Living in Salou
In Salou, the statutory reference rent is €7.40 per m² a month (2022) and unemployment is 2.6% (2026).
In June 2026, the unemployment rate was 2.55%. Its population was 31,491 at the start of 2025.
Pricier rent than 79% of Spanish cities that publish it, lower unemployment than 91% of Spanish cities that publish it and more recorded crime than any other Spanish city that publishes it.
Which Spain-wide rules apply when you move to Salou?
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 Salou?
Average net cold rent is 7.4 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): 7.4 EUR/m²/month · cdn.mivau.gob.es1
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited | 20 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | DIGI 300 Mbps fibre3Official · national market |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB | 12 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | DIGI 100GB mobile plan2Official · national market |
| Dwellings | 31,524 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Main residence dwellings | 11,640 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Secondary, seasonal or vacant dwellings | 19,884 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 7.4 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €5.10 | 31 Dec 2022 | cdn.mivau.gob.es1Official |
Is Salou 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 444 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 7.4 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
What is the unemployment rate in Salou?
The unemployment rate is about 2.6 % (June 2026).
- Unemployment rate: 2.55 % · SEPE — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202632
Salou 2.6%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabit broadband availability | 98.94 % | 30 Jun 2025 | SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-202520Official |
| People in employment | 9,195 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 2,261 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)9Official · regional context |
| Unemployment rate | 2.55 %country median 4.4% | 30 Jun 2026 | SEPE — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202632Independent |
What does a salary buy in Salou?
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. | €1,778 |
| Rent, 60 m²€7.40/m² · official · cdn.mivau.gob.es · 2022-12-31 | − €444 |
| 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 | €1,302 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Salou. 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 Salou. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital beds per 100,000 residents | 168.1 beds per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2025 | Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 202514Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Salou 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 Salou?
Police recorded about 12,061 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator.15
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 12,061 incidents per 100,000country median 4,281 | 31 Dec 2024 | MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator.15Official |
Mobility and administration
The nearest airport was REU, 8.1 km away, with 16 listed destinations in June 2026. Gigabit broadband availability was 98.9% in June 2025.
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Salou. 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 Salou?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 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 statistics — ES PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station TARRAGONA (UNIVERSITAT LABORAL))6
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.
Salou 7.0
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 14 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station VILA-SECA (IES VILA-SECA))4Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM10 — annual mean | 15 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station REUS (EL TALLAPEDRA))5Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 7 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station TARRAGONA (UNIVERSITAT LABORAL))6Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average daytime high by month | Jan 15 · Feb 15.9 · Mar 18.2 · Apr 20.3 · May 23.7 · Jun 27.7 · Jul 30.5 · Aug 30.8 · Sep 27.4 · Oct 23.4 · Nov 18.5 · Dec 15.5 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station REUS/AEROPUERTO21Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan 3.6 · Feb 4.1 · Mar 6.6 · Apr 8.9 · May 12.6 · Jun 16.9 · Jul 20.2 · Aug 20.7 · Sep 17.2 · Oct 13 · Nov 7.6 · Dec 4.5 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station REUS/AEROPUERTO21Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 9.3 · Feb 10 · Mar 12.4 · Apr 14.6 · May 18.2 · Jun 22.3 · Jul 25.3 · Aug 25.8 · Sep 22.3 · Oct 18.2 · Nov 13 · Dec 10 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station REUS/AEROPUERTO21Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 28.8 · Feb 23.5 · Mar 34.7 · Apr 41.3 · May 45.2 · Jun 22.2 · Jul 15.3 · Aug 36.5 · Sep 73 · Oct 72.8 · Nov 48.4 · Dec 33.7 mm | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station REUS/AEROPUERTO21Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average sunshine by month | Jan 170.4 · Feb 180.5 · Mar 214.3 · Apr 235.4 · May 268.3 · Jun 299 · Jul 321.7 · Aug 280.1 · Sep 224.5 · Oct 192.7 · Nov 168.8 · Dec 160.4 hours | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station REUS/AEROPUERTO21Official · nearest-station reading |
Similar climate. In Spain: Castellón de la Plana ±1.3 °C. Elsewhere: Aix-en-Provence (France) ±1.0 °C, Marseille (France) ±1.0 °C, Bari (Italy) ±0.9 °C, Little Rock (United States) ±2.4 °C, Cagliari (Italy) ±0.8 °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 Salou?
The published population was 31,491 people in January 2025. Source: Salou - official stats19
By nationality
National passport68.3%Foreign residents31.7%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 15.13 km² | 20 Oct 2025 | www.ign.es22Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 33.01 % | 31 Dec 2025 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE España)8Official |
| Foreign residents | 9,971 people | 1 Jan 2024 | Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España.16Official |
| Female residents | 14,834 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)10Official |
| Male residents | 15,390 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)10Official |
| Population | 31,491 people | 1 Jan 2025 | Salou - official stats19Official |
International community in Salou
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 | 28,314 | 100.0% |
| Spain | 17,400 | 61.5% |
| South America | 2,595 | 9.2% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 1,875 | 6.6% |
| Rent of Europe | 1,873 | 6.6% |
| Africa | 1,820 | 6.4% |
| Asia | 1,445 | 5.1% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 1,208 | 4.3% |
| North America | 89 | 0.3% |
| Oceania | 9 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source11
Citizenship
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 28,314 | 100.0% |
| Spanish | 19,048 | 67.3% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 2,357 | 8.3% |
| Africa | 1,770 | 6.3% |
| Rent of Europe | 1,763 | 6.2% |
| Asia | 1,506 | 5.3% |
| South America | 1,290 | 4.6% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 518 | 1.8% |
| North America | 57 | 0.2% |
| Statelens | 3 | 0.0% |
| Oceania | 2 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12
Additional context
Alternatives for people set on Salou
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.
Reus as a Salou alternative in the same region
9 km away, better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.
- Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,473.8 Reus vs 168.1 Salou+777%
- Residents: 111,601 Reus vs 31,491 Salou+254%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,612 Reus vs 12,061 Salou−53%
- Rent: €5.80/m² Reus vs €7.40/m² Salou−22%
- Nearest airport: 5.1 km Reus vs 8.1 km Salou−37%
- Annual PM2.5: 8.0 µg/m³ Reus vs 7.0 µg/m³ Salou+14%
- Foreign residents: 18.5% (2024) Reus vs 33.0% (2025) Salouno percentage
Elda as a Salou alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 332 km, better on 3 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.
- Hospital beds, per 100k: 929.9 Elda vs 168.1 Salou+453%
- Rent: €4.00/m² Elda vs €7.40/m² Salou−46%
- Nearest airport: 30.0 km Elda vs 8.1 km Salou+270%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,318 Elda vs 12,061 Salou−64%
- Residents: 55,222 Elda vs 31,491 Salou+75%
- Median gross pay, region: €1,888 Elda vs €2,261 Salou−17%
- Foreign residents: 7.1% (2024) Elda vs 33.0% (2025) Salouno percentage
Cities near Salou
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 5.8 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 6.8 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 6 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 5 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 7.3 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 5 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 4.7 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 6.2 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
Alternative cities in Spain
Other cities in Spain to compare with Salou, nearest in population first.
How does Salou compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Salou's.
Salou in rankings
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; Salou's school authority applies it locally.
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Is Salou part of Tarragona?
Salou is in the published commuting zone of Tarragona; this does not mean it is administratively part of the hub. Tarragona city profile
Relationship type: Commuting Zone Of. Source7
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Salou?
The published population was 31,491 people in January 2025. Source: Salou - official stats.
How much does it cost to rent in Salou?
Average net cold rent is 7.4 EUR/m² per month (2022), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 518 EUR a month before utilities. Source: cdn.mivau.gob.es.
Is the air quality good in Salou?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 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 statistics — ES PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station TARRAGONA (UNIVERSITAT LABORAL)).
How safe is Salou?
Police recorded about 12,061 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator..
What is the unemployment rate in Salou?
The unemployment rate is about 2.6 % (June 2026). Source: SEPE — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.
What is the typical salary around Salou?
The median gross salary is 2,261 EUR/month. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE).
Is Salou a good place to live?
Salou 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 Salou part of Tarragona?
Salou is in the published commuting zone of Tarragona; this does not mean it is administratively part of the hub.
Which cities are near Salou?
Reus, Tarragona, Vila-seca, La Canonja, Cambrils are near Salou. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people born in Spain live in Salou?
The official country of birth distribution records 17,400 people (61.5%) 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, October 16). Salou, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c4c8850b0a23c284786bfef2a872fcd8]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/salou/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_salou-spain-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_4eb352700950,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Salou, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {c4c8850b0a23c284786bfef2a872fcd8},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/salou/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Salou, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/salou/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c4c8850b0a23c284786bfef2a872fcd8; 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
- 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 statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station VILA-SECA (IES VILA-SECA)) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station REUS (EL TALLAPEDRA)) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- EEA air quality statistics — ES PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station TARRAGONA (UNIVERSITAT LABORAL)) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- 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
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE España) ine.es · checked 2026-08-03
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-06
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) ine.es · checked 2026-08-07
Show 22 more sources
- 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
- Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025 sanidad.gob.es · checked 2026-08-03
- MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator. estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-07-16
- Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España. ine.es · checked 2024-01-01
- OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
- OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
- Salou - official stats ine.es · checked 2026-07-14
- SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-2025 digital.gob.es · checked 2025-06-30
- WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station REUS/AEROPUERTO WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
- www.ign.es ign.es · checked 2026-08-30
- 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
- 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
- SEPE — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026 SEPE · sepe.es · checked 2026-07-26
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.