ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data
On this page

Living in Kohtla-Järve

In Kohtla-Järve, the median gross salary is €1,431 a month (2026) and unemployment is 10.3% (2021).

Kohtla-Järve had a population of 32,368 at the start of 2026. The city covered 39.4 km² in 2026. Population density was 822.6 people per km² in 2026. The high-school-or-higher share was 82.5% in 2026.

Last checked 2026-09-1423 sources

Population32,368people1 Jan 2026Official source · EE official material for population_total
Median gross salary1,431EUR/month4 Aug 2026Official source · Statistics Estonia
Unemployment rate10.27%country median 2.9% — 251% aboveOfficial source · EE official material for unemployment_total_percent
PM2.5, annual mean3µg/m³31 Dec 2025Official source · EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — EE 2025 PM2.5 exact station temporal replacement

Which Estonia-wide rules apply when you move to Kohtla-Järve?

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 EstoniaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Kohtla-Järve.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Living space averaged 26.1 m² per person at the end of 2021. The housing-vacancy rate was 24% at the end of 2021.

No city-level rent figure is published for Kohtla-Järve. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month
Kohtla-Järve recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Transport pass€30
Internet, 60 Mbps€28
Mobile plan, 10 GB€20
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited27.9 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Private customer fixed connection price list16Official
Mobile plan, 10 GB20.32 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Private customer mobile service price list17Official
Monthly transport pass30 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Kohtla-Järve public bus fares regulation13Official
Dwellings21,244 dwellings31 Dec 2021EE official material for g05_dwellings_total2Official
Housing Vacancy Rate Percent23.96 %31 Dec 2021EE official material for housing_vacancy_rate_percent4Official

Is Kohtla-Järve 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 worker48%strong on work, weak on safety · range 38–58%
Skilled employee57%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 48–66%
Student64%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 54–74%
Family61%strong on family, weak on safety · range 50–72%
Retirement61%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 49–73%

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 10.3% at the end of 2021.

What is the typical salary in Kohtla-Järve?

The median gross salary is 1,431 EUR/month (2026). The regional series (home-region basis, 2025Q4) 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: 1,431 EUR/month · Statistics Estonia18
  • Median gross salary (regional): 1,450 EUR/month · 2026-07-29 · Statistics Estonia PA117 — median monthly gross wages by administrative unit22

What is the unemployment rate in Kohtla-Järve?

The unemployment rate is about 10.3 % (2021).

  • Unemployment rate: 10.27 % · EE official material for unemployment_total_percent8
Unemployment across cities in EstoniaUnemployment in Kohtla-Järve is 10.3%. Of 47 cities with data, 35 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary1,431 EUR/month4 Aug 2026Statistics Estonia18Official
Median gross salary (regional)1,450 EUR/month31 Dec 2025Statistics Estonia PA117 — median monthly gross wages by administrative unit22Official · regional context
Unemployment rate10.27 %country median 2.9%31 Dec 2021EE official material for unemployment_total_percent8Official

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

Eesti Töötukassa — Public employment service

Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Estonia service overview

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
G07 High School Or Higher Share Pct82.52 %1 Jan 2026EE official material for g07_high_school_or_higher_share_pct3Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 7 to 17, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: eesti keel teise keelena (Estonian as a second language remedial teaching + individual-curriculum support measures). How to enrol a child (hm.ee).

A country-wide rule for Estonia; Kohtla-Järve's school authority applies it locally.

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

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport1 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights14Official
Nearest airportTAY3 Aug 2026OurAirports15Official
Distance to nearest airport126 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports15Official

Language courses and integration

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

Country-level information

2026 free Estonian language courses with named regional locations — State Language Course

Integration Foundation and named language schools

For permanent residents, returnees.

EstonianIn Person, Onlinefree
Open official information

Estonian language courses for newcomers and residents — State Language Course

Integration Foundation

For newly arrived residents, permanent residents, returnees.

EstonianIn Person, Onlinefree
Open official information
Open the full Estonia section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Kohtla-Järve.

Find courses near Kohtla-Järve

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Kohtla-Järve?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 3 µg/m³ (2025) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — EE 2025 PM2.5 exact station temporal replacement9

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
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.

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean4 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — EE NO2 annual mean 2024 (station "Kohtla-Järve")10Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — EE PM10 annual mean 2024 (station "Kohtla-Järve")11Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean3 µg/m³31 Dec 2025EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — EE 2025 PM2.5 exact station temporal replacement9Official
Average daytime high by monthJan -2.3 · Feb -2.4 · Mar 1.9 · Apr 9.5 · May 15.8 · Jun 19.6 · Jul 22.4 · Aug 21 · Sep 15.7 · Oct 8.5 · Nov 2.7 · Dec -0.5 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV23Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -7.5 · Feb -8.5 · Mar -5.5 · Apr -0.1 · May 4.3 · Jun 9.1 · Jul 11.9 · Aug 10.9 · Sep 7 · Oct 2.4 · Nov -1.7 · Dec -5 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV23Official
Average temperature by monthJan -4.6 · Feb -5.2 · Mar -1.7 · Apr 4.5 · May 10.3 · Jun 14.6 · Jul 17.4 · Aug 15.9 · Sep 11.2 · Oct 5.5 · Nov 0.6 · Dec -2.5 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV23Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 45.2 · Feb 33.5 · Mar 36.3 · Apr 33.9 · May 50.1 · Jun 84.1 · Jul 77.4 · Aug 92.9 · Sep 66.6 · Oct 83.9 · Nov 64.2 · Dec 49 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV23Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Kohtla-Järve?

The published population was 32,368 people in January 2026. Source: EE official material for population_total7

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area39.35 km²1 Jan 2026EE official material for population_total7Official
Foreign-resident share28.37 %1 Jan 2026EE official material for foreign_population_total1Official
Foreign residents9,184 people1 Jan 2026EE official material for foreign_population_total1Official
Population density822.6 people/km²1 Jan 2026EE official material for population_total7Official
Population32,368 people1 Jan 2026EE official material for population_total7Official

International community in Kohtla-Järve

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

Country of birth

Population in the 2021 Population and Housing Census; total age group and total sex · 2021 Census (31 December 2021)

Published groupPeopleShare
Russian Federation6,93920.7%
Ukraine1,1053.3%
Belarus7772.3%
Kazakhstan2950.9%
Latvia1910.6%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source21

Citizenship

Population in the 2021 Population and Housing Census; total age group and total sex · 2021 Census (31 December 2021)

Published groupPeopleShare
Russian citizenship7,63822.8%
Citizenship of another country9872.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source20

Ancestry or ethnicity

Population in the 2021 Population and Housing Census; total age group and total sex · 2021 Census (31 December 2021)

Published groupPeopleShare
Estonian5,29815.8%
Ukrainian1,0793.2%
Belarusian1,0683.2%
Finn3160.9%
Pole1710.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source19

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Living space per resident26.1 m²/person31 Dec 2021EE official material for living_space_per_capita_m25Official
Median age50 years1 Jan 2026EE official material for median_age_years6Official

Alternatives for people set on Kohtla-Järve

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.

Tartu linn as a Kohtla-Järve alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

  • Residents: 99,900 Tartu linn vs 32,368 Kohtla-Järve+209%
  • Unemployment: 4.9% Tartu linn vs 10.3% Kohtla-Järve−53%
  • Median gross pay, city: €1,924 Tartu linn vs €1,431 Kohtla-Järve+34%
  • Foreign residents: 11.0% Tartu linn vs 28.4% Kohtla-Järve−61%
  • Median gross pay, region: €1,924 (2026) Tartu linn vs €1,450 (2025) Kohtla-Järveno percentage
  • Empty flats: 25.4% Tartu linn vs 24.0% Kohtla-Järve+6%
Full comparisonMore about Tartu linn

Alternative cities in Estonia

Other cities in Estonia to compare with Kohtla-Järve, nearest in population first.

All Estonia cities
Saue vald26,112 residentsRae vald25,835 residentsNarva51,411 residentsViimsi vald20,330 residentsPärnu52,198 residentsHarku vald19,128 residents

How does Kohtla-Järve compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Kohtla-Järve in rankings

#14 of 30 in Cities with the lowest annual NO2 #17 of 30 in Cities with the strongest published PM2.5 and NO2 combination #21 of 30 in Cities with the lowest annual PM2.5 #26 of 30 in Cities meeting the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kohtla-Järve 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.

Is Kohtla-Järve part of Narva?

Kohtla-Järve is near Narva, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 45.1 km away by straight-line distance. Narva city profile

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source12

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Kohtla-Järve?

The published population was 32,368 people in January 2026. Source: EE official material for population_total.

Is the air quality good in Kohtla-Järve?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 3 µg/m³ (2025) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — EE 2025 PM2.5 exact station temporal replacement.

What is the typical salary in Kohtla-Järve?

The median gross salary is 1,431 EUR/month (2026). The regional series (home-region basis, 2025Q4) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Estonia.

What is the unemployment rate in Kohtla-Järve?

The unemployment rate is about 10.3 % (2021). Source: EE official material for unemployment_total_percent.

What is the typical salary around Kohtla-Järve?

The median gross salary is 1,450 EUR/month. Source: Statistics Estonia PA117 — median monthly gross wages by administrative unit.

How many foreign residents live in Kohtla-Järve?

9,184 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: EE official material for foreign_population_total.

Is Kohtla-Järve a good place to live?

Kohtla-Järve 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.

Is Kohtla-Järve part of Narva?

Kohtla-Järve is near Narva, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 45.1 km away by straight-line distance.

How many people born in Russian Federation live in Kohtla-Järve?

The official country of birth distribution records 6,939 people (20.7%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census (31 December 2021). 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, September 29). Kohtla-Järve, Estonia: population, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version f58ea947c87a6926e9b2d1cdab5b2dc4]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ee/kohtla-jarve/ Retrieved 2026-09-29. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kohtla-jarve-estonia-population-salary-cost-of-living_de7bbcc36727,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kohtla-Järve, Estonia: population, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-29},
  version = {f58ea947c87a6926e9b2d1cdab5b2dc4},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ee/kohtla-jarve/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-29. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Kohtla-Järve, Estonia: population, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ee/kohtla-jarve/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version f58ea947c87a6926e9b2d1cdab5b2dc4; retrieved 2026-09-29; built 2026-09-29.

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. EE official material for foreign_population_total andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  2. EE official material for g05_dwellings_total andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  3. EE official material for g07_high_school_or_higher_share_pct andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  4. EE official material for housing_vacancy_rate_percent andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  5. EE official material for living_space_per_capita_m2 andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  6. EE official material for median_age_years andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  7. EE official material for population_total andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  8. EE official material for unemployment_total_percent andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-18
  9. EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — EE 2025 PM2.5 exact station temporal replacement EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
  10. EEA air quality statistics — EE NO2 annual mean 2024 (station "Kohtla-Järve") EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
Show 13 more sources
  1. EEA air quality statistics — EE PM10 annual mean 2024 (station "Kohtla-Järve") EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  2. gisco-services.ec.europa.eu place coordinates gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-28
  3. Kohtla-Järve public bus fares regulation riigiteataja.ee · checked 2026-09-14
  4. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  5. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Private customer fixed connection price list telia.ee · checked 2026-09-14
  7. Private customer mobile service price list telia.ee · checked 2026-09-14
  8. Statistics Estonia andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-08-04
  9. Statistics Estonia (Statistical database) ancestry_or_ethnicity distribution andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-08-28
  10. Statistics Estonia (Statistical database) citizenship distribution andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-08-28
  11. Statistics Estonia (Statistical database) country_of_birth distribution andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-08-28
  12. Statistics Estonia PA117 — median monthly gross wages by administrative unit Statistics Estonia PA117 · andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-29
  13. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-29

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.