Living in Vélez-Málaga
In Vélez-Málaga, the statutory reference rent is €6.00 per m² a month (2022) and unemployment is 5.7% (2026).
In June 2026, the unemployment rate was 5.71%. The population of Vélez-Málaga, in Spain, was 86,048 at the start of 2025.
Pricier rent than 62% of Spanish cities that publish it, higher unemployment than 73% of Spanish cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 74% of Spanish cities that publish it.
Which Spain-wide rules apply when you move to Vélez-Málaga?
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 Vélez-Málaga?
Average net cold rent is 6 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): 6 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 | 50,460 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain9Official |
| Main residence dwellings | 32,274 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain9Official |
| Secondary, seasonal or vacant dwellings | 18,186 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain9Official |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 6 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €5.10 | 31 Dec 2022 | cdn.mivau.gob.es1Official |
| Official reference rent (median) | 538 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | SERPAVI — VDP001_01 — rental price and surface indicators by municipality16Official |
Is Vélez-Málaga 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 360 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 6 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 Vélez-Málaga?
The unemployment rate is about 5.7 % (June 2026).
- Unemployment rate: 5.71 % · SEPE — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202625
Vélez-Málaga 5.7%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabit broadband availability | 95.14 % | 30 Jun 2025 | SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-202517Official |
| People in employment | 30,276 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain9Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 1,796 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)5Official · regional context |
| Unemployment rate | 5.71 %country median 4.4% | 30 Jun 2026 | SEPE — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202625Independent |
What does a salary buy in Vélez-Málaga?
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. | €1,463 |
| Rent, 60 m²€6.00/m² · official · cdn.mivau.gob.es · 2022-12-31 | − €360 |
| 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 | €1,071 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Vélez-Málaga. 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 Vélez-Málaga. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital beds per 100,000 residents | 376.1 beds per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2025 | Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 202510Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Vélez-Málaga 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 Vélez-Málaga?
Police recorded about 5,298 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.11
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 5,298 incidents per 100,000country median 4,281 | 31 Dec 2024 | MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator.11Official |
Mobility and administration
The nearest airport was AGP, 37.6 km away, with 115 listed destinations in June 2026. Gigabit broadband availability was 95.1% in June 2025.
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Vélez-Málaga. 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 16 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station MÁLAGA-ESTE)4Official · nearest-station reading |
| Monthly extreme high temperature | Jan 21.08 · Feb 22.25 · Mar 27.7 · Apr 28.43 · May 36.39 · Jun 38.24 · Jul 40.56 · Aug 41.27 · Sep 39.83 · Oct 32.81 · Nov 26.12 · Dec 22.76 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center12Official |
| Monthly extreme low temperature | Jan -4.38 · Feb -4.38 · Mar -2.21 · Apr 1.6 · May 3.47 · Jun 8.44 · Jul 12.39 · Aug 13.51 · Sep 11.26 · Oct 1.39 · Nov -0.5 · Dec -2.85 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center12Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 8.29 · Feb 9.02 · Mar 11.37 · Apr 13.9 · May 17.84 · Jun 22.94 · Jul 26.19 · Aug 26.17 · Sep 22 · Oct 17.54 · Nov 11.88 · Dec 9.26 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center12Official |
Population and city profile
How many people live in Vélez-Málaga?
The published population was 86,048 people in January 2025. Source: Vélez-Málaga - official stats18
By nationality
National passport88.4%Foreign residents11.6%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 157.9 km² | 20 Oct 2025 | www.ign.es19Official |
| Foreign residents | 9,947 people | 1 Jan 2024 | Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España.13Official |
| Female residents | 43,368 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)6Official |
| Male residents | 42,009 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)6Official |
| Population | 86,048 people | 1 Jan 2025 | Vélez-Málaga - official stats18Official |
International community in Vélez-Málaga
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 | 82,972 | 100.0% |
| Spain | 72,333 | 87.2% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 3,198 | 3.9% |
| South America | 2,881 | 3.5% |
| Africa | 2,057 | 2.5% |
| Rent of Europe | 1,654 | 2.0% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 376 | 0.5% |
| Asia | 310 | 0.4% |
| North America | 143 | 0.2% |
| Oceania | 20 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7
Citizenship
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 82,972 | 100.0% |
| Spanish | 74,951 | 90.3% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 3,124 | 3.8% |
| Africa | 1,669 | 2.0% |
| Rent of Europe | 1,431 | 1.7% |
| South America | 1,241 | 1.5% |
| Asia | 281 | 0.3% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 181 | 0.2% |
| North America | 87 | 0.1% |
| Oceania | 7 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8
Additional context
Alternatives for people set on Vélez-Málaga
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.
Motril as a Vélez-Málaga alternative in the same region
52 km away, better on 2 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.
- Rent: €4.90/m² Motril vs €6.00/m² Vélez-Málaga−18%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,243 Motril vs 5,298 Vélez-Málaga−20%
- Nearest airport: 54.3 km Motril vs 37.6 km Vélez-Málaga+44%
- Hospital beds, per 100k: 303.7 Motril vs 376.1 Vélez-Málaga−19%
- Residents: 59,862 Motril vs 86,048 Vélez-Málaga−30%
- Unemployment: 5.8% Motril vs 5.7% Vélez-Málagasame level
- Median gross pay, region: €1,796 Motril vs €1,796 Vélez-Málagasame level
Orihuela as a Vélez-Málaga alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 314 km, better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.
- Rent: €4.20/m² Orihuela vs €6.00/m² Vélez-Málaga−30%
- Unemployment: 4.7% Orihuela vs 5.7% Vélez-Málaga−18%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,338 Orihuela vs 5,298 Vélez-Málagano percentage
- Median gross pay, region: €1,888 Orihuela vs €1,796 Vélez-Málaga+5%
- Hospital beds, per 100k: 331.6 Orihuela vs 376.1 Vélez-Málaga−12%
- Nearest airport: 35.1 km Orihuela vs 37.6 km Vélez-Málaga−7%
- Residents: 84,560 Orihuela vs 86,048 Vélez-Málaga−2%
Cities near Vélez-Málaga
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 7.1 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 7 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 7.6 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 7.2 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
Alternative cities in Spain
Other cities in Spain to compare with Vélez-Málaga, nearest in population first.
How does Vélez-Málaga compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Vélez-Málaga'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; Vélez-Málaga'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 Vélez-Málaga?
The published population was 86,048 people in January 2025. Source: Vélez-Málaga - official stats.
How much does it cost to rent in Vélez-Málaga?
Average net cold rent is 6 EUR/m² per month (2022), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 420 EUR a month before utilities. Source: cdn.mivau.gob.es.
How safe is Vélez-Málaga?
Police recorded about 5,298 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 Vélez-Málaga?
The unemployment rate is about 5.7 % (June 2026). Source: SEPE — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.
What is the typical salary around Vélez-Málaga?
The median gross salary is 1,796 EUR/month. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE).
How many foreign residents live in Vélez-Málaga?
9,947 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España..
Is Vélez-Málaga a good place to live?
Vélez-Málaga 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 Vélez-Málaga?
Algarrobo, Torrox, Rincón de la Victoria, Nerja are near Vélez-Málaga. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people born in Spain live in Vélez-Málaga?
The official country of birth distribution records 72,333 people (87.2%) 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). Vélez-Málaga, Spain: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; version dbb5911a8a79f01ec0de18037c2441aa]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/velez-malaga/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_velez-malaga-spain-population-rent-salary-jobs-safety_f62d02d2da01,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Vélez-Málaga, Spain: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {dbb5911a8a79f01ec0de18037c2441aa},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/velez-malaga/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Vélez-Málaga, Spain: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/velez-malaga/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version dbb5911a8a79f01ec0de18037c2441aa; 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 MÁLAGA-ESTE) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- 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
- Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025 sanidad.gob.es · checked 2026-08-03
Show 15 more sources
- MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator. estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-07-16
- 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
- OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
- 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
- Vélez-Málaga - official stats ine.es · checked 2026-07-14
- 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
- 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.