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Living in Calais

In Calais, rent averages €10.27 per m² a month (2025) and unemployment is 22.7% (2022).

The unemployment rate was 22.7% at the end of 2022. In 2021, the foreign population was 2,329.

Last checked 2026-09-2433 sources

Population67,571people1 Jan 2023Official source · INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Calais (commune 62193)
Median gross salary (region)2,579EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · www.insee.fr
Average net rent10.27EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.60 — 11% belowOfficial source · static.data.gouv.fr
Unemployment rate22.71%country median 11.0% — 107% aboveOfficial source · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune
Recorded crime6,677incidents per 100,000country median 4,740 — 41% aboveOfficial source · Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)
PM2.5, annual mean9.33µg/m³country median 8.5 — 10% aboveOfficial source · 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.

Cheaper rent than 69% of French cities that publish it, higher unemployment than 98% of French cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 83% of French cities that publish it.

Which France-wide rules apply when you move to Calais?

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 Calais?

Average net cold rent is 10.27 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), 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): 10.27 EUR/m²/month · static.data.gouv.fr23
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Calais recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€43
Mobile plan, 10 GB€20
Net rent across major citiesCalais highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Calais highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Paris€26.30
Nice€20.43
Lyon€16.57
Marseille€16.30
Toulouse€13.98
Calais€10.27
Show the other 6 cities
Bordeaux€15.99
Lille€15.76
Strasbourg€15.57
Montpellier€15.49
Rennes€14.87
Nantes€14.50
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited42.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Orange Livebox Fibre19Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB19.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Orange 100GB mobile plan18Official · national market
G02 Vacancy Rate Pct3,581 %31 Dec 2023INSEE8Official
Dwellings36,524 dwellings31 Dec 2023INSEE9Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings32,080 dwellings31 Dec 2023INSEE9Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.27 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.6031 Dec 2025static.data.gouv.fr23Official

Is Calais 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 worker48%strong on work, weak on safety · range 40–56%
Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–67%
Student60%strong on education, weak on housing · range 53–67%
Family50%strong on family, weak on cost · range 43–57%
Retirement40%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 31–49%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 616 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 10.27 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: 2025-Q3

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Calais?

The unemployment rate is about 22.7 % (2022).

  • Unemployment rate: 22.71 % · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune11
Unemployment across cities in FranceUnemployment in Calais is 22.7%. Of 2,240 cities with data, 898 have unemployment of 5 to under 10%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fibre-to-the-building availability99.62 %3 Aug 2026Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse)2Official
Gigabit broadband availability99.62 %31 Mar 2026Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage.7Official
Median gross salary (regional)2,579 EUR/month31 Dec 2022www.insee.fr24Official
Unemployment rate22.71 %country median 11.0%31 Dec 2022INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune11Official
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2013–2022

Unemployment rate fell 14.0% between 2013 and 2022, from 26.4% to 22.7%.

What does a salary buy in Calais?

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

regional median gross pay: €2,579 (insee.fr, 2022-12-31).
Left over each month€1,288of €1,967 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.€1,967
Rent, 60 m²€10.27/m² · official · static.data.gouv.fr · 2025-12-31− €616
Internet€43 · official · Orange Livebox Fibre · 2026-09-30− €43
Mobile plan€20 · official · Orange 100GB mobile plan · 2026-09-30− €20
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish€1,288
Take-home pay for other salaries and households

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count36 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)14Official
School Count62 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)14Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 3 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: UPE2A (unités pédagogiques pour élèves allophones nouvellement arrivés) + UPE2A-NSA variant. How to enrol a child (education.gouv.fr).

A country-wide rule for France; Calais's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents482.3 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2011DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 20114Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Calais 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
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents482.3 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-08-03
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Calais?

Police recorded about 6,677 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)3

Recorded crime across major citiesCalais highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Calais highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Lille13,488
Lyon13,026
Bordeaux12,429
Marseille11,857
Paris10,987
Montpellier9,636
Toulouse8,875
Rennes8,241
Strasbourg7,791
Nantes7,704
Nice7,577
Calais6,677
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents6,677 incidents per 100,000country median 4,74031 Dec 2025Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)3Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportCQF3 Aug 2026OurAirports20Official
Distance to nearest airport7 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports20Official

Language courses and integration

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

Country-level information

Contrat d’intégration républicaine (CIR) — Integration course

État français and OFII

For eligible non-EU foreign residents.

FrenchIn Person

DIAN language-training offer finder — Other

Réseau des Carif-Oref and DIAN

For people seeking French-language training.

FrenchIn Person, Online
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Calais.

Find courses near Calais

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 9.33 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual NO₂ was 12 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual PM10 was 16.2 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Calais?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 9.33 µg/m³ · 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1
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 FranceAnnual PM2.5 in Calais is 9.3 µg/m³. Of 1,975 cities with data, 626 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean11.97 µg/m³country median 14.820242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
NO₂ — latest reading34.3 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata.13Official
PM10 — annual mean16.24 µg/m³country median 14.220242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
PM2.5 — annual mean9.33 µg/m³country median 8.520242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 13.14 · Feb 13.86 · Mar 16.25 · Apr 20.64 · May 22.66 · Jun 26.61 · Jul 30.75 · Aug 29.07 · Sep 24.6 · Oct 23.26 · Nov 17.39 · Dec 14.03 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center16Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -4.28 · Feb -4.24 · Mar -4.08 · Apr -0.03 · May 5.5 · Jun 7.89 · Jul 11.85 · Aug 12.34 · Sep 8.45 · Oct 3.76 · Nov 0.28 · Dec -2.71 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center16Official
Average temperature by monthJan 5.64 · Feb 5.39 · Mar 6.72 · Apr 9.24 · May 12.14 · Jun 15 · Jul 17.22 · Aug 17.69 · Sep 15.94 · Oct 13.15 · Nov 9.55 · Dec 6.7 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center16Official
Annual PM2.5 over time12 published observations, 2013–2024

Annual PM2.5 fell 33.4% between 2013 and 2024, from 14.0 to 9.3.

Population and city profile

The city covered 33.5 km² in 2026. Population density was 2,017.0 people per km² in 2023.

How many people live in Calais?

The published population was 67,571 people in 2023. Source: INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Calais (commune 62193)10

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area33.5 km²31 Dec 2026Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte22Official
Foreign-resident share3.4 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat5Official
Foreign residents2,329 people2021Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT117Official
Population density2,017 people/km²31 Dec 2023Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte22Official
Population67,571 people1 Jan 2023INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Calais (commune 62193)10Official
Population over time11 published observations, 2013–2023

Population fell 6.8% between 2013 and 2023, from 72,520 to 67,571.

Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2013–2022

Foreign residents rose 73.4% between 2013 and 2022, from 1,310 to 2,272.

International community in Calais

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

Citizenship

Population resident in France excluding Mayotte; INSEE RP2023 NAT; total age and sex · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Total67,571100.0%
Français65,273.25596.6%
Etranger2,297.7453.4%

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

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr)15Official

Alternatives for people set on Calais

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.

Marck as a Calais alternative in the same region

7 km away, better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,217 Marck vs 6,677 Calais−67%
  • Unemployment: 13.6% Marck vs 22.7% Calais−40%
  • Residents: 10,467 Marck vs 67,571 Calais−85%
  • Nearest airport: 2.0 km Marck vs 7.0 km Calais−71%
  • Rent: €10.44/m² Marck vs €10.27/m² Calaissame level
  • Annual PM2.5: 9.6 µg/m³ Marck vs 9.3 µg/m³ Calais+3%
  • Median gross pay, region: €2,579 Marck vs €2,579 Calaissame level

Quimper as a Calais alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 541 km, better on 6 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

  • Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,365.7 Quimper vs 482.3 Calais+183%
  • Unemployment: 12.7% Quimper vs 22.7% Calais−44%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,072 Quimper vs 6,677 Calais−24%
  • Foreign residents: 4.6% Quimper vs 3.4% Calais+35%
  • Annual PM2.5: 6.9 µg/m³ Quimper vs 9.3 µg/m³ Calais−26%
  • Rent: €10.69/m² Quimper vs €10.27/m² Calais+4%
  • Nearest airport: 6.0 km Quimper vs 7.0 km Calais−14%

Cities near Calais

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

Coulogne Commuting Zone · 3.3 km away
Rent
6.19 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2021-01-01
Marck Commuting Zone · 6.6 km away
Rent
10.44 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Guînes Commuting Zone · 8.8 km away
Rent
10.21 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Oye-Plage Commuting Zone · 13.6 km away
Rent
5.83 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2021-01-01
Audruicq Commuting Zone · 17.5 km away
Rent
9.06 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Marquise 18.2 km away
Rent
10.7 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Gravelines 19.5 km away
Rent
10.77 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31

Alternative cities in France

Other cities in France to compare with Calais, nearest in population first.

All France cities

How does Calais compare?

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

Common questions

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

How many people live in Calais?

The published population was 67,571 people in 2023. Source: INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Calais (commune 62193).

How much does it cost to rent in Calais?

Average net cold rent is 10.27 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 719 EUR a month before utilities. Source: static.data.gouv.fr.

Is the air quality good in Calais?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation..

How safe is Calais?

Police recorded about 6,677 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026).

What is the unemployment rate in Calais?

The unemployment rate is about 22.7 % (2022). Source: INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune.

What is the typical salary around Calais?

The median gross salary is 2,579 EUR/month. Source: www.insee.fr.

Is Calais a good place to live?

Calais 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 Calais?

Coulogne, Marck, Guînes, Oye-Plage, Audruicq are near Calais. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people are in the Total citizenship group in Calais?

The official citizenship distribution records 67,571 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a citizenship 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). Calais, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version ac5e7b219f6e317ece6dd59868c7fdbb]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/calais/ Retrieved 2026-09-29. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_calais-france-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_b24b7f84cd2e,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Calais, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-29},
  version = {ac5e7b219f6e317ece6dd59868c7fdbb},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/calais/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-29. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Calais, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/calais/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version ac5e7b219f6e317ece6dd59868c7fdbb; 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

JSON Markdown
  1. 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation. air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-15
  2. Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse) data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026) static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-09-23
  4. DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 2011 data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  6. 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
  7. Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage. data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-03-31
  8. INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
  9. INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
  10. INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Calais (commune 62193) INSEE · insee.fr · checked 2026-08-13
Show 23 more sources
  1. INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune INSEE RP2022 ACT1 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
  2. Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), France api.insee.fr · checked 2026-08-30
  3. Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata. files.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-07-15
  4. Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr) data.education.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr) data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  6. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1 Nationalité en 2021 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-15
  8. Orange 100GB mobile plan boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
  9. Orange Livebox Fibre boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
  10. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  11. Répertoire des logements locatifs des bailleurs sociaux (RPLS) 2021 — données communales Répertoire des logements locatifs des bailleurs sociaux (RPLS) 2021 · static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-09-18
  12. Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte Séries historiques en 2023 · insee.fr · checked 2026-09-24
  13. static.data.gouv.fr static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-27
  14. www.insee.fr insee.fr · checked 2026-08-27
  15. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  16. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  17. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  18. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  19. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  20. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
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  22. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  23. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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