Living in Lorca
In Lorca, rent averages €4.00 per m² a month (2022) and unemployment is 9.1% (2024).
Gigabit broadband availability was 81.5% in 2025. Lorca had a population of 98,969 at the start of 2025. For Lorca, annual PM2.5 was 10 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.
Cheaper rent than 74% of Spanish cities that publish it, higher unemployment than 93% of Spanish cities that publish it and less recorded crime than 79% of Spanish cities that publish it.
Which Spain-wide rules apply when you move to Lorca?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
How much does it cost to rent in Lorca?
Average net cold rent is 4 EUR/m² per month (2022), excluding heating and operating charges.
Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.
- Average net rent (nettokalt): 4 EUR/m²/month · cdn.mivau.gob.es2
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited | 20 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | DIGI 300 Mbps fibre4Official · national market |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB | 12 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | DIGI 100GB mobile plan3Official · national market |
| Dwellings | 42,429 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| G05 Main Residential Dwellings | 31,833 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| G05 Secondary Seasonal Vacant Dwellings | 10,599 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 4 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €5.10 | 31 Dec 2022 | cdn.mivau.gob.es2Official |
| Official reference rent (median) | 450 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | SERPAVI — VDP001_01 — rental price and surface indicators by municipality23Official |
Is Lorca 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.
Worked out from these numbers
What does a 60 m² flat cost?
About 240 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 4 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.
Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.
Work and income
The unemployment rate was 9.05% in 2024.
What is the unemployment rate in Lorca?
The unemployment rate is about 9.1 % (2024).
- Unemployment rate: 9.05 % · INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city12
Lorca 9.1%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabit broadband availability | 81.53 % | 30 Jun 2025 | SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-202524Official |
| People in employment | 38,943 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 1,806 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)13Official · regional context |
| Unemployment rate | 9.05 %country median 4.4% | 31 Dec 2024 | INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city12Official |
Unemployment rate fell 51.6% between 2015 and 2024, from 18.7% to 9.1%.
What does a salary buy in Lorca?
Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.
RentInternetMobileLeft 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. | €1,470 |
| Rent, 60 m²€4.00/m² · official · cdn.mivau.gob.es · 2022-12-31 | − €240 |
| Internet€20 · official · DIGI 300 Mbps fibre · 2026-09-30 | − €20 |
| Mobile plan€12 · official · DIGI 100GB mobile plan · 2026-09-30 | − €12 |
| Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities | — |
| Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish | €1,198 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Lorca. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Lorca. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital beds per 100,000 residents | 496.4 beds per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2025 | Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 202519Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Lorca 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 guideSafety
How safe is Lorca?
Police recorded about 3,706 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.
- Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 3,706 offences per 100,000 · Balance de Criminalidad 2024 Q4 — III. Total infracciones penales, municipal rows1
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 3,706 offences per 100,000country median 4,281 | 31 Dec 2024 | Balance de Criminalidad 2024 Q4 — III. Total infracciones penales, municipal rows1Official |
Mobility and administration
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Lorca. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas — public language education network — State Language Course
Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports / autonomous education authorities
For adult language learners, residents.
Climate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Lorca?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair5
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
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.
Lorca 10.0
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 9 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station LORCA)6Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM10 — annual mean | 32 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station LORCA)7Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 10 µg/m³country median 8.7 | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair5Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme High C | Jan 22.26 · Feb 24.63 · Mar 28.75 · Apr 31.81 · May 37.12 · Jun 39.51 · Jul 41.45 · Aug 41.73 · Sep 39.86 · Oct 32.44 · Nov 26.59 · Dec 23.98 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center20Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme Low C | Jan -7.57 · Feb -3.53 · Mar -2.76 · Apr 1.74 · May 3.71 · Jun 9.69 · Jul 13.71 · Aug 14.13 · Sep 9.57 · Oct 3.08 · Nov -0.53 · Dec -4.72 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center20Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 8.2 · Feb 8.91 · Mar 11.58 · Apr 14.37 · May 18.29 · Jun 23.26 · Jul 26.18 · Aug 25.94 · Sep 21.92 · Oct 17.74 · Nov 11.9 · Dec 8.98 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center20Official |
Population and city profile
How many people live in Lorca?
The published population was 98,969 people in January 2025. Source: Lorca - official stats18
By nationality
National passport78.9%Foreign residents21.1%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars per 1,000 residents | 485.1 cars per 1000 people | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat8Official |
| City area | 1,675 km² | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat GISCO, European Commission10Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 21.4 % | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat9Official |
| Foreign residents | 20,920 people | 1 Jan 2024 | Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España.21Official |
| Population density | 58.36 people/km² | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat GISCO / Eurostat Urban Audit10Official |
| Population Female | 47,921 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)14Official |
| Population Male | 50,526 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)14Official |
| Population | 98,969 people | 1 Jan 2025 | Lorca - official stats18Official |
Population rose 7.9% between 2015 and 2025, from 91,714 to 98,969.
Foreign residents rose 15.4% between 2015 and 2025, from 18,326 to 21,147.
International community in Lorca
Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.
Country of birth
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 95,726 | 100.0% |
| Spain | 72,518 | 75.8% |
| Africa | 10,061 | 10.5% |
| South America | 7,362 | 7.7% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 3,040 | 3.2% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 1,731 | 1.8% |
| Rent of Europe | 576 | 0.6% |
| Asia | 393 | 0.4% |
| North America | 40 | 0.0% |
| Oceania | 5 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source15
Citizenship
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 95,726 | 100.0% |
| Spanish | 75,524 | 78.9% |
| Africa | 11,839 | 12.4% |
| South America | 3,984 | 4.2% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 1,780 | 1.9% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 1,611 | 1.7% |
| Rent of Europe | 544 | 0.6% |
| Asia | 407 | 0.4% |
| North America | 33 | 0.0% |
| Oceania | 3 | 0.0% |
| Statelens | 1 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source16
Additional context
Alternatives for people set on Lorca
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.
Puerto Lumbreras as a Lorca alternative in the same region
16 km away, better on 1 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k and foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.
- Rent: €3.00/m² Puerto Lumbreras vs €4.00/m² Lorca−25%
- Residents: 18,006 Puerto Lumbreras vs 98,969 Lorca−82%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,740 Puerto Lumbreras vs 3,706 Lorcano percentage
- Nearest airport: 65.7 km Puerto Lumbreras vs 52.3 km Lorca+26%
- Foreign residents: 25.5% (2025) Puerto Lumbreras vs 21.4% (2024) Lorcano percentage
- Median gross pay, region: €1,806 Puerto Lumbreras vs €1,806 Lorcasame level
Barakaldo as a Lorca alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 634 km, better on 4 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.
- Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,104.2 Barakaldo vs 496.4 Lorca+122%
- Median gross pay, region: €2,659 Barakaldo vs €1,806 Lorca+47%
- Rent: €10.70/m² (2024) Barakaldo vs €4.00/m² (2022) Lorcano percentage
- Nearest airport: 6.6 km Barakaldo vs 52.3 km Lorca−87%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,196 Barakaldo vs 3,706 Lorcano percentage
- Annual PM2.5: 8.0 µg/m³ Barakaldo vs 10.0 µg/m³ Lorca−20%
- Residents: 102,986 Barakaldo vs 98,969 Lorca+4%
Tallinn as a Lorca alternative in another country
A move, not a commute, at 3062 km, better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.
- Annual PM2.5: 3.0 µg/m³ Tallinn vs 10.0 µg/m³ Lorca−70%
- Rent: €7.33/m² (2008) Tallinn vs €4.00/m² (2022) Lorcano percentage
- Nearest airport: 5.6 km Tallinn vs 52.3 km Lorca−89%
- Median gross pay, region: €2,068 (2025) Tallinn vs €1,806 (2024) Lorcano percentage
Cities near Lorca
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 3 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 3.8 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
Alternative cities in Spain
Other cities in Spain to compare with Lorca, nearest in population first.
How does Lorca compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Lorca's.
School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Regional reception programmes (aulas de enlace Madrid / aules d acollida Catalonia etc). How to enrol a child (educacionfpydeportes.gob.es).
A country-wide rule for Spain; Lorca'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 Lorca?
The published population was 98,969 people in January 2025. Source: Lorca - official stats.
How much does it cost to rent in Lorca?
Average net cold rent is 4 EUR/m² per month (2022), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 280 EUR a month before utilities. Source: cdn.mivau.gob.es.
Is the air quality good in Lorca?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair.
How safe is Lorca?
Police recorded about 3,706 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Balance de Criminalidad 2024 Q4 — III. Total infracciones penales, municipal rows.
What is the unemployment rate in Lorca?
The unemployment rate is about 9.1 % (2024). Source: INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city.
What is the typical salary around Lorca?
The median gross salary is 1,806 EUR/month. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE).
Is Lorca a good place to live?
Lorca 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 Lorca?
Puerto Lumbreras, Totana are near Lorca. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people born in Africa live in Lorca?
The official country of birth distribution records 10,061 people (10.5%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. 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). Lorca, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c651630ac3ce6e54252a06f3b771540c]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/lorca/ Retrieved 2026-09-29. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_lorca-spain-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_e106f4c358a2,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Lorca, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-29},
version = {c651630ac3ce6e54252a06f3b771540c},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/lorca/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-29. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Lorca, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/lorca/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c651630ac3ce6e54252a06f3b771540c; 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
- Balance de Criminalidad 2024 Q4 — III. Total infracciones penales, municipal rows Balance de Criminalidad 2024 Q4 · estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-07-26
- cdn.mivau.gob.es cdn.mivau.gob.es · checked 2026-08-26
- DIGI 100GB mobile plan digimobil.es · checked 2026-09-15
- DIGI 300 Mbps fibre digimobil.es · checked 2026-09-15
- EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
- EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station LORCA) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station LORCA) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
- Eurostat GISCO, European Commission gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
Show 17 more sources
- 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
- INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city INE Urban Indicators · servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-07-26
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-06
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) ine.es · checked 2026-08-07
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Spain servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-30
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Spain servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-30
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain ine.es · checked 2026-08-07
- Lorca - official stats ine.es · checked 2026-07-14
- Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025 sanidad.gob.es · checked 2026-08-03
- NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
- Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España. ine.es · checked 2024-01-01
- OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
- SERPAVI — VDP001_01 — rental price and surface indicators by municipality SERPAVI · cdn.mivau.gob.es · checked 2026-09-12
- SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-2025 digital.gob.es · checked 2025-06-30
- 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
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.