Nejdek, Sokolov are near Karlovy Vary. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people are in the Česká republika citizenship group in Karlovy Vary?
The official citizenship distribution records 39,126 people (88.3%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census (2021-03-26). This is a citizenship 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). Karlovy Vary, Czechia: population, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c3280f436ea5331ae2610ca6915e168f]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/cz/karlovy-vary/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_karlovy-vary-czechia-population-salary-cost-of-living_da21ba22a10b,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Karlovy Vary, Czechia: population, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {c3280f436ea5331ae2610ca6915e168f},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/cz/karlovy-vary/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Karlovy Vary, Czechia: population, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/cz/karlovy-vary/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c3280f436ea5331ae2610ca6915e168f; 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
- Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-08-07
- Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-08-07
- Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-08-07
- Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) MOS; GŘ Úřadu práce ČR opendata.csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-08-04
- Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) ancestry or ethnicity distribution csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-08-28
- Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) citizenship distribution csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-08-28
- Destatis Zensus 2022 — Regionaltabelle Gebäude und Wohnungen Destatis Zensus 2022 · destatis.de · checked 2026-08-30
- European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
- KROK Database — 2025 open data KROK Database · opendata.csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-10-05
- Ministerstvo financí ČR — Cenová mapa nájemního bydlení (kalkulačka tržního nájemného) Ministerstvo financí ČR · mfcr.cz · checked 2026-09-18
Show 16 more sources
- MPSV/ISPV RSCP MZS-M0, 2025 — Karlovarský kraj, wage sphere MPSV/ISPV RSCP MZS-M0, 2025 · ispv.cz · checked 2026-09-24
- O2 Datamanie 10GB o2.cz · checked 2026-09-15
- oecd.org place coordinates oecd.org · checked 2026-08-28
- OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
- OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
- Structure of Earnings Survey 2025 — Table B1, Percentage of employees, time paid and gross monthly earnings by sex and by region Structure of Earnings Survey 2025 · csu.gov.cz · checked 2026-09-24
- Vodafone fixed internet vodafone.cz · checked 2026-09-15
- World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
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