Living in Kontiolahti

In Kontiolahti, unemployment is 10.9% (2024).

Kontiolahti covers 799.8 km², with a population density of 18.8 people per km² at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1922 sources

Population15,071people31 Dec 2024Official source · Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year.

Median gross salary (region)3,315EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · pxweb2.stat.fi

Unemployment rate10.9%country median 10.6% — 3% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Finland

Recorded crime5,560incidents per 100,000country median 9,016 — 38% belowOfficial source · statfin.stat.fi

PM2.5, annual mean5µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency (EEA)

Which Finland-wide rules apply when you move to Kontiolahti?

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 FinlandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Kontiolahti.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€30

Mobile plan, 10 GB€25

Net rent across major citiesKontiolahti highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Järvenpää€16.41

Kerava€15.72

Porvoo€13.87

Riihimäki€13.02

Rauma€10.94

Kouvola€10.83

Show the other 3 cities

Kajaani€12.27

Kokkola€12.19

Kotka€12.17

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	29.9 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	DNA fixed broadband¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	24.93 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Telia Finland mobile plan¹⁶Official · national market
Dwellings	6,558 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland⁷Official

Is Kontiolahti 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 worker59%strong on work, weak on housing · range 49–69%

Skilled employee66%strong on work, weak on housing · range 57–75%

Student61%strong on cost, weak on housing · range 53–69%

Family61%strong on family, weak on housing · range 52–70%

Retirement56%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–68%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Kontiolahti?

The unemployment rate is 10.9 % (2024). Source: Statistics Finland⁹

Unemployment across cities in FinlandUnemployment in Kontiolahti is 10.9%. Of 144 cities with data, 36 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

2–44–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–1818–20

Kontiolahti 10.9%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in employment	6,699 people	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland⁸Official
Employment rate	79.6 %	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland⁷Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,315 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	pxweb2.stat.fi⁵Official
Unemployment rate	10.9 %country median 10.6%	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland⁹Official

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

Job Market Finland — Public employment service

Finnish public employment services

Job SearchRegistration

Open the Finland service overview

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents with high school education or higher	81.7 %	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland⁷Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 18, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: suomi/ruotsi toisena kielenä (S2) + valmistava opetus (preparatory education) + mother-tongue subsidies. How to enrol a child (oph.fi).

A country-wide rule for Finland; Kontiolahti's school authority applies it locally.

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

Safety

How safe is Kontiolahti?

Police recorded about 5,560 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: statfin.stat.fi⁶

Recorded crime across major citiesKontiolahti highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Vantaa13,982

Helsinki12,307

Turku11,977

Kouvola10,948

Tampere10,243

Lahti9,882

Jyväskylä9,685

Kuopio9,025

Joensuu9,008

Oulu8,794

Espoo7,549

Kontiolahti5,560

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	5,560 incidents per 100,000country median 9,016	31 Dec 2024	statfin.stat.fi⁶Official

Mobility and administration

The nearest airport was JOE, 16.8 km away, with 1 listed destinations in June 2026.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	1 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat³Official
Nearest airport	JOE	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁴Official
Distance to nearest airport	16.8 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁴Official

Language courses and integration

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

Country-level information

Municipal integration services and integration training — Integration course

Municipalities and employment services in Finland

For immigrants needing an integration plan.

Finnish, SwedishIn Person, Online

Open official information

Open the full Finland section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Kontiolahti.

Find courses near Kontiolahti

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Kontiolahti?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 5 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA)²

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

0°

-6°-12°

-5°-12°

0°-8°

6°-2°

14°3°

19°9°

22°13°

19°11°

13°6°

6°1°

0°-4°

-3°-8°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.55WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in FinlandAnnual PM2.5 in Kontiolahti is 5.0 µg/m³. Of 39 cities with data, 16 have annual PM2.5 of 5 to under 6 µg/m³.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–8

Kontiolahti 5.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	5 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	European Environment Agency (EEA)²Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan -5.6 · Feb -5.4 · Mar -0.1 · Apr 6.3 · May 13.9 · Jun 19 · Jul 21.9 · Aug 19.4 · Sep 13.4 · Oct 6 · Nov 0.4 · Dec -3.1 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁷Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan -12 · Feb -12.2 · Mar -8.1 · Apr -2.3 · May 3.5 · Jun 9.3 · Jul 12.5 · Aug 10.8 · Sep 6.3 · Oct 1 · Nov -3.9 · Dec -8.4 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁸Official
Average temperature by month	Jan -8.6 · Feb -8.6 · Mar -4 · Apr 2 · May 9 · Jun 14.3 · Jul 17.3 · Aug 15.1 · Sep 9.8 · Oct 3.6 · Nov -1.6 · Dec -5.5 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁹Official

Similar climate. In Finland: Oulu ±0.4 °C. Elsewhere: Saguenay (Canada) ±2.6 °C, Tartu linn (Estonia) ±2.9 °C, Huddinge (Sweden) ±3.1 °C, Auerbach/Vogtl. (Germany) ±3.1 °C, Klingenthal (Germany) ±3.1 °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 Kontiolahti?

The published population was 15,071 people in 2024. Source: Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year.¹⁴

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport98.9%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	799.8 km²	1 Jan 2024	www.maanmittauslaitos.fi²⁰Official
Foreign-resident share	1.1 %	31 Dec 2025	Statistics Finland⁷Official
Foreign residents	171 people	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland official municipality key figures (11ra)¹⁴Official
Population density	18.8 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland official municipality key figures (11ra)¹⁴Official
Population	15,071 people	31 Dec 2024	Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year.¹⁴Official
Population covered by crime statistics	15,060 people	31 Dec 2025	Statistics Finland StatFin vaerak/11ra (Key figures on population)¹⁵Official

People and communities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
No religion or other, share	26.6 %	31 Dec 2025	Statistics Finland¹⁰Official

International community in Kontiolahti

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

Country of birth

Population at the end of the statistical reference period; Statistics Finland population structure; total sex · 2025

Published group	People	Share
TOTAL	15,060	100.0%
Finland	14,674	97.4%
FOREIGN COUNTRIES, TOTAL	386	2.6%
EUROPE	286	1.9%
Former Soviet Union	112	0.7%
ASIA	53	0.4%
Russia	52	0.3%
Sweden	46	0.3%
AFRICA	21	0.1%
Thailand	20	0.1%
Philippines	13	0.1%

Show 3 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Estonia	12	0.1%
AMERICA	12	0.1%
OCEANIA	6	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹²

Citizenship

Population at the end of the statistical reference period; Statistics Finland population structure; total sex · 2025

Published group	People	Share
TOTAL	15,060	100.0%
Finland	14,898	98.9%
FOREIGN COUNTRIES, TOTAL	162	1.1%
EUROPE	104	0.7%
Russia	43	0.3%
ASIA	39	0.3%
Estonia	18	0.1%
Thailand	17	0.1%
Philippines	12	0.1%
AFRICA	11	0.1%
AMERICA	4	0.0%

Show 1 more group

Published group	People	Share
OCEANIA	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Language spoken at home

Population at the end of the statistical reference period; Statistics Finland population structure; total sex · 2025

Published group	People	Share
Total	15,060	100.0%
NATIONAL LANGUAGES, TOTAL	14,712	97.7%
Finnish	14,704	97.6%
FOREIGN LANGUAGES, TOTAL	348	2.3%
Russian	166	1.1%
English	24	0.2%
Thai	19	0.1%
Estonian	18	0.1%
German	10	0.1%
Somali	10	0.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹³

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	35.7 %	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland⁷Official
Households	6,558 households	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Finland⁸Official
Residents with a migration background	2.4 %	31 Dec 2025	Statistics Finland¹⁰Official

Alternatives for people set on Kontiolahti

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.

Vaasa as a Kontiolahti alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k and foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.

Residents: 70,361 Vaasa vs 15,071 Kontiolahti+367%
Unemployment: 8.8% Vaasa vs 10.9% Kontiolahti−19%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,184 Vaasa vs 5,560 Kontiolahtino percentage
Nearest airport: 8.9 km Vaasa vs 16.8 km Kontiolahti−47%
Foreign residents: 8.5% (2024) Vaasa vs 1.1% (2025) Kontiolahtino percentage
Median gross pay, region: €3,475 Vaasa vs €3,315 Kontiolahti+5%

Full comparison More about Vaasa

Cities near Kontiolahti

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Finland

Other cities in Finland to compare with Kontiolahti, nearest in population first.

All Finland cities

Kauhava15,050 residents Loimaa15,124 residents Kuusamo14,876 residents Ylivieska15,274 residents Uusikaupunki14,783 residents Orimattila15,575 residents

How does Kontiolahti compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kontiolahti 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.

Put Kontiolahti's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Kontiolahti?

The published population was 15,071 people in 2024. Source: Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year..

Is the air quality good in Kontiolahti?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 5 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA).

How safe is Kontiolahti?

Police recorded about 5,560 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: statfin.stat.fi.

What is the unemployment rate in Kontiolahti?

The unemployment rate is 10.9 % (2024). Source: Statistics Finland.

What is the typical salary around Kontiolahti?

The median gross salary is 3,315 EUR/month. Source: pxweb2.stat.fi.

How many foreign residents live in Kontiolahti?

171 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Finland official municipality key figures (11ra).

Is Kontiolahti a good place to live?

Kontiolahti 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 Kontiolahti?

Eno is near Kontiolahti. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Finland live in Kontiolahti?

The official country of birth distribution records 14,674 people (97.4%) in the source-defined population for 2025. 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). Kontiolahti, Finland: population, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version e2a5496905aba8aba423ceaf92914a4c]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fi/kontiolahti/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kontiolahti-finland-population-salary-cost-of-living_a75413e1f3f1,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kontiolahti, Finland: population, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {e2a5496905aba8aba423ceaf92914a4c},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fi/kontiolahti/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Kontiolahti, Finland: population, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fi/kontiolahti/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version e2a5496905aba8aba423ceaf92914a4c; 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

DNA fixed broadband dna.fi · checked 2026-09-15
European Environment Agency (EEA) air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-06
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
pxweb2.stat.fi pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-27
statfin.stat.fi statfin.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-26
Statistics Finland pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Finland pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Finland pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-05
Statistics Finland pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-07

Show 12 more sources

Statistics Finland citizenship distribution pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-28
Statistics Finland country of birth distribution pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-28
Statistics Finland language spoken at home distribution pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-28
Statistics Finland official municipality key figures (11ra) pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Finland StatFin vaerak/11ra (Key figures on population) statfin.stat.fi · checked 2026-09-05
Telia Finland mobile plan telia.fi · checked 2026-09-15
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
www.maanmittauslaitos.fi maanmittauslaitos.fi · checked 2026-07-14
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.