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Living in Kouvola

In Kouvola, rents across existing tenancies average €10.83 per m² a month (2026) and unemployment is 14.1% (2024).

At the end of 2024, the foreign population was 3,008.

Last checked 2026-09-2325 sources

Population78,386people31 Dec 2024Official source · Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year.
Median gross salary (region)3,547EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · pxweb2.stat.fi
Average net rent10.83EUR/m²/monthcountry median €12.27 — 12% belowOfficial source · pxweb2.stat.fi
Unemployment rate14.1%country median 10.6% — 33% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Finland
Recorded crime10,948incidents per 100,000country median 9,016 — 21% aboveOfficial source · statfin.stat.fi
PM2.5, annual mean4.7µg/m³country median 4.9 — 4% belowOfficial source · FMI PM2.5 annual station statistics 2024

Higher unemployment than 84% of Finnish cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 82% of Finnish cities that publish it.

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

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 Kouvola?

Average net cold rent is 10.83 EUR/m² per month (2026Q2), 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): 10.83 EUR/m²/month · pxweb2.stat.fi5
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Kouvola recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€30
Mobile plan, 10 GB€25
Net rent across major citiesKouvola highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Kouvola highlighted

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
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited29.9 EUR/month30 Sept 2026DNA fixed broadband1Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB24.93 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Telia Finland mobile plan17Official · national market
Dwellings42,468 dwellings31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland8Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.83 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €12.2727 Aug 2026pxweb2.stat.fi5Official

Is Kouvola 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 worker55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–63%
Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–65%
Student54%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 47–61%
Family41%strong on family, weak on cost · range 33–49%
Retirement54%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–64%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 650 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 10.83 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.

Source period: 2026Q2

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Kouvola?

The unemployment rate is 14.1 % (2024). Source: Statistics Finland10

Unemployment across cities in FinlandUnemployment in Kouvola is 14.1%. Of 144 cities with data, 36 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
People in employment30,292 people31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland9Official
Employment rate70.9 %31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland8Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,547 EUR/month31 Dec 2024pxweb2.stat.fi6Official
Unemployment rate14.1 %country median 10.6%31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland10Official

What does a salary buy in Kouvola?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

regional median gross pay: €3,547 (pxweb2.stat.fi, 2024-12-31).
Left over each month€1,935of €2,639 take-home
  • Rent
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left 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.€2,639
Rent, 60 m²€10.83/m² · official · pxweb2.stat.fi · 2026-08-27− €650
Internet€30 · official · DNA fixed broadband · 2026-09-30− €30
Mobile plan€25 · official · Telia Finland mobile plan · 2026-09-30− €25
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish€1,935
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Kouvola Salary needed to live in Kouvola

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Kouvola. 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

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents with high school education or higher74.3 %31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland8Official

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; Kouvola's school authority applies it locally.

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

Safety

How safe is Kouvola?

Police recorded about 10,948 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.fi7

Recorded crime across major citiesKouvola highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Kouvola highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Vantaa13,982
Helsinki12,307
Turku11,977
Kouvola10,948
Tampere10,243
Lahti9,882
Jyväskylä9,685
Vaasa9,184
Kuopio9,025
Joensuu9,008
Oulu8,794
Espoo7,549
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents10,948 incidents per 100,000country median 9,01631 Dec 2024statfin.stat.fi7Official

Mobility and administration

The nearest airport was LPP, 80.2 km away, with 3 listed destinations in June 2026.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport3 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat3Official
Nearest airportLPP13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv4Official
Distance to nearest airport80.2 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv4Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Kouvola. 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
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Kouvola.

Find courses near Kouvola

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Kouvola?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4.7 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: FMI PM2.5 annual station statistics 20242

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
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

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 Kouvola is 4.7 µg/m³. Of 39 cities with data, 16 have annual PM2.5 of 5 to under 6 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean4.7 µg/m³country median 4.931 Dec 2024FMI PM2.5 annual station statistics 20242Official
Average daytime high by monthJan -3.4 · Feb -3.4 · Mar 1.3 · Apr 8.3 · May 15.9 · Jun 20.2 · Jul 22.9 · Aug 20.8 · Sep 14.9 · Oct 7.5 · Nov 2.1 · Dec -1.1 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -9.1 · Feb -9.7 · Mar -6.3 · Apr -0.8 · May 4.7 · Jun 10 · Jul 13 · Aug 11.6 · Sep 7.1 · Oct 2 · Nov -2.2 · Dec -6 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI19Official
Average temperature by monthJan -6.1 · Feb -6.4 · Mar -2.3 · Apr 3.7 · May 10.6 · Jun 15.2 · Jul 18 · Aug 16.1 · Sep 10.8 · Oct 4.7 · Nov 0.1 · Dec -3.5 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI20Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 54.3 · Feb 45.1 · Mar 41.5 · Apr 31.1 · May 41 · Jun 62.9 · Jul 68.6 · Aug 71.1 · Sep 63.4 · Oct 72.4 · Nov 66.4 · Dec 63.5 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI21Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 27.5 · Feb 61.5 · Mar 135 · Apr 186.8 · May 274.5 · Jun 254.5 · Jul 273.4 · Aug 214.4 · Sep 134.6 · Oct 59.6 · Nov 22.6 · Dec 13.8 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI22Official

Similar climate. In Finland: Lahti ±0.6 °C. Elsewhere: Jönköping (Sweden) ±2.1 °C, Barrie (Canada) ±2.2 °C, Tartu linn (Estonia) ±1.4 °C, Pärnu (Estonia) ±1.8 °C, Huddinge (Sweden) ±1.9 °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 Kouvola?

The published population was 78,386 people in 2024. Source: Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year.15

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area2,558 km²1 Jan 2024www.maanmittauslaitos.fi23Official
Foreign-resident share4.1 %31 Dec 2025Statistics Finland8Official
Foreign residents3,008 people31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland official municipality key figures (11ra)15Official
Population density30.6 people/km²31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland official municipality key figures (11ra)15Official
Population78,386 people31 Dec 2024Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year.15Official
Population covered by crime statistics77,625 people31 Dec 2025Statistics Finland StatFin vaerak/11ra (Key figures on population)16Official

People and communities

MetricValuePeriodSource
No religion or other, share31 %31 Dec 2025Statistics Finland11Official

International community in Kouvola

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 groupPeopleShare
TOTAL77,625100.0%
Finland72,82593.8%
FOREIGN COUNTRIES, TOTAL4,8006.2%
EUROPE3,0814.0%
Former Soviet Union1,3461.7%
ASIA1,1251.4%
AFRICA3710.5%
Estonia3540.5%
Ukraine2880.4%
Russia2460.3%
Sweden2200.3%
Show 44 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Thailand2000.3%
Turkey1820.2%
Philippines1170.2%
Somalia1130.1%
China1090.1%
AMERICA1090.1%
Unknown1050.1%
Sri Lanka1030.1%
Iraq1030.1%
Nepal750.1%
Pakistan730.1%
United Kingdom610.1%
Germany530.1%
Bangladesh490.1%
Vietnam460.1%
Latvia440.1%
Syria440.1%
Ethiopia410.1%
Iran390.1%
Afghanistan370.0%
India340.0%
United States330.0%
Poland320.0%
Egypt310.0%
Eritrea280.0%
Hungary270.0%
Lithuania250.0%
Myanmar220.0%
Morocco220.0%
Romania220.0%
Kenya210.0%
Spain210.0%
Former Yugoslavia210.0%
Sudan200.0%
Italy150.0%
Belgium110.0%
Brazil110.0%
Canada110.0%
Greece110.0%
Netherlands110.0%
Nigeria110.0%
Belarus100.0%
France100.0%
OCEANIA90.0%

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

Citizenship

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

Published groupPeopleShare
TOTAL77,625100.0%
Finland74,48195.9%
FOREIGN COUNTRIES, TOTAL3,1444.1%
EUROPE1,8892.4%
ASIA8881.1%
Ukraine5200.7%
Russia4950.6%
Estonia3590.5%
AFRICA2580.3%
Turkey1420.2%
Thailand1210.2%
Show 41 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Philippines1000.1%
Sri Lanka960.1%
China930.1%
Pakistan790.1%
Iraq730.1%
AMERICA660.1%
Nepal640.1%
Somalia570.1%
Bangladesh490.1%
Eritrea440.1%
Vietnam400.1%
Afghanistan380.0%
United Kingdom380.0%
Latvia370.0%
Germany320.0%
Poland300.0%
Sweden300.0%
Lithuania290.0%
India280.0%
Ethiopia260.0%
Iran240.0%
Hungary220.0%
United States220.0%
Without citizenship220.0%
Romania210.0%
Syria210.0%
Kenya200.0%
Spain190.0%
Sudan190.0%
Egypt190.0%
Unknown170.0%
Myanmar160.0%
Burundi140.0%
Italy140.0%
Democratic Republic of the Congo130.0%
Belarus120.0%
Netherlands120.0%
Greece100.0%
Ireland100.0%
Nigeria100.0%
OCEANIA40.0%

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

Language spoken at home

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

Published groupPeopleShare
Total77,625100.0%
NATIONAL LANGUAGES, TOTAL72,78593.8%
Finnish72,50693.4%
FOREIGN LANGUAGES, TOTAL4,8406.2%
Russian1,5392.0%
Ukrainian4690.6%
Estonian3900.5%
Swedish2750.4%
Arabic2430.3%
English1830.2%
Somali1800.2%
Show 34 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Thai1780.2%
Turkish1620.2%
Kurdish1050.1%
Chinese1040.1%
Sinhala; Sinhalese870.1%
Tagalog790.1%
Spanish; Castilian770.1%
Nepali770.1%
Urdu770.1%
Persian, Farsi660.1%
Other language560.1%
Tigrinya520.1%
Bengali, (Bangla)500.1%
Vietnamese460.1%
German450.1%
Albanian370.0%
Unknown370.0%
Latvian360.0%
Polish350.0%
Hungarian340.0%
Lithuanian300.0%
Romanian300.0%
Burmese220.0%
French200.0%
Portuguese200.0%
Amharic180.0%
Kinyarwanda180.0%
Hindi140.0%
Italian140.0%
Swahili140.0%
Dutch130.0%
Turkmen130.0%
Tamil120.0%
Rundi100.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source14

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher27.7 %31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland8Official
Households42,468 households31 Dec 2024Statistics Finland9Official
Residents with a migration background6.4 %31 Dec 2025Statistics Finland11Official

Alternatives for people set on Kouvola

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 Kouvola alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Unemployment: 8.8% Vaasa vs 14.1% Kouvola−38%
  • Rent: €13.15/m² Vaasa vs €10.83/m² Kouvolano percentage
  • Nearest airport: 8.9 km Vaasa vs 80.2 km Kouvola−89%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,184 Vaasa vs 10,948 Kouvolano percentage
  • Residents: 70,361 Vaasa vs 78,386 Kouvola−10%
  • Median gross pay, region: €3,475 Vaasa vs €3,547 Kouvolasame level

Cities near Kouvola

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

Alternative cities in Finland

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

All Finland cities

How does Kouvola compare?

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

Kouvola in rankings

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kouvola 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.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Kouvola?

The published population was 78,386 people in 2024. Source: Tilastokeskus PxWeb table 11ra: population on 31 December by municipality and year..

How much does it cost to rent in Kouvola?

Average net cold rent is 10.83 EUR/m² per month (2026Q2), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 758 EUR a month before utilities. Source: pxweb2.stat.fi.

Is the air quality good in Kouvola?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4.7 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: FMI PM2.5 annual station statistics 2024.

How safe is Kouvola?

Police recorded about 10,948 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 Kouvola?

The unemployment rate is 14.1 % (2024). Source: Statistics Finland.

What is the typical salary around Kouvola?

The median gross salary is 3,547 EUR/month. Source: pxweb2.stat.fi.

Is Kouvola a good place to live?

Kouvola 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 Kouvola?

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

How many people born in Finland live in Kouvola?

The official country of birth distribution records 72,825 people (93.8%) 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). Kouvola, Finland: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version f66a504a39dc7bc1ee4b856e7cc7c56c]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fi/kouvola/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kouvola-finland-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_f8579222819d,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kouvola, Finland: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {f66a504a39dc7bc1ee4b856e7cc7c56c},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fi/kouvola/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Kouvola, Finland: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fi/kouvola/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version f66a504a39dc7bc1ee4b856e7cc7c56c; 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
  1. DNA fixed broadband dna.fi · checked 2026-09-15
  2. FMI PM2.5 annual station statistics 2024 assets.ctfassets.net · checked 2026-09-23
  3. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  4. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  5. pxweb2.stat.fi pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-27
  6. pxweb2.stat.fi pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-27
  7. statfin.stat.fi statfin.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-26
  8. Statistics Finland pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-07
  9. Statistics Finland pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-07
  10. Statistics Finland pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-05
Show 15 more sources
  1. Statistics Finland pxweb2.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-07
  2. Statistics Finland citizenship distribution pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-28
  3. Statistics Finland country of birth distribution pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-28
  4. Statistics Finland language spoken at home distribution pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-08-28
  5. Statistics Finland official municipality key figures (11ra) pxdata.stat.fi · checked 2026-07-14
  6. Statistics Finland StatFin vaerak/11ra (Key figures on population) statfin.stat.fi · checked 2026-09-05
  7. Telia Finland mobile plan telia.fi · checked 2026-09-15
  8. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  9. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  11. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  12. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  13. www.maanmittauslaitos.fi maanmittauslaitos.fi · checked 2026-07-14
  14. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  15. 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.