Living in Valga vald

In Valga vald, the median gross salary is €1,335 a month (2026) and unemployment is 4.6% (2025).

The unemployment rate was 4.6% at the end of 2025. Valga vald, a city in Estonia, had a population of 15,173 in 2026. For Valga vald, the nearest airport was TKD, 579 km away, with 1 listed destinations in June 2026.

Last checked 2026-10-0712 sources

Population15,173people31 Dec 2026Official source · RV0291U: RAHVAARV, PINDALA JA ASUSTUSTIHEDUS, 1. JAANUAR

Median gross salary1,335EUR/month4 Aug 2026Official source · Statistics Estonia

Unemployment rate4.6%country median 2.9% — 57% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Estonia TT065 + RV0240 — registered unemployment share

Recorded crime1,980incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Crimes per 10 000 people in counties

Which Estonia-wide rules apply when you move to Valga vald?

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 Valga vald.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€28

Mobile plan, 10 GB€20

Net rent across major citiesValga vald highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Tallinn€7.33

Tartu linn€6.42

Pärnu€2.24

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	27.9 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Telia Estonia 100 Mbps internet¹⁰Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	20.32 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Telia Estonia 16GB plan¹¹Official · national market

Is Valga vald 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 worker44%strong on work, weak on housing · range 33–55%

Skilled employee54%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 44–64%

Student49%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 37–61%

Family54%strong on family, weak on education · range 42–66%

Retirement51%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 37–65%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Valga vald?

The median gross salary is 1,335 EUR/month (2026). The regional series (home-region basis, 2026Q1) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

Median gross salary: 1,335 EUR/month · Statistics Estonia⁷
Median gross salary (regional): 1,335 EUR/month · 2026-08-26 · andmed.stat.ee⁷

What is the unemployment rate in Valga vald?

The unemployment rate is about 4.6 % (2025). Source: Statistics Estonia TT065 + RV0240 — registered unemployment share⁹

Unemployment across cities in EstoniaUnemployment in Valga vald is 4.6%. Of 47 cities with data, 35 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Valga vald 4.6%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	1,335 EUR/month	4 Aug 2026	Statistics Estonia⁷Official
Median gross salary (regional)	1,335 EUR/month	26 Aug 2026	andmed.stat.ee⁷Official
Unemployment rate	4.6 %country median 2.9%	31 Dec 2025	Statistics Estonia TT065 + RV0240 — registered unemployment share⁹Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Valga vald. 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 Valga vald. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Valga vald?

Police recorded 1,980 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Crimes per 10 000 people in counties¹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	1,980 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Crimes per 10 000 people in counties¹Official · county

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	1 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat⁴Official
Nearest airport	TKD	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁵Official
Distance to nearest airport	579 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁵Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Valga vald

Climate and air quality

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

0°

-2°-7°

-1°-7°

4°-4°

12°1°

18°6°

21°10°

24°13°

22°12°

17°7°

10°3°

4°-1°

0°-4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average January temperature	-5.5 °C	28 Aug 2026	Keskkonnaagentuur (KAUR) / ilmateenistus.ee²Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan -1.6 · Feb -1.1 · Mar 3.8 · Apr 11.6 · May 17.7 · Jun 21.2 · Jul 23.6 · Aug 22.2 · Sep 16.6 · Oct 9.5 · Nov 3.5 · Dec 0.1 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VALGA¹²Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -6.6 · Feb -7.4 · Mar -4.2 · Apr 0.9 · May 5.5 · Jun 10 · Jul 12.6 · Aug 11.5 · Sep 7.3 · Oct 2.8 · Nov -0.9 · Dec -4.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VALGA¹²Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -4 · Feb -4.3 · Mar -0.4 · Apr 6 · May 11.6 · Jun 15.6 · Jul 18 · Aug 16.5 · Sep 11.6 · Oct 5.9 · Nov 1.3 · Dec -2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VALGA¹²Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 51.7 · Feb 42 · Mar 38 · Apr 36.6 · May 51.5 · Jun 81.6 · Jul 66.6 · Aug 78 · Sep 52.6 · Oct 70.5 · Nov 55.7 · Dec 50.2 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VALGA¹²Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Estonia: Tartu linn ±0.3 °C. Elsewhere: Vantaa (Finland) ±0.7 °C, Jönköping (Sweden) ±1.4 °C, Turku (Finland) ±0.7 °C, Barrie (Canada) ±1.9 °C, Huddinge (Sweden) ±1.2 °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

How many people live in Valga vald?

The published population was 15,173 people in 2026. Source: RV0291U: RAHVAARV, PINDALA JA ASUSTUSTIHEDUS, 1. JAANUAR⁶

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport83%
Foreign residents17%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	889 km²	27 Aug 2026	Maa- ja Ruumiamet (Land and Spatial Development Board)³Official
City area	745.3 km²	31 Dec 2026	RV0291U: RAHVAARV, PINDALA JA ASUSTUSTIHEDUS, 1. JAANUAR⁶Official
Foreign residents	2,577 people	1 Jan 2025	Statistics Estonia RV068 — population by citizenship and place of residence⁸Official
Population density	20.4 people/km²	31 Dec 2026	RV0291U: RAHVAARV, PINDALA JA ASUSTUSTIHEDUS, 1. JAANUAR⁶Official
Population	15,173 people	31 Dec 2026	RV0291U: RAHVAARV, PINDALA JA ASUSTUSTIHEDUS, 1. JAANUAR⁶Official

Alternatives for people set on Valga vald

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 Valga vald alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, city: €1,924 Tartu linn vs €1,335 Valga vald+44%
Median gross pay, region: €1,924 Tartu linn vs €1,335 Valga vald+44%
Nearest airport: 8.3 km Tartu linn vs 579.0 km Valga vald−99%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,370 Tartu linn vs 1,980 Valga valdno percentage

Full comparison More about Tartu linn

Alternative cities in Estonia

Other cities in Estonia to compare with Valga vald, nearest in population first.

All Estonia cities

Rakvere15,345 residents Rakvere linn15,668 residents Elva vald14,600 residents Jõhvi vald16,052 residents Viljandi vald13,900 residents Lääne-Harju vald13,754 residents

How does Valga vald compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Valga vald 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.

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; Valga vald'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 Valga vald?

The published population was 15,173 people in 2026. Source: RV0291U: RAHVAARV, PINDALA JA ASUSTUSTIHEDUS, 1. JAANUAR.

How safe is Valga vald?

Police recorded 1,980 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Crimes per 10 000 people in counties.

What is the typical salary in Valga vald?

The median gross salary is 1,335 EUR/month (2026). The regional series (home-region basis, 2026Q1) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Estonia.

What is the unemployment rate in Valga vald?

The unemployment rate is about 4.6 % (2025). Source: Statistics Estonia TT065 + RV0240 — registered unemployment share.

What is the typical salary around Valga vald?

The median gross salary is 1,335 EUR/month. Source: andmed.stat.ee.

How many foreign residents live in Valga vald?

2,577 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Estonia RV068 — population by citizenship and place of residence.

Is Valga vald a good place to live?

Valga vald 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). Valga vald, Estonia: population, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version eb0d37e37c04232c3ba35c533bf1fdeb]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ee/valga-vald/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_valga-vald-estonia-population-salary-cost-of-living_3bd1deacd94c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Valga vald, Estonia: population, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {eb0d37e37c04232c3ba35c533bf1fdeb},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ee/valga-vald/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Valga vald, Estonia: population, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ee/valga-vald/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version eb0d37e37c04232c3ba35c533bf1fdeb; 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

Crimes per 10 000 people in counties statistika.justdigi.ee · checked 2026-10-05
Keskkonnaagentuur (KAUR) / ilmateenistus.ee ilmateenistus.ee · checked 2026-06-12
Maa- ja Ruumiamet (Land and Spatial Development Board) geoportaal.maaamet.ee · checked 2026-06-12
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
RV0291U: RAHVAARV, PINDALA JA ASUSTUSTIHEDUS, 1. JAANUAR andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-09-25
Statistics Estonia andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-08-04
Statistics Estonia RV068 — population by citizenship and place of residence Statistics Estonia RV068 · andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-26
Statistics Estonia TT065 + RV0240 — registered unemployment share Statistics Estonia TT065 + RV0240 · andmed.stat.ee · checked 2026-07-26
Telia Estonia 100 Mbps internet telia.ee · checked 2026-09-15

Show 2 more sources

Telia Estonia 16GB plan telia.ee · checked 2026-09-15
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station VALGA WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31

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.